First Schedule explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
The First Schedule lists every fee payable under the Designs Act, 2000 and the Rules, each tied to a form where there is one. It was substituted in 2021 and now has two fee columns: one for natural persons, startups and small entities, and one for others. This article lists the heads of fee and, as the entries are clearly legible in the 2021 text, the amounts, labelled "as per the Schedule as substituted in 2021". Before you budget a design filing with our industrial design registration team, check the current Schedule, since fees change from time to time.
Rule 5 says fees are those specified in the First Schedule. As substituted by G.S.R. 45(E) in 2021, the Schedule has 29 entries and two columns: natural person(s) and/or startup(s) and/or small entit(y)/(ies), and others (alone or with natural persons, startups or small entities). For most entries the second column is four times the first. For example, an application for registration (entry 1, Form 1) is Rs 1000 or Rs 4000. The declaration of small entity or startup status (Form 24) carries no fee.
Source note
This article reads the First Schedule as substituted by the Designs (Amendment) Rules, 2021 (G.S.R. 45(E)). The original Schedule of 2001 had 27 entries and a single fee column; it was replaced. The 2014 amendment (G.S.R. 925(E)) is not in the sources consulted, and later amendments should be checked, so confirm every amount against the current Schedule before paying. The Act's fee provision is section 24 of the Designs Act, 2000; the payment rule is rule 5, covered in our article on rule 5. Form numbers are read from the 2021 Schedule and the Second Schedule; the 2021 text is typeset in a way that makes some form numbers sit beside the wrong row, so they have been matched with the Second Schedule.
The two columns
| Column | Who pays it |
|---|---|
| First (column 4) | natural person(s) and/or startup(s) and/or small entit(y)/(ies) |
| Second (column 5) | "Other(s), alone or with natural person(s) and/or Startup(s) and/or Small entit(y)/(ies)" |
"Startup" is defined in rule 2(eb), inserted in 2021 (see our article on rules 1-2). Status is claimed by Form 24. Where an application moves from the first column to a person in the second, rule 5(2)(e) requires the new applicant to pay the difference with the request for transfer; where a startup or small entity ceases to qualify after filing, the Explanation says no difference is payable.
The fee entries, as per the Schedule as substituted in 2021
Amounts are in rupees: first column / second column. "Add. design" means "for each additional design".
| No. | On what payable | Form | First / second column |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Application for registration of design under sections 5 and 44 | 1 | 1000 / 4000 |
| 2 | Claim under section 8(1) and (5) to proceed as an applicant or joint applicant | 2 | 500 / 2000 |
| 3 | Application for extension of copyright under section 11(2) | 3 | 2000 / 8000 |
| 4 | Application for restoration of lapsed design under section 12(2) | 4 | 1000 / 4000 |
| 5 | Additional fee for restoration | none printed | 1000 / 4000 |
| 6 | Inspection of registered design under section 17(1) | 5 | 500 / 2000 |
| 7 | Request for information when registration number is given, under section 18 | 6 | 500 / 2000 |
| 8 | Request for information when registration number is not given | 7 | 1000 / 4000 |
| 9 | Petition for cancellation of design under section 19 | 8 | 1500 / 6000 |
| 10 | Notice of intended exhibition or publication of an unregistered design under section 21 | 9 | 500 / 2000 |
| 11 | Application for registration of a document in the Register under section 30(3): one design; add. design | 10 | 500 / 2000; add. 200 / 800 |
| 12 | Application for entry of name of proprietor or part proprietor under section 30: one design; add. design | 11 | 500 / 2000; add. 200 / 800 |
| 13 | Application for entry of mortgage or license: one design; add. design | 12 | 500 / 2000; add. 200 / 800 |
| 14 | Application for entry of notification of a document under section 30 and rule 37: one design; add. design | 13 | 500 / 2000; add. 200 / 800 |
