Article 48

EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE

Information from the EPO

Notice from the European Patent Office dated 8 July 2025 concerning associations of representatives: open to legal practitioners and managed via MyEPO

The European Patent Office (EPO) has seen a steady increase in the number of registered associations of representatives, as appointing a registered association is more convenient than authorising multiple representatives individually. Currently, associations represent parties for over 600 000 applications.

It is now possible for legal practitioners to join and create associations registered with the EPO, either together with professional representatives or on their own. Until recently, legal practitioners could not be members of an association as this conflicted with their obligation to file an authorisation. The simplification measure removing this obligation1 lifted this legal barrier to membership.

Marking another milestone on the EPO's path to simplification and digitalisation, both professional representatives and legal practitioners can now use the web-based online service MyEPO to create and administer associations themselves.

This notice outlines the EPO's practice on registering, managing and authorising associations, effective from 1 October 2025, and replaces part I of the notice from the EPO dated 28 August 2013.2

1. Effect of an association registered with the EPO

The authorisation of a registered association is deemed to be an authorisation of each of its members.3 Only natural persons can act as representatives before the EPO, and appointing an association as representative offers the advantage that changes to its composition need to be registered with the EPO only once, with these changes then applying to all proceedings the association has been appointed for. It is important to note that the registration of an association with the EPO does not confer the status of a legal entity on the association.

2. Registration and administration of an association

Professional representatives and legal practitioners registered with the EPO can be members of an association. An association must comprise at least two members. If a registered association is reduced to a single member, the EPO will delete it from the register ex officio. If a representative is deleted from the list of professional representatives or from the register of legal practitioners before the EPO, they are automatically removed as a member of the association. The name of the association serves solely as a means of referencing the representatives practising within that association. Registering an association is free of charge.

Managing associations using MyEPO

In MyEPO, you can create and administer associations yourself, with these actions taking effect the same day. You cannot yet use MyEPO to delete associations.

For more information on using MyEPO to manage associations, refer to the feature guide.

Managing associations using EPO forms

If you are not yet a user of MyEPO, you can submit a request to register a new association or delete a registered association, preferably by using EPO Form 52304. For changes to an existing association, we recommend you use EPO Form 52305. Both these forms are available on the EPO website. Registration takes effect on the date of processing by the EPO, or at a later date if specifically requested. Further information, including FAQ, can be found on the EPO website.

3. Authorisation of an association

Once an association has been duly registered, only its registered name and representative number should be cited in proceedings before the EPO, specifically in: 

(a) any authorisation, 

(b) Section 15 of the request for grant of a European patent (EPO Form 1001) and

(c) Section 2 of EPO Form 1200 (Entry into the European phase).

The EPO notifies all communications to the association at its registered address, or at the address for correspondence indicated in the request for grant form (Section 16).

The documents submitted to the EPO can be signed by any member of the association. In addition to including their own name in block capitals, the signing member of the association must indicate the name and representative number of the association below their signature.

The name and address of the association are entered in the European Patent Register, published in the European Patent Bulletin, and printed in the published European patent application and, where applicable, in the European patent.