Guidelines 2026 enter into force, streamlining procedural guidance

The updated EPC, PCT-EPO and UP Guidelines entered into force on 1 April 2026. Meanwhile, the European Patent Guide and Euro-PCT Guide will be discontinued, as their content has been integrated into the Guidelines and related official sources.

The Guidelines for Examination in the European Patent Office (EPC Guidelines), the Guidelines for Search and Examination at the EPO as PCT Authority (PCT-EPO Guidelines) and the Unitary Patent Guidelines (UP Guidelines) have all been updated. Together, they provide the main procedural guidance for applicants, patent proprietors and representatives interacting with the EPO. The editions were published in preview mode two months ago and apply as of today.

They supersede the April 2025 editions and are available in the EPO’s three official languages on the EPO website, where they can be downloaded in full or browsed online section by section. Downloadable versions are available both as “clean” copies and as files showing the latest modifications.

You can also view the modifications in the online HTML versions by ticking the "Show modifications" box in the top right corner. A complete list of amended sections, including hyperlinks, is provided alongside each set of Guidelines.

Streamlining our guidance: European Patent Guide and Euro-PCT Guide to be discontinued

As part of the EPO’s efforts to modernise and simplify its legal publications, almost all of the information previously found in the European Patent Guide and the Euro-PCT Guide has now been integrated into the respective Guidelines. Any remaining content has been incorporated into the EPO website.

The two Guides will remain available on the EPO website until 31 May 2026, after which they will be withdrawn. The former Unitary Patent Guide had already been discontinued with the introduction of the first Unitary Patent Guidelines in April 2025.

Online user consultation

Public consultation on the 2026 edition of the Guidelines is already underway and runs until 3 April 2026. As part of the revision cycle, the Guidelines are updated each year to reflect legal and procedural developments and user feedback from the public consultation.

Users are encouraged to submit comments via the dedicated webform. The anonymised comments will be discussed within the SACEPO Working Party on Guidelines in May 2026. Feedback from users will help inform the preparation of the 2027 editions and support the continued improvement of procedural guidance.