European Patent Office

Article 9

Citation: OJ EPO 2020, A9

Online publication date: 31.1.2020

EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE
Information from the EPO

List of days in 2020 on which EPO filing offices and national patent authorities of the EPC contracting states are closed

I. European patent applications and patents

1. Under Rule 134(1) EPC, periods expiring on a day on which at least one of the EPO's filing offices is not open for receipt of documents are extended to the first day thereafter on which all its filing offices are open for receipt of documents (see also the notice from the President of the EPO dated 14 November 2019, OJ EPO 2019, A97).

2. Under Rule 134(3) EPC, the provisions of Rule 134(1) EPC apply mutatis mutandis where acts are performed with the central industrial property office or other competent authority of a contracting state.

3. The following table indicates the days in 2020 on which the EPO and the said central industrial property offices or other competent authorities are closed for receipt of documents relating to European patent applications and patents. Please note that in the Netherlands, European patent applications and related documents must be filed direct with the EPO in The Hague. Therefore, the information given for the Netherlands in the table is relevant only where its central industrial property office is acting as receiving Office for an international application under the PCT (see Section II below).

4. Individual contracting states are likely during 2020 to fix further days on which their patent authorities are closed. These will be announced in the relevant national publications.

II. Implications for PCT proceedings before the EPO

5. Where, under the PCT, a document or fee must reach the EPO within a period that expires on a day on which at least one of the EPO filing offices is not open to the public for the purposes of transaction of official business, that period expires on the next subsequent day on which all its filing offices are open for receipt of documents and fees (Rule 80.5 PCT). Time-limit extensions under Rule 80.5 PCT may be relevant in particular where the EPO is acting as receiving Office, International Searching Authority (ISA), Supplementary International Searching Authority (SISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) under the PCT. Applicants are reminded that procedural acts to be performed with the EPO acting in those capacities cannot be conducted at the central industrial property office or other competent authority of a contracting state. There is however one exception: where the national law of a contracting state requires prior authorisation on national-security grounds, the filing of an international application with the EPO as receiving Office via the national office of the contracting state concerned is allowed (Article 151, second sentence, EPC, Article 75(2) EPC).1

6. For PCT proceedings, the table below applies mutatis mutandis for the purposes of Rule 80.5 PCT. Information regarding the days on which WIPO's International Bureau (IB) and national offices of PCT but non-EPC contracting states are closed is published by the IB.2

Official holidays

Days

 

EPO

AL

AT

BE

BG

CH/LI

New Year

1.1.

●

●

●

●

●

●

Epiphany

6.1.

●3

 

●

 

 

 

Good Friday

10.4.

●

 

 

 

17.4.

●

Easter Monday

13.4.

●

●

●

●

20.4.

●

May Day

1.5.

●

●

●

●

●

 

Ascension Day

21.5.

●

 

●

●

 

●

Whit Monday

1.6.

●

 

●

●

 

●

Corpus Christi

11.6.

●3

 

●

 

 

 

Assumption Day

15.8.4

●3

 

●

●

 

 

All Saints Day

1.11.5

●3

 

●

●

 

 

All Souls Day

2.11.

 

 

 

●

 

 

Feast of the Conception

8.12.

 

 

●

 

 

 

Christmas Eve

24.12.

●

 

●

 

●

●

Christmas Day

25.12.

●

●

●

●

●

●

Boxing Day

26.12.4

●

 

●

●

 

●

New Year's Eve

31.12.

●

 

●

●

●

●

National commemoration day

 

27.4.6
5.5.6
3.10.4, 7

28.11.4

26.10.

21.7.

3.3.

1.8.4

Saturdays

 

●

●

●

●

●

●

Sundays

 

●

●

●

●

●

●

Other days

 

28.12.
29.12.
30.12.

2.1.
3.1.
16.3.
23.3.
20.4.
25.5.
31.7.
7.9.
29.11.5
30.11.
8.12.

 

2.1.
22.5.
11.11.
15.11.5
28.12.
29.12.
30.12.

6.5.
25.5.
7.9.
22.9.
28.12.

2.1.

 

Days

 

CY

CZ

DE

DK

EE

ES

New Year

1.1.

●

●

●

●

●

●

Epiphany

6.1.

 

 

●3

 

 

●

Good Friday

10.4.

17.4.

●

●

●

●

●

Easter Monday

13.4.

20.4.

●

●

●

 

 

May Day

1.5.

●

●

●

 

●

●

Ascension Day

21.5.

