Disclaimer
Please note that, as a rule, emails sent to the EPO have no legal validity in proceedings under either the EPC or the PCT.
Unless explicitly authorised, email cannot be validly used to perform procedural steps in proceedings before the EPO. This includes, in particular, steps required to comply with time limits within such proceedings.
Exceptionally, email can be used for:
- submission of subsequently filed documents during consultations (by phone or other electronic device) and during oral proceedings held by videoconference (for details, see the decision of the President of the EPO dated 13 May 2020, OJ EPO 2020, A71, and the Guidelines for Examination in the EPO, E III, 11.3.2)
- notifications and submissions in examination proceedings covered by the EPO's pilot project on notification by email during examination proceedings (for details, see the related decision of the Vice-President Legal and International Affairs (Directorate-General 5) of the EPO dated 23 July 2020, OJ EPO 2020, A89, and the accompanying notice, OJ EPO 2020, A90).
If you have any urgent queries relating to proceedings before the EPO, please write to Customer Services using the dedicated contact form, indicating the application number and stating the reasons why you require an urgent response. You can also call Customer Services on 00 800 80 20 20 20 on Monday to Friday from 08.00 18.00 hrs CET.
For other ways of filing documents with the European Patent Office, please see: