Forms 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 Second Schedule to the Designs Rules, 2001 lists the forms used for every step in the life of a design: application, claim to proceed as applicant, extension of copyright, restoration, inspection, search, cancellation, exhibition notice, entries in the Register, agent authority and more. As notified there were 23 forms; the 2021 amendment substituted Form 1 and added a Form 24 for claiming small entity or startup status. This is the map to use before you start an industrial design registration filing or any later petition.
Rule 6 says the forms in the Second Schedule "with such variations, as the circumstances of each case require, shall be used". There are 24 forms. Form 1 (application, sections 5 and 44) now asks the category of applicant and the e-mail and mobile number for the address for service. Form 24 is the declaration for claiming small entity or startup status. Fees are in the First Schedule: Form 24 carries no fee. The Third Schedule (classification) was omitted in 2021.
Source note
This article reads the Second Schedule as notified in 2001 (Forms 1 to 23), with Forms 1 and 24 as substituted by the Designs (Amendment) Rules, 2021 (G.S.R. 45(E)). The text of the other forms is not reproduced in the sources consulted; only their titles and the sections or rules that call for them are available, so this article does not describe what boxes each form contains. The 2014 amendment (G.S.R. 925(E)) is not in the sources consulted, and later amendments should be checked for any change of form. For rule 6 itself see our article on rules 6-9.
The list of forms
| Form | Section or rule | Title | Our article |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sections 5 and 44 | Application for registration of design / application under reciprocal arrangement (substituted 2021) | rules 11-13 and 15 |
| 2 | Section 8(1) | Claim to proceed as an applicant or joint applicant | rules 16-17 |
| 3 | Section 11(2) | Application for extension of copyright | rules 22-23 |
| 4 | Section 12(2) | Application for restoration of lapsed design | rules 24-25 |
| 5 | Section 17(1) | Inspection of registered design | rules 27-28 |
| 6 | Section 18 | Request for information when registration number is given | rules 27-28 |
| 7 | Section 18 | Request for information when registration number is not given | rules 27-28 |
| 8 | Section 19 | Petition to cancel registration of design | rule 29 |
| 9 | Section 21 | Notice of intended exhibition or publication of unregistered design | (Act section 21) |
| 10 | Section 30(3) | Application for registration of a document in the Register | rules 32-37 |
| 11 | Section 30 | Application for entry of name of proprietor or part proprietor in the Register | rules 32-37 |
| 12 | Section 30 | Application for entry of mortgage or licence in the Register | rules 32-37 |
| 13 | Section 30 and rule 37 | Application for entry of notification of a document in the Register | rules 32-37 |
| 14 | Section 29 | Request for correction of clerical error | (Act section 29) |
| 15 | Section 26 and rule 41 | Request for certificate | rules 41-42 |
| 16 | Section 17(2) | Application for certified copy of registered design | rules 41-42 |
| 17 | Section 31 | Application for rectification of Register | rules 38-40 |
| 18 | Rule 15 | Application for extension of time for filing priority document | rule 15 |
| 19 | Rule 40 | Notice of opposition | rules 38-40 |
| 20 | Rules 29 and 40 | Notice of intention to attend hearing | rule 29 and rules 38-40 |
| 21 | Section 43 | Power of authority to agents | rules 6-9 |
| 22 | Rule 31 | Request to alter name or address or address for service in the Register | rules 30-31 |
| 23 | Section 10 | Request for entries of two addresses in the Register | rules 30-31 |
| 24 | Rules 2 and 5 | To be submitted for claiming the status of a small entity or startup (as substituted 2021) | rules 1-2 and 5 |
Form 1 as substituted in 2021
Form 1 is headed "Application for registration of designs (See sections 5 and 44)" with "For Fee see First Schedule". As substituted it asks for:
- the class number, and the name, address and nationality of the applicant, who "claim(s) to be the proprietor(s)";
- the category of applicant, ticked: Natural Person, Start-up, Small Entity or Others;
- whether drawings, photographs, tracings or specimens accompany it (four exactly similar copies);
- the article or articles, or the trade description of each article in a set;
- any previous registration in a class and number, and details of the first application in a convention country (name of country or organisation, date of filing, application number, name of applicant);
- an address for service in India, with e-mail ID and mobile number; and
- a declaration of proprietorship and that the design is new or original, signed by the applicant or authorised agent and addressed to the Controller of Designs.
A footnote says to strike out the words if no previous registration or priority claim has been effected. For help with the form, see our guide on how to file Form 1.
Form 24, declaration of status
Form 24 ("See Rule 2 & 5") is titled "To be submitted for claiming the status of a small entity or startup". The declarant states that he or she is a small entity or a startup in respect of a design application number, and submits documents as evidence:
| Status | Indian applicant | Foreign entity |
|---|---|---|
| Small entity | evidence of registration under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Act, 2006 | any document as evidence of eligibility |
| Startup | certificate of recognition from the Department for Promotion of Industrial Policy and Internal Trade (as printed) | affidavit as evidence of eligibility with supporting document |
It carries an undertaking that the information is correct to the knowledge and belief of the signer, a date, and a signature by the applicant, registered proprietor or authorised registered patent agent, with the name of the natural person who signed.
Two notes are printed on the form. First, availing the reduced fee on incorrect information or misrepresentation about status "would mean that the entire fee did not accompany the document, as mandated by rule 5(2)(b)"; under section 24(2) the filing "shall be of no effect unless the fee has been fully paid". Second, a registered design entered in the Register on a false suggestion or representation as to status "may attract the provisions of section 31". As per the Schedule as substituted in 2021 (entry 29), Form 24 carries no fee.
Drafting points
Form 1 is titled as an application for registration "or" an application under reciprocal arrangement, so one form serves a priority claim. The Schedule places Form 18 under rule 15 and Form 23 under section 10. Petitions under rules 46 and 47 have no form number printed in the Schedule; they carry fee entries but no form.
Illustration (invented)
Ishaan Bikes Pvt. Ltd. is a recognised startup. To register a frame design it files Form 1, ticks "Start-up", gives an address for service with e-mail and mobile number, and files Form 24 with its recognition certificate. Later it assigns the design and files Form 11 to record the new proprietor.
What the Schedule does not say
- It does not say when each form is due; time limits are in the Act and Rules.
- It does not reproduce the fields of Forms 2 to 23 in the text consulted.
- It does not list a form for every petition: rules 46 and 47 and entry 28 have no form number printed.
- It does not contain the Third Schedule any more; that was omitted in 2021.
Need help choosing and filing the right form?
The wrong form or a missing declaration can hold up an application. Our industrial design registration team can select the forms, complete Form 1 and Form 24 and file them for you.
Key takeaways
- The Second Schedule lists the forms used under the Designs Act and Rules; rule 6 requires them, varied as the case needs.
- There are 24 forms after 2021: Form 1 was substituted and Form 24 added.
- Form 1 asks the category of applicant and the e-mail and mobile number for the address for service.
- Form 24 claims small entity or startup status, with evidence, and carries no fee.
- The Third Schedule was omitted in 2021.
- The 2014 amendment is not in the sources consulted; check later amendments.
Read next
- First Schedule: fees for registration, renewal and other matters
- Rule 5: fees and mode of payment
- Design registration process: application to certificate
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.