Smart card and security

The European Patent Organisation provides authorised users of its Online Services with smart cards for use with digital signatures.

Smart cards are highly secure devices that encrypt signatures. To add your digital signature, all you have to do is insert your smart card into the reader and type your PIN when prompted (you will need to have installed the smart card software first before you can do this).

Online Services smart cards are created by a certification agency. They contain:

• the user's private key
• the user's public key
• a certificate confirming that this public key has been allocated to the user

Inserting your smart card

Before you insert your card, make sure that your smart card reader is switched on and working properly. The light on the side of the reader should be blinking. Once you have inserted your card, the light will stop blinking.

Smart card actions

• Enrol for EPO smart card
  Submit a first-time request for an EPO smart card
• Renew EPO smart card (existing card still valid)
  Submit a request for renewal of an existing EPO smart card that has not yet expired
• Renew EPO smart card (existing card already expired)
  Submit a request for renewal of an existing EPO smart card that has already expired
• Activate EPO smart card
  Submit a request for activation of an EPO smart card
• Register non-EPO smart card
  Submit a first-time request for registration of an EPO-affiliated smart card (card not issued by EPO)
• Register replacement non-EPO smart card
  Submit a request for registration of a replacement EPO-affiliated smart card (card not issued by EPO)

How to apply for a smart card

• Complete the online request form.
• Upon receipt of your online request form, the EPO will process your request and forward it to the smart card supplier.
• You will receive your inactivated smart card within 20 days
• The personal identification number (PIN) of your smart card will be sent to you separately. The PIN, together with instructions for activating your smart card, should be received by regular mail within the next three working days.

Did you know that whenever any of your employees owning a smart card leaves your company a few actions need to be taken?

When a user with a smart card leaves your company/organisation, you must do the following:

1. Inform EPO Customer Services either using the contact form, by phone or via e-mail to support@epo.org. Customer Services will then ensure that the user's smart card is no longer linked to your company.

2. Meanwhile your company administrator must remove the rights to all online services via the Administration page on EPO website so that the relevant smart card can no longer be used to make payments, for instance, from your company's deposit account. More information on how to do this can be found in our FAQs.

3. Attention: these actions must be performed even if you have already sent a request for withdrawal of representation in respect of the relevant user (via MyFiles).

4. If the user is registered for the Online Filing 2.0 service, your company administrator should remove his or her user account via Managing access rights, as explained in the User guide (section 17).

• Certificate Policy (PDF)
• Certification Practice Statement (PDF)
• Terms and conditions for EPO smart cards and smart card readers (PDF)