Question 1

What are the EPO's main official fees in 2026?

Accepted Answer

From 1 April 2026: search €1,595, designation €720 and examination €2,010. Filing online stays €135 and grant is €1,135. Micro-entities with fewer than 5 filings in 5 years pay 30% less on the main fees.

Question 2

Which countries does a Unitary Patent cover today?

Accepted Answer

The EU states that have ratified the Unified Patent Court Agreement: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden. For others, such as Spain, Poland, the UK or Switzerland, you validate the European patent nationally.

Question 3

What do Unitary Patent renewal fees cost?

Accepted Answer

The EPO says under €5,000 in total for the first 10 years, paid once to the EPO in euros. The fee drops by 15% if you file a statement offering licences of right.

Question 4

Can I file a European application in Spanish, Japanese or another language?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Any applicant can file in any language. A translation into English, French or German is due within 2 months of filing.

Question 5

Do I need a European patent attorney just to file?

Accepted Answer

No. Anyone can file the application. Applicants with no residence or business in an EPC state must act through a professional representative for everything after filing.

Question 6

When must a PCT application enter the European phase?

Accepted Answer

Within 31 months from the priority date. By then you supply any needed translation and name the documents the grant procedure should use.

Question 7

Is a European patent one patent or many?

Accepted Answer

It's filed and examined as one application by the EPO. Once granted, you choose which member states to 'validate' in, each becomes a national patent. The new Unitary Patent provides single coverage across participating EU states.

Question 8

Does the EPO cover the UK?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The UK remains an EPC member despite Brexit. You can still validate a granted European patent in the UK.

Question 9

Are designs filed at the EPO?

Accepted Answer

No. Industrial designs are filed at the EUIPO as Registered Community Designs (RCD), covering all the EU member states with one application.

Question 10

Is the Unitary Patent worth electing?

Accepted Answer

If you want broad coverage across most EU member states, yes, one annuity replaces multiple national renewals. But it's all-or-nothing: you cannot abandon individual countries to save costs. Best for inventions with genuine pan-European commercial value.

Question 11

What is the Unified Patent Court (UPC)?

Accepted Answer

The UPC is a single court that hears infringement and validity disputes for Unitary Patents and most validated European patents (unless opted out). It enables single-action enforcement across participating states, but also single-action invalidation.

Question 12

How do EPO costs scale with countries?

Accepted Answer

Filing, search, designation and examination cost about €4,460 in official fees from April 2026, before any extra claims or pages. A Unitary Patent needs no validation fees. Classic validation adds translations and national fees per country. Renewal fees go to the EPO from year 3 while pending, then to each country, or once to the EPO for a Unitary Patent.

Question 13

EPO vs PCT vs national filings, which route should I choose?

Accepted Answer

For 1–2 European countries, file nationally. For multiple EPC states, the EPO route is almost always cheaper and produces a stronger granted patent (single high-quality examination). PCT buys you 30 or 31 months from priority before national/regional decisions are required (31 months for the EPO). Most applicants then enter the EPO regional phase. The EPO is itself a designated office in PCT, so PCT → EPO is the most common multi-jurisdictional path.

Question 14

What is the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and should I opt out?

Accepted Answer

The UPC, active since June 2023, is a single court with jurisdiction over Unitary Patents and (by default) all classic European patents validated in participating EU member states. It allows single-action enforcement across participating countries, but also single-action invalidation. For high-value patents you want to enforce broadly, UPC participation is powerful. For defensive-only or single-country-relevant patents, opting out (free during the 7-year transitional period) preserves national-court fragmentation as a defensive shield.

Question 15

What languages can I file in?

Accepted Answer

EPO applications can be filed in any of the three official EPO languages. English, French, or German. The application is then prosecuted in the language of filing. Any applicant may also file in any other language, but a translation into one of the three official languages must then be filed within 2 months. Most non-European applicants file in English.

Question 16

What happens at oral proceedings before the EPO?

Accepted Answer

If a written response to the examiner does not resolve outstanding objections, the EPO summons oral proceedings, typically a single hearing in Munich, The Hague, or by videoconference. The applicant (via their European Patent Attorney) presents arguments, may file amended claims on the day, and receives a decision shortly after. Outcomes are: grant, refusal, or remittal for further examination. Oral proceedings are common and we recommend them in most substantive Article 94(3) responses.

Question 17

What is the London Agreement and how does it cut translation costs?

Accepted Answer

The London Agreement (in force since 2008) reduces post-grant translation requirements in many EPC member states. Countries that share an official EPO language (DE, FR, GB, CH, IE, LU, MC) require no translation. Other countries (e.g, NL, DK, SE, FI) require only the claims to be translated into their national language. This significantly reduces the cost of validation in many key markets. Sometimes by 50–80% compared with the pre-London regime.

Question 18

What does Rule 71(3) mean?

Accepted Answer

Rule 71(3) is the EPO's 'intent to grant' communication, sent once the examiner is satisfied with the application. It includes the proposed text for grant and translations of the claims into the two non-proceedings official languages. The applicant has 4 months to approve the text, pay the grant fee and file the claim translations. Validation in chosen states, and any request for unitary effect, comes after grant. Failure to act within 4 months is treated as a deemed withdrawal. A Unitary Patent is requested later: the request for unitary effect is due within 1 month after the mention of the grant is published in the European Patent Bulletin.

Protect your invention across Europe.

How are you filing?

One engagement, two clear stages.

Strategy & Search

Drafting & Filing

How patent filing works at the EPO.

File and pay

Search report and opinion

Request examination

Grant, then choose coverage

Disclosing before filing

Late unitary request

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What inventors ask before filing at the EPO.

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