The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that it will be increasing its official fees from
1 April 2022; any fees paid after this date will be charged at
the new rates. The increase in fees has not been uniformly applied,
instead the various fees have been increased by between 0% and 5%.
As some EPO fees can be paid in advance of the due dates, this is a
good time for applicants to consider whether they can save money by
paying fees before the fee increase.
Fees Incurred on Filing or Entry into European Regional
Phase
Applicants considering filing a new European application on or
around 1 April 2022, or with a PCT application in the international
phase that is due to enter the European regional phase on or after
1 April 2022, may be able to save money by filing such cases
earlier, and paying the associated fees before the fee increase.
The key fee increases relevant for these acts are detailed in the
table below:
