Central Fee Payment release notes

The European Patent Office (EPO) has implemented further updates to the Central Fee Payment service to enhance usability, improve security, and increase transparency for users paying patent fees. 

Additional login step for enhanced security 

An additional step has been introduced in the login process to further strengthen security: 

• After entering your email address, an additional window opens, pre-filled with your email 
• Please select “Sign in using email address” 
• You are then prompted to enter your password and complete verification 

Credit card status visibility 

Enhancements have been made to the display of credit card information in the fee order history: 

• The card brand (e.g. Visa, Mastercard, American Express) is now displayed only after payment authorisation has been received. 
• For unauthorised transactions, the payment method will appear as “Credit/Debit Card” instead of the specific card brand 

Upcoming: Credit card management 

• Credit card management functionality in the “My Account” area will be made available in July 2026 

We have released a new version of Central Fee Payment. 

New feature 

Claim refund without refund code 

Users of MyEPO Portfolio are now able to claim their refunds directly in Central Fee Payment under Refunds, Claim refund without refund code. 

We have released a new version of Central Fee Payment. 

Minor updates  

• New plug-in for credit card payments 
• Credit card transactions that are not authorised immediately by the bank will be "cancelled" and will not block further payments 

The EPO is pleased to inform users of its Central Fee Payment service that a new release has been deployed. 

New features and minor functional changes 

Redesigned sign-in page  

• Sign-in with smart card or two-step verification (for full access) is now on the left-hand side of the screen, while sign-in with email and password (for limited access) has been moved to the right-hand side. 
  After signing in, you can proceed in the same way as before. 

Fee group Fees Due 

• To avoid double payments, users will now see if another payment is already being processed for the same application/fee code. 
  This information can be found next to the column Due Date.  

Fee order history 

• It is now possible to download CSV payment confirmations in the Fee order history. 

Claim refunds 

• It is now possible to download a PDF/CSV confirmation of a claimed refund right after submitting the claim. 

Improved functionality 

• Improved Change password functionality  

The EPO is pleased to inform users of its Central Fee Payment service that a new release has been deployed.

New features and minor functional changes

Default deposit account

• If a smart card is linked to multiple deposit accounts, you can make one account the default - go to Payment details under My account.

This account will then be shown by default under Deposit account management, Automatic debiting management and at Checkout.

Number of applications

• The number of applications is now displayed in the Cart, at Checkout, in the order confirmation and under order details in Fee order history.

Direct access to order/payment confirmation at Checkout

• At Checkout, a link to Fee order history provides direct access to the order/payment confirmation.

Filters and downloads

• It is now possible to filter on voucher number under Rejected payments and Rejected fee payment history.
• It is now possible to download a PDF/CSV of rejected fees during validation before Checkout.
• It is now possible to select the voucher number to download a PDF/CSV of refund details in Refund history.

Terms and conditions

• The terms and conditions have been updated with the latest legal sources.

Improved functionality

• When making a payment, you can now paste the full application number including the digit.
• Text and graphical elements have been adapted to help users with low vision or visual impairments.

New features and minor functional changes

Improved language settings

• The language selected after log-in will be set as the default.

Deposit account management

• Deposit account transactions for a selected period (e.g. account statements) are sorted in ascending order in all download formats.

Batch upload

• A warning message is displayed after upload to minimise the risk of uploading the same batch multiple times.

Enhanced filter

• It is now possible to filter by user reference in Rejected payments and Rejected fee payment history.
• It is now possible to filter by deposit account number in Fee order history.
• The Filed via filter in Transactions has been improved.
• The reference filters now have improved functionality.
• There is now a reset button to clear filters.