1.3 Other parts of the Guidelines relating to Euro-PCT applications

The processing of a Euro-PCT application up to the grant of a European patent is divided into two main procedures: the procedure in the international phase and the procedure in the European phase.

Processing before the EPO in the international phase is dealt with in detail in the PCT‑EPO Guidelines. The General Part of the present Guidelines provides some basic information on the procedure in the international phase before the competent receiving Office, the (S)ISA and, if the applicant so wishes, the competent IPEA (General Part, 3.2 and General Part, 6.2). The General Part also gives an overview of the procedural steps in the processing of Euro-PCT applications from their filing up to the grant of a European patent that covers both the international and the European phase (General Part, 6). How these applications are processed in the European phase differs depending on the "state of the file" when the international phase ends (A‑XII, 1.4), for instance as regards the applicable requirements for effective entry into the European phase under Rule 159.