(status on 6 July 2024)

PCT-PPH - one of many worksharing initiatives

A number of bilateral agreements have been signed between patent Offices to promote worksharing and enable patent applicants to request accelerated processing in the national phase, where patent examiners can make use of the work products from the other Office(s). These work products can include:

  • the written opinion of the International Searching Authority,
  • the written opinion of the International Preliminary Examining Authority, or
  • the international preliminary examination report issued within the framework of the PCT, subject to certain conditions.

By requesting that their applications be processed under these agreements, applicants can generally obtain a final action more quickly before participating Offices.

Reusing search and examination results in this way facilitates the prosecution of patent applications. The decision about whether to grant a patent, however, remains under the control of the national or regional Offices.
More about other worksharing initiatives among Offices
This list of PPH arrangements does not include agreements which are based on purely national examinations products; please see the PPH Portal website (JPO).

Global Patent Prosecution Highway

Under the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (Global PPH) pilot, a request for accelerated processing can be made at any participating office based on work products, including PCT work products, from any one of the other participating offices under unified criteria.

    Offices participating in the Global PPH pilot are:
AT Austrian Patent Office
AU Australian Patent Office
BR National Institute of Industrial property of Brazil (INPI) (Brazil)
CA Canadian Intellectual Property Office
CL National Institute of Industrial Property (Chile)
CO Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (Colombia)
DE German Patent and Trade Mark Office
DK Danish Patent and Trademark Office
EE Estonian Patent Office
ES Spanish Patent and Trademark Office
FI Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH)
GB Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom)
HU Hungarian Intellectual Property Office
IL Israel Patent Office
IS Icelandic Intellectual Property Office (ISIPO)
JP Japan Patent Office
KR Korean Intellectual Property Office
NO Norwegian Industrial Property Office
NZ Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ)
PE National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Intellectual Property Protection (Peru)
PL Patent Office of the Republic of Poland
PT National Institute of Industrial Property (Portugal)
RU Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) (Russian Federation)
SE Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV)
SG Intellectual Property Office of Singapore
US United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
XN Nordic Patent Institute
XV Visegrad Patent Institute

IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway

    Offices participating in the IP5 PPH pilot are:
CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)
EP European Patent Office
JP Japan Patent Office
KR Korean Intellectual Property Office
US United States Patent and Trademark Office

User Experiences

Submit PCT-PPH User Experiences

  • The International Bureau invites PCT-PPH users to share their experience of using this accelerated procedure with other users. Submitted strategies and experiences will be posted online to assist other users in maximizing the benefits of this procedure.
    E-mail submissions to: pct.legal@wipo.int

PPH General Information

PPH Mottainai

PROSUR-PPH

  • Information about PROSUR-PPH PDF

Alianza del Pacífico-PPH

  • Information about Alianza del Pacífico-PPHPDF

Bilateral PCT-PPH Agreements

For further information concerning forms and guidance on administrative procedures of each participating Office see:

Offices are listed by Office of Later Examination, to which applicants should submit their PCT-PPH requests (Global PPH, IP5 PPH and other multilateral PCT-PPH are not repeated for each possible Office combination).
AP African Regional Intellectual Property Organization has PCT-PPH agreements with:
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Guidelines PDF
       
AR National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) (Argentina) PDFhas PCT-PPH agreements with:
  US United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Guidelines PDF / Form PDF
This Office participates in the PROSUR Patent Prosecution Highway pilot PDF. Guidelines PDF / Form PDF
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products. 
Note that Argentina is not a PCT Contracting State.		  
       
AT Austrian Patent Office has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Guidelines PDF
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products. 
       
AU Australian Patent Office has PCT-PPH agreements with:
  EP European Patent Office Form PDF
This Office has a PCT-PPH accelerated examination procedure using PCT work products prepared by the Office. 
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.		  
       
BH Directorate of Foreign Trade & Industrial Property, National Patent Office (Bahrain) has PCT-PPH agreements with:
CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Guidelines PDF
BR National Institute of Industrial property of Brazil (INPI) (Brazil) has PCT-PPH agreements with:
CA Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) PDF
EP European Patent Office PDF Guidelines
  JP Japan Patent Office Guidelines PDF
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products. 
       
