EPO Official Fees Increasing in 2026 : Time to act
The EPO has announced an increase of around 5% in most official fees, effective from 1 April 2026. Find out which fees will be affected and when the changes will apply.
The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced an adjustment to its official fees, which will take effect on 1 April 2026.
Most official fees will increase by approximately 5%, including search, examination, designation, grant and renewal fees. Filing fees (including excess page fees and the additional fee for multi-generation divisional applications), as well as opposition and appeal fees, will remain unchanged.
In view of this upcoming increase, applicants may benefit from significant cost savings by taking action in advance. In particular, they may secure the current fee levels by entering applications into the European regional phase before 1 April 2026, or by advancing the payment of examination and designation fees for pending divisional applications.
At H&A, we would be pleased to review your European patent portfolio and advise on whether early filing or advance payments could be advantageous in your specific case. Should you wish to take proactive steps ahead of the fee increase, please do not hesitate to contact us; our team will be happy to assist you in planning and implementing the most cost-effective strategy.
Further information is available in the EPO’s official announcement:
https://www.epo.org/en/legal/official-journal/decision-administrative-council-11-december-2025
