The European Patent Office (EPO) usually reviews its fee structure every two years. In line with this, the EPO has announced that fees will increase from 1 April 2022.
We have summarised the fee increases for many frequently paid fees in the table below, most of which are in the region of 3%. In many cases, a cost saving is possible by taking a required action and paying the fee before the increase takes effect.
On the other hand, the fees for requesting an international search (€1775), a supplementary international search (€1775) and a preliminary examination of an international application (€1830) remain unchanged.
Full details of the planned fee rises can be found on the EPO website.
|
Fee type |
New fee as of 1 April 2020 |
Fee increase |
|---|---|---|
|
Online filing fee (EP direct or EP regional phase entry) |
€130 |
4% (+€5) |
|
Additional filing fee (for 36th and each subsequent page) |
€16 |
No increase |
|
Excess claims fee (for the 16th to 50th claims) |
€250 |
2% (+€5) |
|
Excess claims fee (for each claim in excess of 51) |
€630 |
1.6% (+€10) |
|
Fee for a European search/supplementary European search (for applications filed on or after 1/7/2005) |
€1390 |
2.9% (+€40) |
|
Designation fee (for applications filed on or after 1/4/2009) |
€630 |
3.2% (+€20) |
|
Examination fee (for applications filed on or after 1/7/2005) |
€1750 |
2.9% (+€50) |
|
Examination fee (for international applications filed on or after 1/7/2005 for which no supplementary European search is drawn up) |
€1955 |
2.9% (+€55) |
|
3rd year renewal fee |
€505 |
3.1%* (+€15) |
|
Fee for grant and publication (for applications filed on or after 1/4/2009) |
€990 |
3.0% (+€30) |
|
Opposition fee |
€840 |
3.1% (+€25) |
|
Appeal fee |
€2785 |
3.0% (+€80) |
|
Appeal fee (for appellants as defined in R6(4) and (5) EPC) |
€2015 |
3.1% (+€60) |
*Subsequent renewal fees have increased by a similar percentage
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.