CA Canadian Intellectual Property Office has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
BR National Institute of Industrial property of Brazil (INPI) (Brazil)
CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)
  EP European Patent Office Guidelines/Form
This Office has a PCT-PPH accelerated examination procedure using PCT work products prepared by the Office. 
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.		 Guidelines/Form
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.
     
CL National Institute of Industrial Property (Chile) has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Guidelines PDF
EP European Patent Office Guidelines PDF
This Office participates in the PROSUR Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
This Office participates in the Alianza del Pacifico Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
       
CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has PCT-PPH agreements with:
  AT Austrian Patent Office Forms (see below)
CA Canadian Intellectual Property Office Forms
CL National Institute of Industrial Property (Chile) Forms
ES Spanish Patent and Trademark Office Forms
FI Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) Forms
  IL Israel Patent Office Forms
RU Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) (Russian Federation) Forms
  SE Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV) Forms
SG Intellectual Property Office of Singapore Forms
This Office participates in the IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Form
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.
PPH Forms at this Office include a PPH request formPDFand a Form for making correctionsWORD.
       
CO Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (Colombia) has PCT-PPH agreements with:
  EP European Patent Office  Guidelines PDF
  JP Japan Patent Office Guidelines PDF
This Office participates in the PROSUR Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
This Office participates in the Alianza del Pacifico Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.
       
CZ Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic has PCT-PPH agreements with:
CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Guidelines/Form
  JP Japan Patent Office Guidelines/Form
  US United States Patent and Trademark Office Guidelines/Form
   
DE German Patent and Trade Mark Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines/Form
 This Office also has a PPH agreement which does not include PCT work products.  
DK Danish Patent and Trademark Office has PCT-PPH agreements with: Guidelines/Form
BR National Institute of Industrial Property (Brazil) Guidelines PDF
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Form PDF
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
       
EA Eurasian Patent Office has PCT-PPH agreements with:   
EP European Patent Office 
FI Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) GuidelinesPDF
  JP Japan Patent Office GuidelinesPDF/Form 
KR Korean Intellectual Property Office PDF
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.
     
EE Estonian Patent Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines/Forms
       
EG Egyptian Patent Office (EGYPO) has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
  JP Japan Patent Office GuidelinesPDF/FormWORD
       
EP European Patent Office has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
  AU Australian Patent Office Form PDF
BR National Institute of Industrial Property (Brazil) Form PDF
  CA Canadian Intellectual Property Office Form PDF
CL National Institute of Industrial Property (Chile) Form PDF
  IL Israel Patent Office Form PDF
  RU Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) (Russian Federation) (suspended by EP) Form PDF
  SG Intellectual Property Office of Singapore Form PDF
This Office participates in the IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Form PDF
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.
     
ES Spanish Patent and Trademark Office has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
  FI Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) Form WORD
  JP Japan Patent Office Form WORD
  RU Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) (Russian Federation) Form WORD
TR Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (Turkpatent) GuidelinesPDF
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Form WORD
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.
     
FI Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Form
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
This Office also has a PPH agreement which does not include PCT work products.
 
FR National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) (France) has PCT-PPH agreements with:
  BR National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) (Brazil)
  CA Canadian Intellectual Property Office
  KR Korean Intellectual Property Office
  US United States Patent and Trademark Office
INPI (FR) has closed its national route. However, PCT work products could be used in parallel national filings at INPI (FR).
This Office also has a PPH agreement which does not include PCT work products.
 
GB Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom) has PCT-PPH agreements with:
BR National Institute of Industrial Property (Brazil) Guidelines PDF / Form WORD
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Guidelines PDF / Form WORD
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines PDF / Form WORD
In addition, the United Kingdom’s PCT (UK) Fast Track system allows applicants to request accelerated examination in the United Kingdom national phase if their international application has received a positive International Preliminary Report on Patentability (either Chapter I or Chapter II) regardless of which authority has issued that report.  This system  was relaxed on June 8, 2012, and now allows applicants to make changes to an international application, and still request accelerated examination in the UK.
 
