Renewal fees due for Unitary Patents and any additional fees for their late payment must be paid to the EPO. They are due in respect of the years following the year in which the mention of the grant of the European patent is published in the European Patent Bulletin (Rule 13(1) UPR). Each patent year ends on the anniversary of the date of filing of the European patent application which led to the Unitary Patent (EPC Guidelines, A‑X, 5.2.4). The proprietor of a Unitary Patent pays one single renewal fee direct to the EPO, in one currency and under a single legal regime as regards deadlines and admissible means of payment.
