Renewal Fee Payment Windows

Official Due Dates

The official due date for patent renewal is often the anniversary of the patent filing date (the US is a significant exception – where it’s the anniversary of the grant date). Fees are payable for the upcoming year (i.e. to pay for your patent to remain in force for a fifth year, the fee that corresponds to the fifth year must be paid by the fourth anniversary).

The official payment date is often, however, not the final date a renewal can be paid (without incurring penalty fees).

Payment Windows

Payment window rules vary by country.

For example, in the UK and Europe, fees can be paid (without penalty) up until the end of the month in which the official due date falls. The payment window is three months long.

For further information, please refer to the patent renewal country guides in the Knowledge Base.

The Self-Service online patent renewal tool takes account of each country’s payment window rules.

PCT Applications at the European Patent Office

For Euro-PCT applications, the first application renewal fee due date is delayed until the end of the 31 month period after the application priority date should this fall after the usual first renewal deadline.

Late Grants in the UK

Please see the Knowledge Base article on Late Grants for further information on how payment windows are adjusted in the case of a late grant of a UK patent.