EPAC - European patent administration certification

The European patent administration certification (EPAC) has been designed to enable paralegals, patent administrators and formalities officers to demonstrate that they have the required knowledge and skills to deal independently and autonomously with the procedures associated with the filing, prosecution, grant and maintenance of European and international patent applications before the EPO, as well as post-grant procedures.

The examination focuses on procedural aspects under the European Patent Convention, the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and the Paris Convention as well as national laws and other agreements in so far as they apply to European patents and patent applications, including the London Agreement.

Candidates must answer questions on the various patenting routes and application procedures and the procedural, administrative and formalities-related tasks involved.

Schedule

The EPAC 2024 examination is held online on 10 October 2024.

Technical tests to ensure that your equipment (camera/microphone) works properly are offered. You can participate in any of the sessions at any time; no mock papers are provided. The tests last about 15 min and take place on:
12 and 19 September 2024 from 10.00 - 11.30 and 14.00 - 16.00.

Important information

Rules Instructions Syllabus Data protection statement Marking Rules Members of the EPAC board

Notices

Information to EPAC 2024 candidates regarding closing days 2025 Changes to the EPAC Marking Rules

EQC portal

In the European Qualification and Certification Portal you can manage your personal account where you can register and enrol for EPO qualification and certifications.

Go to EQC portal

ID validation possible until 5 August to enrol for EPAC 2024. To learn more have a look at our latest video.

About EPAC

The EPAC attests professionals' knowledge and skills in managing the filing of patent applications, as well as processes associated with their prosecution, grant and maintenance for European and international patent applications before the EPO.

Candidates are advised to prepare for the EPAC exam by taking advantage of the wide array of tailor-made training opportunities offered by the European Patent Academy. Sign up for the EPO newsletter and Academy email alerts to get all of the latest updates. For more detailed information on the exam, you can also consult our Frequently Asked Questions.

Find out more about the advantages of EPAC.

Enrolment

When and how to enrol

To enrol, please complete the following steps and note that the deadlines are strictly enforced.

1. Creation of a personal profile and ID verification

Candidates must create their personal profile on the EQC portal and subsequently request verification of identity by providing a valid passport or national identity card. To be able to enrol for EPAC 2024, these first steps must be completed by 5 August 2024.

2. Enrolment

Enrolment for the EPAC 2024 is open from 16 April 2024 until 12 August 2024 for candidates who have completed ID verification. The candidate’s request for enrolment and payment of prescribed fees must be received by 12 August 2024.

Fees

Enrolment fees for EPAC are laid down by the President under Article 2 of the Rules concerning the establishment of a European patent administration certification.

EPAC 2024 enrolment fee: 100 EUR

Fees for EPAC are payable by credit card or bank transfer only. Please note that the closing date for enrolment will be strictly observed and applications for enrolment will be deemed not to have been filed unless the prescribed fees have been validly paid.
As bank transfers can take several days to process, this method of payment is not recommended near the closing date for enrolment. Credit card payment is recommended as the fastest method.
Fees may not be paid by debiting an EPO deposit account.

Languages

The examination papers are drawn up in the three official languages of the EPO (German, English and French). When enrolling, candidates must select the official language they wish to sit the examination.

Review

Candidates have the possibility to contest a decision by requesting a review according to Article 12 of the EPAC rules. The fee for a review is 300 EUR.

Dates

Examination

The EPAC 2024 examination will be held online on 10 October 2024 and will include two parts.

1. The first part will consist of multiple-choice questions and will take place from 10.00 to 11.30 hrs CEST (Central European Summer Time).

2. The second part will feature open questions and will take place from 14.00 to 16.00 hrs CEST.

Examination software

Candidates who have successfully enrolled for EPAC 2024 will have access to the examination software WISEflow.

The software gives access to a mock paper and EPAC 2022 and 2023. Thus, candidates can familiarise themselves with the exam environment. The papers will not be marked but answers to the various questions are available on the EPAC website.

Technical tests

Technical tests will be held shortly before the examination. Although these technical tests are optional, they are strongly recommended to allow candidates to test their equipment.

Complaint concerning the conduct of the examination

Candidates wishing to lodge a complaint pursuant to point I.6. of the Instructions to candidates concerning the conduct of the EPAC examination must do so at the latest by the end of the day of the examination using this form:
Complaint form (available on 10.10.2024, 16:00 - 23:59, CEST)

Dedicated EPAC course

See details on training material and courses for EPAC candidates

Successful candidates

List of candidates who have been successful in the European patent administration certificate.

EPAC 2023

EPAC 2022

Archive

Neither the EPAC Board nor any of its members will comment on the exam answers or reply to questions relating to the validity of answers. If it becomes apparent that some questions are open to interpretation such that the answer sought is not the only correct one, then the EPAC Board will take measures to ensure that no candidate is disadvantaged.