| 15 | Request for correction of clerical error under section 29 | 14 | 500 / 2000 |
| 16 | Request for certification under section 26 and rule 41 | 15 | 500 / 2000 |
| 17 | Application for certified copy of registered design under section 17(2) | 16 | 500 / 2000 |
| 18 | Application for rectification of Register under section 31 | 17 | 500 / 2000 |
| 19 | Extension of time for filing priority document under rule 15 and rule 18 | 18 | 200 / 800 (per month) |
| 20 | Notice of opposition under rule 40 | 19 | 100 / 400 |
| 21 | Notice of intention to attend hearing under rule 29 and 40 | 20 | 500 / 2000 |
| 22 | Form for authorization of agent or other person | 21 | no amount printed |
| 23 | Request to alter names or address or address for service under rule 31 | 22 | 200 / 800 |
| 24 | Request for entries of two addresses in the Register | 23 | 200 / 800 |
| 25 | Petition under rule 46 for amendment of any document | none printed | 500 / 2000 |
| 26 | Petition under rules 29, 40, 47 for enlargement of time | none printed | 500 / 2000 |
| 27 | Inspection of Register of Design under rule 38 (each design) | none printed | 250 / 1000 |
| 28 | Petition not otherwise provided for | none printed | 1000 / 4000 |
| 29 | To be submitted for claiming the status of a small entity | 24 | No fee / No fee |
Reading the Schedule
What changed in 2021
- The Schedule was substituted with a two-column scale.
- Entry 2 now cites section 8(1) and (5); the 2001 Schedule cited section 8(1).
- Entry 19 now cites rule 15 and rule 18; the 2001 Schedule cited rule 15 alone.
- Entry 26 cites rules 29, 40 and 47; the 2001 Schedule cited rule 47.
- Entry 28 (petition not otherwise provided for) and entry 29 (Form 24, small entity or startup status) are new; the 2001 Schedule had 27 entries.
Wrong claims to the first column
The note on Form 24 says that using the reduced fee on incorrect information or misrepresentation of facts about status "would mean that the entire fee did not accompany the document, as mandated by rule 5(2)(b)", and that under section 24(2) the filing "shall be of no effect unless the fee has been fully paid". It adds that a design entered in the Register on a false suggestion or representation about status "may attract the provisions of section 31". So the column chosen is a statement of fact, not a convenience.
Illustration (invented)
Basil Wellness Pvt. Ltd., a company with a Startup India recognition certificate, files one application for a bottle design. As per the Schedule as substituted in 2021 it uses the first column: Rs 1000 for Form 1, with Form 24 declaring startup status. Later it applies for extension under section 11(2) on Form 3 at Rs 2000. A large manufacturer, Zenith Containers Ltd., filing the same applications would pay Rs 4000 and Rs 8000.
What the Schedule does not say
- It does not say how a "small entity" is defined; clause (ea) of rule 2 is not in the text consulted.
- It prints no amount for Form 21 and no form number for entries 5, 25, 26, 27 and 28.
Need help working out your design fees?
Choosing the right column and counting each additional design correctly keeps a filing from being treated as short-paid. Our industrial design registration team can compute the fees for your portfolio and handle the filings.
Key takeaways
- The First Schedule, as substituted in 2021, has 29 entries and two columns.
- The first column is for natural persons, startups and small entities; the second is for others.
- Most second-column amounts are four times the first.
- Form 24, to claim small entity or startup status, carries no fee.
- A wrong claim to the first column can make the filing of no effect until the fee is fully paid.
- The 2014 amendment is not in the sources consulted; check the current Schedule.
Read next
- Rule 5: fees and mode of payment
- Forms: list of forms for design applications and petitions
- Design registration fee schedule: all categories
Disclaimer: Based on the Designs Rules, 2001 as notified and the Designs (Amendment) Rules, 2021, as consulted on 1 October 2026. Other amendments may apply; fees and forms change from time to time. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.