Questions
General Information
Where to find help
Monitoring your account
Statements
Account replenishments
Payment orders
Batch payments
Access rights
Setting up/cancelling automatic debit orders
Technical requirements and software/hardware issues
Display problems
Answers
General Information
What do I have to do to open a deposit account with the EPO?
Please use the online form.
What do I have to do to close my deposit account?
Please submit a signed written request (see point 2.2 of the Arrangements for deposit accounts (ADA) valid as from 1 December 2017).
To do so, please use the online form and select the option "close".
How can I update my deposit account details?
Please use the online form and select the option "update account details for".
Can I access the Online Fee Payment service as soon as I have received my smart card?
You can access the service as soon as your details have been entered into the Online Fee Payment database and your company's My.epoline administrator has given you access under the "Administration" tab. If you have any problems, you should first contact your company's My.epoline administrator.
What do I have to do to access the Online Fee Payment service?
To access Online Fee Payment, you must have an EPO deposit account and a smart card. If you want to access your account online, contact us with your name, the name of your company, and the deposit account number(s) concerned. You will then be sent an email confirming that access has been granted. Additionally, your company's My.epoline administrator must grant you access to your deposit account (click "Users" in the "Administration" tab).
Where to find help
I am new to Online Fee Payment and want to find out how to use it. What kind of help is available?
An e-learning module is available which provides an explanation of the various functions of the Online Fee Payment service, along with practical exercises. Go to the e-learning section and click on the link to the Online Fee Payment e-learning module.
In addition, you can find help on the documentation page.
Monitoring your account
How can I monitor my deposit account?
As of 1 December 2017, it is only possible to monitor your deposit account online.
Click the "Overview" tab to view your balance, pending orders and fees due with the automatic debiting procedure (ADP).
Click the "Deposit Account" tab to view all transactions booked on your account in the last 90 days. Here you can also view all pending orders, i.e. the debit orders that have been submitted but not yet effectively booked.
Click the "Payment Plan" tab for an overview of all applications covered by the ADP as well as all fees due within the next 40 days with the ADP.
Click the "Account History" tab to view all account transactions older than 90 days as well as all statements.
I have noticed that the letters XXX appear before the name of the account holder in Online Fee Payment and on my year-end balance confirmation. What do they mean?
The letters XXX before the account holder name mean that the EPO has either closed the account or set it to inactive status. See point 4.3 of the Arrangements for deposit accounts (ADAs).
When will my online debit order actually be debited from my deposit account, and how can I view my pending debit orders?
As a rule, the EPO books debit orders within two to three working days from the day on which the online debit order is submitted. You can view your unprocessed debit orders in the "Pending orders" view immediately after submitting your debit order online.
If, when filing an application online, you indicate that fees can be debited from your account, you can view these fees in "Pending orders" within 30 minutes of filing your application.
Why are payments not debited from my deposit account straight away when I use Online Fee Payment?
Payments made by debit order usually take up to three working days to be processed, during which time the EPO's Treasury and Accounting department will book the payment from your deposit account with the date on which the debit order was received. Only then will the payment appear on your account statement.
Can I check my deposit account status retrospectively in Online Fee Payment?
Yes. All account statements dating back to 1 January 2002 are stored in Online Fee Payment under the "Account History" tab.
Statements
Will I still receive a paper copy of my account statements?
Paper statements will continue to be sent until 28 February 2018. As of 1 March 2018 statements will only be available electronically under the "Account History" tab in Online Fee Payment.
Where can I find my statements?
Statements are automatically generated every 14 days in Online Fee Payment and thus contain the transactions from either the 1st to the 15th or the 16th to the end of a month. They can be found under the "Account History" tab.
Can I create my own statements?
Yes. For a period within the last 90 days, click the "Deposit Account" tab and enter the period required. You can download statements in PDF or XML.
For a period more than 90 days ago, click the "Account History" tab and enter the period required. You can download statements in PDF or XML.
Account replenishments
Can I replenish my account online?