 

 

●

●

 

 

Whit Monday

1.6.

8.6.

 

●

 

 

 

Corpus Christi

11.6.

 

 

●3

 

 

 

Assumption Day

15.8.4

●

 

●3

 

 

●

All Saints Day

1.11.5

 

 

●3

 

 

●

All Souls Day

2.11.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feast of the Conception

8.12.

 

 

 

 

 

●

Christmas Eve

24.12.

●

●

●

 

●

●

Christmas Day

25.12.

●

●

●

●

●

●

Boxing Day

26.12.4

●

●

●

●

●

 

New Year's Eve

31.12.

 

 

●

●

 

●

National commemoration day

 

25.3.
1.4.
1.10.
28.10.

28.10.

3.10.4

5.6.

 

12.10.

Saturdays

 

●

●

●

●

●

●8

Sundays

 

●

●

●

●

●

●

Other days

 

2.3.

8.5.
5.7.5
6.7.
28.9.
17.11.

25.2.3,9
8.3.5,10
8.5.10
20.9.5,11
31.10.4,11

9.4.
8.5.
22.5.
28.12.
29.12.
30.12.

24.2.
12.4.5
31.5.5
23.6.
24.6.
20.8.

9.4.
2.5.4,12
15.5.12
9.11.12
7.12.

 

Days

 

FI

FR

GB

GR

HR

HU

New Year

1.1.

●

●

●

●

●

●

Epiphany

6.1.

●

 

 

●

●

 

Good Friday

10.4.

●

 

●

17.4.

 

●

Easter Monday

13.4.

●

●

●

20.4.

●

●

May Day

1.5.

●

●

 

●

●

●

Ascension Day

21.5.

●

●

 

 

 

 

Whit Monday

1.6.

 

●

 

8.6.

 

●

Corpus Christi

11.6.

 

 

 

 

●

 

Assumption Day

15.8.4

 

●

 

●

●

 

All Saints Day

1.11.5

 

●

 

 

●

●

All Souls Day

2.11.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feast of the Conception

8.12.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Eve

24.12.

●

 

 

 

 

●

Christmas Day

25.12.

●

●

●

●

●

●

Boxing Day

26.12.4

●

 

●

●

●

●

New Year's Eve

31.12.

 

 

 

 

 

 

National commemoration day

 

6.12.5

14.7.

 

25.3.
28.10.

8.10.

15.3.
20.8.
23.10.

Saturdays

 

●

●

●13

●

●

●14

Sundays

 

●

●

●13

●

●

●

Other days

 

19.6.

8.5.
22.5.
13.7.
11.11.

8.5.
25.5.
31.8.
28.12.

2.3.

22.6.
25.6.
5.8.

21.8.

 

Days

 

IE

IS

IT

LT

LU

LV

New Year

1.1.

●

●

●

●

●

●

Epiphany

6.1.

 

 

●

 

 

 

Good Friday

10.4.

●

●

 

 

 

●

Easter Monday

13.4.

●

●

●

●

●

●

May Day

1.5.

●

●

●

●

●

●

Ascension Day

21.5.

 

●

 

 

●

 

Whit Monday

1.6.

 

●

 

 

●

 

Corpus Christi

11.6.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assumption Day

15.8.4

 

 

●

●

●

 

All Saints Day

1.11.5

 

 

●

●

●

 

All Souls Day

2.11.

 

 

 

●

 

 

Feast of the Conception

8.12.

 

 

●

 

 

 

Christmas Eve

24.12.

 

●

 

●

 

●

Christmas Day

25.12.

●

●

●

●

●

●

Boxing Day

26.12.4

●

●

●

●

●

●

New Year's Eve

31.12.

 

●

 

 

 

●

National commemoration day

 

17.3.

17.6.

25.4.4

16.2.5
11.3.

23.6.

4.5.
18.11.

Saturdays

 

●

●

●

●

●

●

Sundays

 

●

●

●

●

●

●

Other days

 

5.6.
7.8.
30.10.

9.4.
23.4.
3.8.

2.6.
29.6.15

3.5.5
7.6.5
24.6.
6.7.

9.5.4

23.6.
24.6.

 

Days

 

MC

MK

MT

NL

NO

PL

New Year

1.1.

●

●

●

●

●

●

Epiphany

6.1.

 

 

 

 

 

●

Good Friday

10.4.

 

 

●

 

●

 

Easter Monday

13.4.

●

20.4.

 

●

●

●

May Day

1.5.

