As April approaches, the European Patent Office has announced that the majority of its fees will be increasing by around 5%.
The fee increases will affect several stages of patent prosecution, and where possible, it may be advantageous to complete any actions associated with an increase in fees before 1 April 2023.
A summary of the common official fees is found in the table below. The full schedule of fees is available on the EPO website.
| Fee description | Fee before 1 April 2023 (€) | Increase (%) | Fee after 1 April 2023 (€) |
| Online filing fee | 130 | 3.8 | 135 |
| European or supplementary filing fee | 1390 | 5 | 1460 |
| Designation fee | 630 | 4.8 | 660 |
| Additional pages fee (each) | 16 | 6.3 | 17 |
| Excess claims fee (16th to 50th, each) | 250 | 6 | 265 |
| Examination fee | 1750 | 5.1 | 1840 |
| Fee for grant, including fee for publication of the European patent specification | 990 | 5.1 | 1040 |
| Opposition | 840 | 4.8 | 880 |
| Appeal | 2785 | 5 | 2925 |
| Renewal fee – year 3 | 505 | 5 | 530 |
| Renewal fee – year 4 | 630 | 4.8 | 660 |
| Renewal fee – year 5 | 880 | 5.1 | 925 |
| Renewal fee – year 6 | 1125 | 4.9 | 1180 |
| Renewal fee – year 7 | 1245 | 4.8 | 1305 |
| Renewal fee – year 8 | 1370 | 5.1 | 1440 |
| Renewal fee – year 9 | 1495 | 5 | 1570 |
| Renewal fee – year 10 & 10+ | 1690 | 5 | 1775 |
If you would like advice on how the fee increases may affect your patent portfolio, please consult with your usual Forresters attorney.
