EPO Fee Changes 2026 – What You Need To Know
The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that its official fees (fees paid to the EPO by applicants) will increase from 1 April 2026. These changes will affect a wide range of fees under the European Patent Convention (EPC), including search, examination, grant and renewal fees.
Overview Of The EPO Fee Changes 2026
Our calculations suggest that many core EPO fees (including renewal, search, designation, examination and grant fees) will increase by around 5%.
Some fees are unchanged (for example, filing fees, additional fees for divisional applications, the opposition fee, and appeal fees).
A small number of fees change by a different amount (for example, the international search fee increases by around 2%, and the transmittal fee for an international application increases by around 7%).
Strategies For Benefitting From The Current EPO Fees
There is still time to benefit from the EPO’s current lower fees before the EPO fee changes take effect. Russell IP can help you:
- Identify EPO renewal fees which can be paid before 1 April 2026 (i.e. at the current rates), where this fits your renewal strategy and the applicable payment windows.
- Identify other EPO fees which can be paid before 1 April 2026 in your particular circumstances.
- Review upcoming EPO deadlines and cost points in early 2026 so that you can plan payments and filings with the fee changes in mind.
Practical Tips For Reducing Official Fees
At Russell IP, we help clients keep costs down when possible, including finding ways to reduce official fees. Here are some of the key strategies we use to help with this:
- We use online filings instead of non-online filings; the EPO has different filing fees depending on whether the application (or EPO Form 1200 for Euro-PCT entry) is filed online.
- Where possible, we try to avoid excess page fees and excess claims fees. Sometimes, however, a longer patent specification and/or a large number of claims are needed to protect an invention correctly, justifying additional official fees.
- We provide advance notice of renewal fee deadlines, allowing timely payment and avoidance of unnecessary late-payment surcharges.
Russell IP Proactively Contacts Its Clients
In response to the EPO’s announcement of increasing fees, Russell IP will contact clients who may benefit from paying fees early, before the changes come into effect on 1 April 2026.
By acting now, businesses may be able to save meaningful sums on EPO fees, especially those with large European patent portfolios.
Get In Touch
If you would like tailored support with paying official patent fees to the EPO or considering how you can benefit from the current EPO fees before the EPO fee changes come into effect on 1 April 2026, contact one of our patent experts for a discussion about how we can help you.
Table Of Fee Changes
The interactive table below shows the current and new EPO fees. The Percentage Change column is rounded to the nearest whole percent.
| Fee | Fee Before 1 April 2026 (EUR) | Fee From 1 April 2026 (EUR) | Percentage Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filing fee (online filing / EPO Form 1200 filed online) | 135 | 135 | 0% |
| Filing fee (not filed online) | 285 | 285 | 0% |
| Additional filing fee for the 36th and each subsequent page | 17 | 17 | 0% |
| Additional fee for divisional application of 2nd generation | 235 | 235 | 0% |
| Additional fee for divisional application of 3rd generation | 480 | 480 | 0% |
| Additional fee for divisional application of 4th generation | 715 | 715 | 0% |
| Additional fee for divisional application of 5th+ generation | 955 | 955 | 0% |
| Fee for a European search | 1520 | 1595 | 5% |
| Fee for an international search | 1845 | 1885 | 2% |
| Fee for a supplementary international search | 1845 | 1885 | 2% |
| Designation fee (for all Contracting States; applications filed on/after 1 Apr 2009) | 685 | 720 | 5% |
| Renewal fee for the 3rd year | 690 | 725 | 5% |
| Renewal fee for the 4th year | 845 | 885 | 5% |
| Renewal fee for the 5th year | 1000 | 1050 | 5% |
| Renewal fee for the 6th year | 1155 | 1215 | 5% |
| Renewal fee for the 7th year | 1310 | 1375 | 5% |
| Renewal fee for the 8th year | 1465 | 1540 | 5% |
| Renewal fee for the 9th year | 1620 | 1700 | 5% |
| Renewal fee for the 10th+ year | 1775 | 1865 | 5% |
| Additional fee for late renewal | 50% of the belated renewal fee | 50% of the belated renewal fee | |
| Examination fee (EP/Euro-PCT with supplementary European search report) | 1915 | 2010 | 5% |
| Examination fee (Euro-PCT without supplementary European search report) | 2135 | 2240 | 5% |
| Fee for grant & publication of European patent specification | 1080 | 1135 | 5% |
| Opposition fee | 880 | 880 | 0% |
| Limitation fee (request for limitation) | 1355 | 1425 | 5% |
| Revocation fee (request for revocation) | 615 | 645 | 5% |
| Appeal fee (reduced under Rule 7a(2)(a)-(d)) | 2015 | 2015 | 0% |
| Appeal fee (other) | 2925 | 2925 | 0% |
| Fee for petition for review | 3400 | 3570 | 5% |
| Fee for further processing (late performance of acts under Rule 71(3)) | 300 | 315 | 5% |
| Fee for further processing (other cases) | 300 | 315 | 5% |
| Fee for further processing (late payment of a fee) | 50% of the relevant fee | 50% of the relevant fee | |
| Fee for re-establishment of rights / restoration / reinstatement | 750 | 790 | 5% |
| Conversion fee | 0 | 0 | |
| Fee for late furnishing of a sequence listing | 265 | 280 | 6% |
| Claims fee (16th to 50th claims) | 275 | 290 | 5% |
| Claims fee (51st+ claims) | 685 | 720 | 5% |
| Fee for the awarding of costs | 90 | 95 | 6% |
| Transmittal fee for an international application | 150 | 160 | 7% |
| Fee for the preliminary examination of an international application | 1915 | 2010 | 5% |
| Fee for a technical opinion | 4560 | 4790 | 5% |
| Protest fee | 1020 | 1070 | 5% |
| Review fee for a supplementary international search | 1020 | 1070 | 5% |
Source: The EPO fee changes are set out in a decision of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation (CA/D 9/25).
Disclaimer
This blog post is not intended to provide legal advice. For tailored advice about your specific situation and the potential impact of the EPO fee changes on your patent portfolio, contact Russell IP.
