The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that many of its fees will be increasing from 1 April 2026.
This is the first fee increase since 2024, with the EPO now returning to biennial reviews of its fees, following annual increases in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
The revisions apply across multiple stages of patent prosecution, with most fees rising by around 5%. The opposition and appeal fees remain unchanged.
A summary of the changes to some of the common fees is laid out below. The full schedule of fees is available on the EPO website.
| Fee description | Fee before 1 April 2026 (€) | Increase (%) | Fee after 1 April 2026 (€) |
| Online filing fee | 135 | no change | 135 |
| European or supplementary search fee | 1520 | 5 | 1595 |
| Designation fee | 685 | 5 | 720 |
| Additional pages fee (36+, each) | 17 | no change | 17 |
| Excess claims fees (16th – 50th, each) | 275 | 5 | 290 |
| Examination fee | 1915 | 5 | 2010 |
| Fee for grant | 1080 | 5 | 1135 |
| Opposition | 880 | no change | 880 |
| Appeal | 2925 | no change | 2925 |
| Renewal fee – year 3 | 690 | 5 | 725 |
| Renewal fee – year 4 | 845 | 5 | 885 |
| Renewal fee – year 5 | 1000 | 5 | 1050 |
| Renewal fee – year 6 | 1155 | 5 | 1215 |
| Renewal fee – year 7 | 1310 | 5 | 1375 |
| Renewal fee – year 8 | 1465 | 5 | 1540 |
| Renewal fee – year 9 | 1620 | 5 | 1700 |
| Renewal fee – years 10 – 20 (each) | 1775 | 5 | 1865 |
| Example | |||
| Filing a 5th year divisional application including: online filing fee, search fee, and renewal fees for years 3, 4 and 5 | 4190 | 5 | 4390 |
What this means for you
In many cases, the increases can be avoided by paying fees at the current rate before 1 April 2026.
If you have any questions or would like advice on how the fee changes may affect your patent portfolio, please contact your usual Forresters attorney.
