Fees and Payments – PCT System

Types of PCT Fees

During the international phase, PCT fees are generally payable:

to the receiving Offices (ROs); and, where applicable
to the International Preliminary Examining Authorities (IPEAs) (under Chapter II).

The amounts and currencies of the main PCT fees vary depending on the RO and IPEA chosen as well as on the International Searching Authority (ISA) specified for the search and may be subject to certain reductions, where applicable.

There are basically three types of fees payable to the receiving Office in connection with an international application (other fees apply only in specific circumstances):

the transmittal fee	(for the processing and transmittal of the application by the RO (where applicable))
the search fee	(for the international search carried out by the ISA)
the international filing fee	(for the various tasks performed by the IB including the international publication)

WIPO Pay
FAQs about fees can be found in the PCT Applicant’s Guide
Video on Fees payable under the PCT

Fees applicable in the national phase

There is no central fee payment mechanism in place.

Fees that are payable in the national phase to national and regional Offices can be found in the PCT Applicant’s Guide, National Chapters.

WARNING: Requests for Payment of Fees

Amounts of PCT fees in the international phase

Fee payments in the international phase are generally made to the receiving Offices (ROs) and International Preliminary Examining Authorities (IPEAs). The respective amounts and currencies can be found in the PCT Fee Tables:

PCT Fee Tables 2024
PCT Fee Tables 2023
PCT Fee Tables 2022
Applicability of 90% Reduction in Certain PCT Fees

2017 PCT Assembly Understanding
applicable on or after 1 January 2020

Applicability of 75% Reduction in Certain PCT Fees at the EPO
Applicability of 75% Reduction in International Search and Preliminary Examination Fees at the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office
WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center fee reduction for PCT Users
Directives for New Equivalent Amounts of Certain PCT Fees

Fees payable only in particular circumstances

Fees that are payable only in particular circumstances, and details of certain reductions and refunds that may be available, are not included in the PCT Fee Table; they can be found in the PCT Applicant’s Guide, Annexes C, D and E.

Note that all amounts are subject to change due to variations in the fees themselves or fluctuations in exchange rates.

Where to pay PCT fees?

Filing-related fees are payable to the receiving Office (RO) with which the international application is filed. The RO then transmits the search fee to the International Searching Authority (ISA) and the international filing fee to the International Bureau (IB). Other fees must be paid only under specific circumstances to the respective International Authorities.

Only certain fees are payable directly to WIPO but only under specific circumstances:

Fees payable to the IB as a receiving Office (RO/IB)

In case of direct filing of PCT applications with RO/IB, fees may be paid to RO/IB in Swiss francs, US dollars or Euros, depending on payment method and fee type. The amounts payable, as well as any applicable reductions, are set out in the PCT Applicant’s Guide (Annex C(IB)).

Fees payable to the IB in particular circumstance only

Special fees payable to the IB (only where applicable)

Early publication fee (PCT Rule 48.4(a))
Fee for publication of information concerning late correction or addition of a priority claim (PCT Rule 26bis.2(e))
Fee for publication of a refused request for rectification (PCT Rule 91.3(d))

Fees for supplementary international search (only where applicable)

Supplementary search fee (PCT Rule 45bis.3)
Supplementary search handling fee (PCT Rule 45bis.2)
Late payment fee (PCT Rule 45bis.4(c))

Payment methods

There are several ways to pay your PCT fees and charges to WIPO:

Option 1: Current Account at WIPO
Option 2: credit card (under certain circumstances)
Option 3: eWallet (Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay) (under certain circumstances)
Option 4: PayPal
Option 5: bank transfer
Option 6: postal transfer (within Europe only)
Option 7: bank payment online (secured by SOFORT) (under certain circumstances)

The International Bureau no longer accepts payment by check.

Payment follow-up

Note: WIPO will send a receipt within 10 days of the receipt of the bank or postal transfer.

All payments are acknowledged by PCT Forms and include the contact details of the authorized officer processing the application. If you do not receive an acknowledgement please contact the authorized officer indicating the PCT application number.

Inquiries regarding payments to the RO/IB and IB

E-mail: ro.ib@wipo.int or authorized officer
Tel: +41 22 338 92 22 or +41 22 338 91 11 (switchboard)

Refund request

All refund requests should be addressed to the authorized officer processing your application at RO/IB, who will provide you with a refund form. For other refunds the refund form may be used.

For further details of which fees may be refunded, refer to the PCT Applicant’s Guide.