G. Other procedural questions
III.Fee amounts, payment methods and refunds
136Fee amounts, payment methods and effective payment dates with respect to Unitary Patents are governed by the Rules relating to Fees for Unitary Patent Protection (RFeesUPP).
137The main fees provided for in the RFeesUPP are:
– renewal fees (Article 2(1), item 1, RFeesUPP),
– additional fee for belated payment of a renewal fee (Article 2(1), item 2, RFeesUPP),
– fee for re-establishment of rights (Article 2(2) RFeesUPP),
– fees, expenses and prices laid down by the President of the EPO, such as the fee for registering transfers, licences and other rights (Article 5 RFeesUPP).
138The RFeesUPP also provide for a reduction of 15% in the renewal fees if a statement by the proprietor offering a licence of right is registered (Article 3 RFeesUPP). They also lay down the amount of the lump sum to be paid as compensation for translation costs and the administrative fee to be paid if the EPO finds that compensation was granted on the basis of a false eligibility declaration (Article 4 RFeesUPP).
139Fee payments, which must be made in euros, can be made online by debit order from an EPO deposit account in Online Fee Payment, by using the payment functionalities of the online filing services or by using Central Fee Payment, which also allows you to pay by credit card with immediate effect or use the bank transfer functionality. More information can be found on the EPO website.
140The EPO refunds fees to any deposit account that the party to the proceedings indicates in its refund instructions. You may therefore also indicate a deposit account held by a third party. You must file your refund instructions in an electronically processable format (XML), namely via EPO Online Filing or Online Filing 2.0, as early as possible, preferably using Form 7000. Refund instructions can be updated at any time, using EPO Form 7038. If you have not filed any refund instructions and do not hold a deposit account with the EPO, you may claim any pending refunds or, where applicable, the compensation online and ask for them to be credited to a bank account. Following its usual practice, if the EPO cannot make a refund to a deposit account held with it, it will invite the party to the proceedings to claim the refund via its website.
141Moreover, it is important to note that under the RFeesUPP, some core procedural provisions of the Rules relating to Fees under the EPC, namely Articles 4 RFees to Article 8 RFees and Articles 12 RFees and Article 13 RFees (due dates, payment of fees, particulars concerning payments, date to be considered as the date on which payment is made, insufficiency of the amount paid), apply mutatis mutandis to the Unitary Patent. This means, in particular, that payments may be made by any person, including persons who are obliged to be represented.
Article 4 to 8 RFees, Article 12 and 13 RFees
142Guidance on paying fees is published periodically in the Official Journal. This enables you to find out at any time which Rules relating to Fees are currently applicable and whether any information given in this guide has changed since it was published. It is advisable to check the latest information on paying fees available on the EPO website.
143For general advice and recommendations on paying fees to the EPO, please also see the EPO's "How to get a European patent ‒ Guide for applicants".