Author: Slim Kou; Jessie Gao

The European Patent Office (EPO) examines European patent applications, enabling inventors, researchers, and companies worldwide to obtain patent protection in up to 46 countries through a centralized and uniform procedure requiring only one application. Currently, EPO has 39 member states: Albania (AL), Austria (AT), Belgium (BE), Bulgaria (BG), Switzerland (CH), Cyprus (CY), Czech Republic (CZ), Germany (DE), Denmark (DK), Estonia (EE), Spain (ES), Finland (FI), France (FR), United Kingdom (GB), Greece (GR), Croatia (HR), Hungary (HU), Ireland (IE), Iceland (IS), Italy (IT), Liechtenstein (LI), Lithuania (LT), Luxembourg (LU), Latvia (LV), Monaco (MC), North Macedonia (MK), Malta (MT), Netherlands (NL), Norway (NO), Poland (PL), Portugal (PT), Romania (RO), Serbia (RS), Sweden (SE), Slovenia (SI), Slovakia (SK), San Marino (SM), Turkey (TR), and Montenegro (ME). Additionally, there is one extension state: Bosnia and Herzegovina, BA, and 7 validation states (until 2025 April): Morocco (MA), Moldova (MD), Tunisia (TN), Cambodia (KH), Georgia (GE, had signed EAPC, but did not join), Laos (LA, effective April 1, 2025), and Costa Rica (CR, agreement signed on December 13, 2024, not yet effective). 

Please note: the following twelve member states have closed the PCT national phase entry route: Belgium (BE), Cyprus (CY), France (FR), Greece (GR), Ireland (IE), Lithuania (LT), Latvia (LV), Monaco (MC), Malta (MT), Netherlands (NL), Slovenia (SI), and San Marino (SM). These states only accept new applications via the Paris Convention or post-EPO grant validation. 

I. European Patent Application Routes 

1. PCT Route 

Under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), applicant may enter the European phase within 31 months from the earliest priority date. 

Note: If the PCT application does not enter Europe, the EPO often sends a notice letter to the applicant, who may request reinstatement within 2 months of receipt. 

2. Direct Application Route 

Applicants may file application directly before the EPO. 

II. European Patent Application Process 

The European patent process comprises three stages: Filing, Substantive Examination, and Grant/Validation. 

1. Filing Stage

– Language: Applications may be filed in English, German, or French. 

– Basic Fees: Cover up to 15 claims and 35 pages of description (separate sequence listing excluded). Additional fees apply for extension state: €102 for Bosnia and Herzegovina or validations (e.g., Morocco: €240, Moldova: €200, Tunisia: €180, Laos: €180). 

-Search: The EPO issues a Search Report（ESR） before the substantial examination, and the Applicant must respond to the EESR within 6 months of its publication, pay designation/validation fees, and request substantive examination. 

Maintenance Fees: the renewal fee in respect of the third year should be paid for a pending application. For PCT applications entering Europe, if the filing date passes 24 months, then the third-year’s renewal fee is due upon entry. 

2. Substantive Examination 

– Timeline: The substantive examination request must be filed within 6 months from date of the ESR publication. 

– Substantial Examination focuses on novelty, inventive step, clarity, and unity of invention. 

– Response: Applicants have 4 months to respond to office actions, extendable twice (2 months each). Third-party observations may be submitted post-publication. 

– Oral Hearing: Applicants may request oral hearings if the EPO intends refusal. 

– Appeal: Applicants may request appeal within 2 months from the date of notification of rejection. 

3. Grant and Validation Sta** 

3.1 Grant 

Upon receiving a Notice of Intention to Grant (Communication under Rule 71(3) EPC), applicants should: 

– Check and confirm the Text for intended for grant and applicant details. 

– Submit translations of claims into one of the two other EPO languages, for the English application, the claims should be translated into German or French. 

– Pay grant/publication fees within 4 months. 

3.2 Post-Grant Procedures 

– Opposition: Any third party may file opposition within 9 months from the date of Notice of Intention to Grant. 

– Limitation/Revocation: The limitation and revocation procedures allow the patent proprietor either to have the claims of the granted patent limited or to have the whole patent revoked for all the designated states. there is no restriction on the period between the grant of the patent and the filing of the request. Accordingly, the request can be filed at any time after grant, after opposition proceedings, or even after expiry of the patent. 

3.3 Validation Requirements 

A European patent does not automatically protect all member states (extension state and validation states). Post-grant validation must be completed within 3 months (for classical route) or 1 month (for unitary patent route). 

A. the classical validation route 

Applicants have to validate separately in each interested country, and the validation requirements vary by country. 

B. Unitary Patent (UP) 

The Unitary Patent provides protection in 18 EU countries (until April 2025), and the remaining member states of EPO can be validated via the classical route.

The following table is a Validation Requirement Matrix (based on English application): 

Countries	No Translation	Claims only (Translation)	Full Text translation	Target Language	Deadline	PoA	Official Fees	EU members	UPC members
GB	√					No	—
IE	√					Yes	—	√
FR	√					No	—	√	√
DE	√					No	—	√	√
CH	√					Yes	—
LI	√					Yes	—
LU	√					No	—	√	√
MC	√					No	—
MT	√					No	—	√	√
BE	√					Yes	—	√	√
AL		√		Albanian	3M	Yes	—
SE		√		Swedish	3M	No	SEK 2500	√	√
FI		√		Finnish	3M	No	EUR 400(online)	√	√
NL		√		Dutch	3M	No	EUR 25	√	√
DK		√		Danish	3M	No	DKK 2 000	√	√
HU		√		Hungarian	3M	Yes	HUF 23 500（Basic, 5 Pages）	√
IS		√		Icelandic	4M	No	ISK36700
SI		√		Slovenian	3M	Yes	EUR 100	√	√
HR		√		Croatian	3M	Yes	HRK 900（online）	√
MK		√		Macedonian	3M	Yes	MKD 3 000
LV		√		Latvian	3M	No	EUR 50	√	√
LT		√		Lithuanian	3M	Yes	EUR46(Basic: 15 claims)	√	√
NO		√		Norwegian	3M	Yes	NOK 5500
AT			√	German	3M	Yes	EUR 166 (online; Basic: 15 claims)	√	√
ES			√	Spanish	3M	Yes	EUR 278.28 (online; Basic: 22 pages)	√
IT			√	Italian	3M	Yes	EUR 16	√	√
PT			√	Portuguese	3M	No	EUR 58.97(online）	√	√
GR			√	Greek	3M	Yes	EUR 350	√
CY			√	Greek	3M	Yes	EUR 100	√
EE			√	Estonian	3M	Yes	EUR 45	√	√
PL			√	Polish	3M	Yes	PLN 90 (Basic: 10 pages）	√
CZ			√	Czech	3M	Yes	CZK 2 000	√
SK			√	Slovak	3M	Yes	EUR 116	√
RS			√	Serbian	3M	Yes	RSD8570
BG			√	Bulgarian	3M	Yes	BGN 45	√	√
RO			√	Romanian	3M	Yes	EUR 100	√	√
TR			√	Turkish	3M	No	TRY 8910
SM			√	Italian	6M	Yes	EUR 100
ME		√		Montenegrin	3M	Yes	As national application
BA		√		Bosnian, Serbian, or Croatian	3M	Yes	KM50
MA		√		Arabic or French	3M	Yes	MAD1200
MD			√	Romanian	3M	Yes	EUR100
TN	√			_	3M	Yes	As national application
KH		√		Khmer	3M	Yes	As national application
GE			√	Georgian	3M	Yes	EUR 200