EPO announces increase in fees from 1 April 2026

The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that fees will increase with effect from 1 April 2026.

The majority of fees will be subject to an inflation-based increase of approximately 5%.

Key fee changes include:

• Search fee: increasing from €1,520 to €1,595
• Examination fee: increasing from €1,915 to €2,010
• Designation fee: increasing from €685 to €720
• Grant fee: increasing from €1,080 to €1,135
• Renewal fees: increasing by approximately 5% for each year
• Excess claim fees: increasing from €275 to €290 (16^th to 50^th claims)

Given these increases, applicants may wish to consider paying any applicable fees before 1 April 2026 where possible.

The fee increase does not apply to filing, opposition, or appeal fees.

A full list of the new fees can be found here: OJ EPO 2026, A2 – Decision of the Administrative Council of 11 December 2025 (CA/D 9/25)