A European patent (EP) is a single patent granted by the European Patent Office (EPO).
Through one unified procedure, providing patent protection for an invention in multiple European countries (around 40) under the European Patent Convention (EPC). It acts like a national patent in each designated country after validation, giving the owner exclusive rights to stop others from using the invention, and requires a single application, search, and examination process for broad territorial coverage.
The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that the official fees charged for European patent applications will be increasing from 1 April 2026.
The increase in the fees for European Patents is implemented with Decision of the Administrative Council of 11 December 2025 (CA/D 9/25. The decision enters in from 01 April 2026.
Most of the official fees are increasing by about 4.5-5.5%. The fees for filing and excess page fees, and the opposition and appeal fees remain unchanged.
The main fees being changed, and the new amounts, are as follows:
| Fee type | Current FEE in EUR | The new increased fee from 01.04.2026 . The fee is in EUR | Increase rate |
| Search fee | 1520 | 1595 | 4.9 % |
| Examination fee | 1915 | 2,010 | 5.0 % |
| Designation fee | 685 | 720 | 5.1 % |
| 3rd year renewal fee | 690 | 725 | 5.1 % |
| 4th year renewal fee | 845 | 885 | 4.7 % |
| 5th year renewal fee | 1000 | 1,050 | 5.0 % |
| 6th year renewal fee | 1155 | 1,215 | 5.2 % |
| 7th year renewal fee | 1310 | 1,375 | 5.0 % |
| 8th year renewal fee | 1465 | 1,540 | 5.1 % |
| 9th year renewal fee | 1620 | 1595 | 4.9 % |
| 10th+ year renewal fee | 1775 | 2,010 | 5.1 % |
for more information and full list of the fees : https://www.epo.org/en/legal/official-journal/decision-administrative-council-11-december-2025utm_source=Newsweaver&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Notice+from+the+European+Patent+Office+dated+16+December+2025+concerning+the+improved+online+form%2C+the+updated+means+of+filing+and+the+processing+of+third-party+observations+under+Article+115+EPC&utm_content=&utm_campaign=oj-update