Decisions and notices relating to PCT fees

Refund of international search fee 

• Decision of the President of the European Patent Office dated 24 March 2010 concerning the refund of the international search fee by the EPO acting as International Searching Authority (PDF, 43 KB)
  ( OJ EPO 2010, 341)
• Notice from the European Patent Office dated 9 January 2009 concerning the criteria for refund of search fees (PDF, 51 KB)
  (OJ EPO 2009, 99)

Reduction in international search and preliminary examination fees 

As of 1 January 2009, natural persons who are nationals of, and residents in, a state classified as a low-income or lower-middle-income economy by the World Bank will benefit from a 75% reduction of the international search and preliminary examination fees in accordance with

• Decision of the Administrative Council of 21 October 2008 concerning the reduction of the fees for the international search and the international preliminary examination carried out on international applications in favour of nationals of certain states (CA/D 7/08) (PDF, 54 KB)
  (OJ EPO 2008, 521). 

Reduction in European supplementary search fee

• Decision of the Administrative Council of 27 October 2011 amending the Rules relating to Fees and adjusting the amount of the reduction in the fee for the supplementary European search where the international or supplementary international search report was drawn up by one of the European International Searching Authorities (CA/D 6/11) (PDF, 55 KB)
  (OJ EPO 2011, 616)
• Notice from the European Patent Office dated 6 February 2012 concerning search and examination fees (PDF, 480 KB)
  (OJ EPO 2012, 212)
• Decision of the Administrative Council of 27 October 2005 concerning cases where the search fee for the supplementary European search is to be reduced (PDF, 56 KB)
  (OJ EPO 2005, 548)

• This decision shall enter into force on 1 July 2013:

• Decision of the Administrative Council of 25 October 2012 reducing the fee for the supplementary European search where the international search report or supplementary international search report was drawn up by the Austrian Patent Office, the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland, the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, the Swedish Patent and Registration Office or the Nordic Patent Institute (CA/D 14/12) (PDF, 41 KB)
  (OJ EPO 2012, 584)