No, it is not possible to replenish accounts online. Deposit accounts can only be replenished by bank transfer to:
|
Account No.
|
3 338 800 00
|
|
Sort code
|
700 800 00
|
|
IBAN
|
DE20 7008 0000 0333 8800 00
|
|
BIC
|
DRESDEFF700
|
Commerzbank AG
Leopoldstrasse 230
80807 München
Germany
Please enter the number of the EPO deposit account concerned (eight-digit number starting with 28) in the reference field of the bank transfer, preceded by the word "replenishment" (or "repl", if the payment-reference field is too small) or "deposit". Further information can be found here (see point 4).
When and where can I see my replenishments in Online Fee Payment?
Deposit account replenishments received by the EPO will generally be visible in Online Fee Payment on the following day. Click the "Deposit Account" tab and then "Transactions" on the left.
Payment orders
When is a payment made using Online Fee Payment deemed to have been received?
The legal date of payment is the date on which the EPO receives the debit order. This date is then printed on the confirmation of receipt of your online debit order generated by the Online Fee Payment system. If you specify a deferred payment date, the payment date is deemed to be the execution date specified (see also point 5.4.1 of the Arrangements for deposit accounts (ADA) valid as from 1 December 2017).
In the automatic debiting procedure, fees are deemed to have been paid on the last day of the time limit for payment of those fees.
Note: This is of course subject to there being sufficient money in your account.
If the amount to be paid differs from the amount shown in the schedule of fees, how do I proceed?
In step 2 of the payment procedure, select the fee that you wish to pay, regardless of the amount shown. In step 3 you can then change the fee amount before confirming your payment.
Can a debit order sent via Online Fee Payment be cancelled online?
No, it is not possible to cancel a debit order online, unless it is an automatic debit order. Automatic debit orders can be cancelled online via the "Payment Plan" screen.
To cancel an ordinary debit order sent using Online Fee Payment/Online Filing/new online filing (CMS), send us your instructions immediately via our online Fee payment contact form. Please attach a signed request indicating the application number, deposit account number and amount concerned (click on the "Browse" button to upload a .pdf, .doc or .docx file).
Note: Payments may only be cancelled up to midnight on the day on which they were submitted. This also applies to debit orders with a deferred payment date.
In Online Fee Payment, is it possible to get confirmation of payment?
No. Payment is subject to sufficient funds being available in the account and can therefore not be confirmed at the time of submission. However, you can get a debit order submission confirmation in PDF or XML. After you have confirmed your payment, click the "PDF" or "Download" button.
In Online Fee Payment, is it possible to get confirmation of submission of a debit order?
Yes. You can get a debit order confirmation in PDF or XML. After you have confirmed your debit order click the "PDF" or "Download" button. (Please also see the section "Batch payments" below for the options for batch payments).
Please make sure you save and/or print the confirmation before you continue. This is your only chance to save/print the confirmation as you cannot access it again later.
Does the EPO send written confirmations of debit orders?
No, as you can view and print confirmations online when you submit your debit orders.
When I try to make a payment for my new filing submission in Online Fee Payment I get an error saying that the application number does not exist. What has happened?
As the EPO needs up to ten working days from the day on which the application is filed to complete all formalities, you may not be able to make a payment in Online Fee Payment during this time. Please retry in a few days or use an alternative payment method such as
credit card or via a
filing tool.
Please note that the time limit for paying fees for a new international application is one month from the date of receipt (Rules
14.1(c),
15.3,
16.1(f) PCT).
Batch payments
How do I make a batch payment?
To make a batch payment you need to create an XML file containing the relevant application numbers, payment details, and so on. You can do this by downloading the EPO Online Multipay Tool. Once you have installed the Multipay Tool, you can create an XML file by filling in the relevant fields. Enter the payments you would like to make, and save the data in XML format.
When you have saved your XML file, log on to My.epoline, go to the Online Fee Payment service, select Payment, click Batch Payment, browse for the file, upload it and select Continue. The system will automatically recognise the different fields and calculate the total amount due. You should then confirm the payment.
Is it possible to print/download confirmations for each application covered by a batch payment?
Yes. For batch payments you can select from three different types of confirmation:
- "List confirmation (single pdf)": continuous list of all applications in one PDF
- "Individual confirmations (single pdf)": one PDF, but the data for each application starts on a new page
- "PDF per application (multiple pdfs)": you receive an individual PDF file for each application, packed as a ZIP file.
