Assignment for Algeria

Recording a U.S. Assignment in Algeria: A Practical Guide

When a U.S. company sells a brand, transfers a patent, restructures its group or merges, the rights it holds in Algeria stay in the old owner’s name until the change is recorded there. An unrecorded transfer can block renewals, weaken enforcement against counterfeits, and complicate agency or product registrations. Recording the change starts with a properly certified assignment.

Which Algerian office records the transfer

Trademarks and patents in Algeria are administered by the Algerian National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI). To change the owner of a registered trademark, a pending application or a patent, a local agent files the transfer with INAPI, supported by the assignment document. Contract assignments, such as the transfer of an agency, distribution or supply agreement to a new company, are presented to the counterparty or the authority that holds the original contract, and sometimes to the commercial registry (CNRC).

The 2026 apostille rule

Algeria joined the Hague Apostille Convention, effective July 9, 2026. Since then, a U.S. assignment for Algeria needs only an apostille, with no Algerian Embassy legalization. What matters is getting the apostille from the right office, and that depends on which version of the assignment you use.

Signed deed or USPTO certified copy

A signed deed of assignment is the most common choice for Algeria. The assignor’s authorized officer signs it in person before a U.S. notary. It lists the Algerian registration or application numbers and is apostilled by the Secretary of State of the notary’s state. Because it names the Algerian rights directly, it is the version most IP offices are comfortable with.

A USPTO certified copy of an assignment already recorded in the United States is a federal document. It skips the notary and the state, and the U.S. Department of State apostilles it. It works when the Algerian agent confirms that INAPI will accept a U.S. record that lists the U.S. rights rather than the Algerian ones.

What the deed should say for Algeria

List each Algerian trademark or patent by its INAPI number, with the classes for trademarks. Use the owner’s name exactly as it appears in the Algerian register. If the company’s name has changed since registration, record that change first, or explain it in the documents. State the date of the transfer and whether it includes the goodwill of the business. Many owners sign a separate deed for each country, so that each office gets an original that lists only its own rights.

Translation and filing

INAPI and other Algerian authorities work in Arabic and French. Your Algerian agent usually arranges an official translation after the apostille and files it with the office’s forms and fees. A bilingual English–French deed can make the agent’s job easier.

Assignments after a merger

When ownership changes because of a merger, the Algerian office may accept the certificate of merger as proof, or it may still want a confirmatory deed of assignment to the surviving company. Ask your agent, and we can apostille both in the same order.