If you file a registered EU design with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), you should keep an eye not only on the application fee but also on the later renewal fees. Protection initially lasts five years and can then be extended step by step up to a maximum of 25 years — uniformly across all 27 EU member states. Since the EU Design Reform of 1 May 2025, new fees apply.
Application fee for an EU design
The official application fee is EUR 350 for one design. Since the reform, it covers both registration and publication; the previously separate fees have been combined into a single amount. For each additional design in a multiple application, a further EUR 125 is charged. If publication is deferred, an additional EUR 40 applies for the first design and EUR 20 for each further design.
Renewal fees up to the maximum term
To keep the design in force, the EUIPO charges the following fees — per design:
- EUR 150 for the 1st renewal (6th to 10th year of protection)
- EUR 250 for the 2nd renewal (11th to 15th year of protection)
- EUR 400 for the 3rd renewal (16th to 20th year of protection)
- EUR 700 for the 4th renewal (21st to 25th year of protection)
Anyone maintaining the design over its full term of 25 years therefore pays a total of EUR 1,850 in official fees. Before the reform it was EUR 890 — so the increased renewal fees are the real cost driver.
Special case: multiple application
Several designs can be filed together in a single multiple application. Since the reform, a flat rate of EUR 125 applies for each additional design. The later renewal fees, however — as with a single design — are payable again for each registered design.
Comparison with the German design
A German design filed with the DPMA is considerably cheaper over the full term: there, the official fees add up to a total of EUR 600 (EUR 60 for the application plus EUR 90, 120, 150 and 180 for each renewal). At EUR 1,850, the EU design therefore costs around three times as much — but it protects not only in Germany, but uniformly across all 27 EU member states. On a per-country basis, the EU right is clearly the better value. Anyone who needs design protection only for the German market, however, is better off with the national design.