The default is "List confirmation (single pdf)".
How can I change the format of the PDF confirmation?
During the confirmation procedure, click on "Preferences" and select the desired format. The selected format is saved until you change it again.
Access rights
I cannot see the "Fee Payment" tab in the portal. Why is this?
Either your smart card has not been linked to your company's deposit account or your company's My.epoline administrator has not given you access within the portal.
Within the Online Fee Payment service, I can only see the schedule of fees. Why is this?
Your company's My.epoline administrator has not granted you access to Fee Payment.
I cannot see the Payment tab under Fee Payment. Why is this?
Your company's My.epoline administrator has given you only limited access to Fee Payment (to view deposit accounts but not to pay fees).
I have read about setting up and cancelling automatic debit orders but I cannot see this function when I use Online Fee Payment. What is the problem?
Contact your company administrator, who will have to give you access to the Payment Plan via the My.epoline Portal "Administration" function.
Setting up/cancelling automatic debit orders
I am having problems setting up an automatic debit order for an application in Online Fee Payment. Why is this?
This could be because
- an automatic debit order has already been set up for this application
- the application is not recognised by the EPO's computer system
- you are trying to set up the debit order outside the EPO's opening hours, which are Monday to Friday, 08.00-18.00 hrs CET.
I am having problems cancelling an automatic debit order in Online Fee Payment. Why is this?
Automatic debit orders can only be cancelled within the EPO's opening hours, which are Monday to Friday, 08.00-18.00 hrs CET.
How can I set up an automatic debit order for an application in Online Fee Payment?
Log in to Online Fee Payment and select Payment Plan -> New order -> enter application number -> check your order details -> confirm -> download/print PDF confirmation.
In Online Fee Payment, is it possible to accidentally set up an automatic debit order twice for the same application?
No, this is not possible.
How can I cancel the automatic debit order for an application in Online Fee Payment?
Log in to Online Fee Payment and select Payment Plan -> select application number -> revoke order -> check your order details -> confirm -> download/print PDF confirmation.
In Online Fee Payment, is it possible to cancel the same debit order twice?
No, the application will disappear from the list once the debit order has been cancelled, so it can no longer be selected.
In Online Fee Payment, how do I know if I have set up/cancelled an automatic debit order for a particular application?
If you set up an automatic debit order for a particular application, the application number will appear on the Payment Plan list after about 10 minutes.
If you cancel an automatic debit order, the number will be struck through and will disappear from the Payment Plan list after about 10 minutes.
Is it possible to print/save an overview of all applications that are covered by the automatic debiting procedure for our deposit account?
Yes. Go to "Payment Plan", where you can download an overview in PDF or XML.
I have set up an automatic debit order for the wrong application in Online Fee Payment. Can I cancel it immediately on the same day?
Yes, you can. Wait until the application appears on the list and then cancel the order.
We have more than one deposit account and I selected the wrong account number to set up an automatic debit order in Online Fee Payment. Can I cancel the automatic debit order straight away, on the same day?
Yes, you can. Wait until the application appears on the list and then cancel the order.
Technical requirements and software/hardware issues
When I try to view a PDF I get this error message: “There is a problem with Adobe Acrobat/Reader. If it is running please exit and try again (523:523)”. What can I do?
This problem is caused by a recent update to Adobe Acrobat which re-enabled "Protected Mode at start-up”. In order to resolve it, disable the option.
You can do this by launching Adobe Reader, selecting ‘Preferences’ from the ‘Edit’ menu, and then selecting ‘Security (Enhanced)’. Untick the box beside ‘Enable Protected Mode at start-up’ to disable.
If the option is already grey or disabled, refer to the following Adobe blog post for the necessary registry or policy settings that need to be changed:
Which Adobe Acrobat Reader versions are supported? Are any other PDF readers supported?
Versions 4, 5, 6.01, 7, 8, 9, 10.1 and 11 of Adobe Acrobat Reader are supported. No other PDF readers or other versions of Acrobat are supported.
Display problems
Every time I go to a different page in Online Fee Payment my previous selection is gone. Why is that?
Due to technical limitations it is not possible to maintain any selection you made on a different page.