●

●

●

 

●

●

Ascension Day

21.5.

●

 

 

●

●

 

Whit Monday

1.6.

●

 

 

●

●

 

Corpus Christi

11.6.

●

 

 

 

 

●

Assumption Day

15.8.4

●

 

●

 

 

●

All Saints Day

1.11.5

●

 

 

 

 

●

All Souls Day

2.11.

●

 

 

 

 

 

Feast of the Conception

8.12.

●

 

●

 

 

 

Christmas Eve

24.12.

 

 

 

 

●

 

Christmas Day

25.12.

●

 

●

●

●

●

Boxing Day

26.12.4

 

 

 

●

●

●

New Year's Eve

31.12.

 

 

 

 

●

 

National commemoration day

 

19.11.

2.8.5
8.9.
11.10.5
23.10.

31.3.
7.6.5
8.9.
21.9.
13.12.5

27.4.

17.5.5

11.11.

Saturdays

 

●

●

●

●

●

●

Sundays

 

●

●

●

●

●

●

Other days

 

27.1.
8.5.
22.5.

7.1.
24.5.5
25.5.
8.12.

10.2.
19.3.
29.6.

5.5.

9.4.

3.5.5

 

Days

 

PT

RO

RS

SE

SI

SK

New Year

1.1.

●

●

●

●

●

●

Epiphany

6.1.

 

 

 

●

 

●

Good Friday

10.4.

●

17.4.

17.4.

●

 

●

Easter Monday

13.4.

 

20.4.

20.4.

●

●

●

May Day

1.5.

●

●

●

●

●

●

Ascension Day

21.5.

 

 

 

●

 

 

Whit Monday

1.6.

 

8.6.

 

 

 

 

Corpus Christi

11.6.

●

 

 

 

 

 

Assumption Day

15.8.4

●

●

 

 

●

 

All Saints Day

1.11.5

●

 

 

●

●

●

All Souls Day

2.11.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feast of the Conception

8.12.

●

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Eve

24.12.

 

●

 

●

 

●

Christmas Day

25.12.

●

●

 

●

●

●

Boxing Day

26.12.4

 

●

 

●

 

●

New Year's Eve

31.12.

 

 

 

●

 

 

National commemoration day

 

25.4.4
10.6.
5.10.
1.12.

2.1.
24.1.
1.12.

17.2.

6.6.4

27.4.
25.6.
26.12.4

 

Saturdays

 

●

●

●

●

●

●

Sundays

 

●

●

●

●

●

●

Other days

 

13.6.4,16

1.6.
30.11.

2.1.
7.1.
11.11.

19.6.
20.6.4

2.1.
8.2.4
2.5.4
31.10.4

8.5.
5.7.5
29.8.4
1.9.
15.9.
17.11.

 

Days

 

SM

TR

New Year

1.1.

●

●

Epiphany

6.1.

●

 

Good Friday

10.4.

 

 

Easter Monday

13.4.

●

 

May Day

1.5.

●

●

Ascension Day

21.5.

 

 

Whit Monday

1.6.

 

 

Corpus Christi

11.6.

●

 

Assumption Day

15.8.4

●

 

All Saints Day

1.11.5

●

 

All Souls Day

2.11.

●

 

Feast of the Conception

8.12.

●

 

Christmas Eve

24.12.

 

 

Christmas Day

25.12.

●

 

Boxing Day

26.12.4

●

 

New Year's Eve

31.12.

 

 

National commemoration day

 

5.2.
25.3.
1.4.
3.9.
1.10.

23.4.
19.5.
15.7.
30.8.5
29.10.

Saturdays

 

●

●

Sundays

 

●

●

Other days

 

28.7.

25.5.
26.5.
31.7.
3.8.

 

 

1 See Euro-PCT Guide 2019, points 2.14.002 and 5.1.012.

2 www.wipo.int/pct/en/closeddates/index.html.

3 Applies to the Munich site only.

4 Saturday.

5 Sunday.

6 Filing office at The Hague closed.

7 Filing offices in Berlin and Munich closed.

8 The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office is open until 13.00 hrs on Saturdays.

9 Reachable by telephone only (Customer Services).

10 Applies to the Berlin sub-office only.

11 Applies to the Jena sub-office only.

12 Only in Madrid.

13 The United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office is open on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays for the receipt of European patent applications for which no priority is claimed.

14 The Hungarian Intellectual Property Office is closed on Saturdays, except on 29 August and 12 December 2020.

15 Only in Rome.

16 Lisbon only.