On 11 December 2025, the Administrative Council decided to adjust the fees payable to the European Patent Office (EPO) with effect from 1 April 2026. The changes mainly affect key fees in the examination and grant procedure as well as the renewal fees for pending European patent applications.
Practical point: For fees paid on or after 1 April 2026, the new amounts apply—regardless of when the application was filed or what priority date it claims.
Key changes at a glance (current until 31 March 2026 vs. new from 1 April 2026)
| Fee | current amount | new amount |
| Filing fee | 135 € | 135 € |
| Search fee | 1520 € | 1.595 € |
| Designation fee | 685 € | 720 € |
| Examination fee (EP / Euro-PCT with supplementary European search) | 1915 € | 2.010 € |
| Examination fee (Euro-PCT without supplementary European search) | 2.135 € | 2.240 € |
| Fee for grant | 1.080 € | 1.135 € |
| Opposition fee | 880 € | 880 € |
| Renewal fee for the 3rd year | 690 € | 725 € |
| Renewal fee for the 4th year | 845 € | 885 € |
| Renewal fee for the 5th year | 1.000 € | 1.050 € |
| Renewal fee for the 6th year | 1.155 € | 1.215 € |
| Renewal fee for the 7th year | 1.310 € | 1.375 € |
| Renewal fee for the 8th year | 1.465 € | 1.540 € |
| Renewal fee for the 9th year | 1.620 € | 1.700 € |
| Renewal fee for the 10th year and all subsequent years | 1775 € | 1.865 € |
| Claims fee from the 16th claim (up to 50) | 275 € | 290 € |
| Claims fee from the 51st claim | 685 € | 720 € |
Transitional arrangement: paying the “old amount” is not necessarily fatal
The EPO provides a transitional relief: if, within six months from 1 April 2026, a fee is paid on time but inadvertently still in the old amount, it will nevertheless be deemed validly paid—provided the shortfall is paid within two months after the EPO issues an invitation to pay the missing amount.
Source
Decision of the Administrative Council of 11 December 2025 (CA/D 9/25): https://www.epo.org/en/legal/official-journal/decision-administrative-council-11-december-2025