HU Hungarian Intellectual Property Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
  CN  China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Form PDF
ID Directorate General of Intellectual Property (Indonesia) has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
  JP Japan Patent Office Form PDF
   
IL Israel Patent Office has PCT-PPH agreements with:
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)  
  EP European Patent Office Guidelines PDF
This Office has a PCT-PPH accelerated examination procedure using PCT work products prepared by the Office.
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines PDF
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.
   
IS Icelandic Intellectual Property Office (ISIPO) has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Guidelines/FormsPDF
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines
   
JP Japan Patent Office has PCT-PPH agreements with:
BR National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) (Brazil) GuidelinesPDF
EG Egyptian Patent Office (EGYPO) GuidelinesPDF/ Form
PH Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) GuidelinesPDF/ Form
TR Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (Turkpatent) GuidelinesPDF
This Office has a PCT-PPH accelerated examination procedure using PCT work products prepared by the Office.
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway and the IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway pilots.
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.
       
KR Korean Intellectual Property Office has PCT-PPH agreements with:
This Office also a PCT-PPH accelerated examination procedure using PCT work products prepared by the Office. GuidelinesPDF
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway  (Guidelines/Form).
This Office participates in the IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway (Guidelines/Form) pilots.
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.  
     
MX Mexican Institute of Industrial Property has PCT-PPH agreements with:
AT Austrian Patent Office Guidelines PDF
  CA Canadian Intellectual Property Office Guidelines PDF
CL National Institute of Industrial Property (Chile) Guidelines PDF
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Guidelines PDF
  EP European Patent Office Guidelines PDF
  ES Spanish Patent and Trademark Office Guidelines PDF
  JP Japan Patent Office Guidelines PDF
SG Intellectual Property Office of Singapore Guidelines PDF
  US United States Patent and Trademark Office Guidelines PDF
This Office participates in the Alianza del Pacifico Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines PDF
     
MY Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia has PCT-PPH agreements with:   
CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Guidelines PDF
EP European Patent Office
  JP Japan Patent Office  Guidelines/Form PDF
KR Korean Intellectual Property Office Guidelines PDF
 
NI Registry of Intellectual Property (Nicaragua)
  US United States Patent and Trademark Office  
       
NO Norwegian Industrial Property Office
CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) GuidelinesPDF/FormPDF
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines/Form 
     
NZ Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand has PCT-PPH Agreements with:
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration Patent Prosecution Highway Guidelines
EP European Patent Office Guidelines
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines
PE National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Intellectual Property Protection (Peru)
EP European Patent Office  Guidelines
ES Spanish Patent and Trademark Office Guidelines/FormPDF
JP Japan Patent Office  Guidelines PDF
This Office also participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
This Office participates in the PROSUR Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines PDF
This Office participates in the Alianza del Pacifico Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines PDF
       
PH Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
EP European Patent Office  Guidelines /Form
  JP Japan Patent Office Guidelines /Form
KR Korean Intellectual Property Office Guidelines /Form
  US United States Patent and Trademark Office Guidelines /Form
       
PL Patent Office of the Republic of Poland has PCT-PPH agreements with:   
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Form PDF
This Office also participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.		 Guidelines/Form
   
PT National Institute of Industrial Property (Portugal) has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)  GuidelinesPDF/FormPDF
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot.
   
RO State Office for Inventions and Trademarks (Romania) has PCT-PPH agreements with:
  JP Japan Patent Office Guidelines/Form
US United States Patent and Trademark Office Guidelines/Form
   
RU Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) (Russian Federation) has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)
  EP European Patent Office   
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines/Form
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.
     
SA Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) has PCT-PPH agreements with:
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Guidelines PDF/ Form PDF
EP European Patent Office (EPO) Guidelines PDF/ Form PDF
  JP Japan Patent Office (JPO) Guidelines PDF/ Form PDF
SG Intellectual Property Office of Singapore Guidelines PDF/ Form PDF
US United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Guidelines PDF/ Form PDF
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.
     
SE Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV) has PCT-PPH agreements with: 
BR National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) (Brazil) Guidelines PDF/Form PDF
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Guidelines PDF/Form PDF
This Office also has a PCT-PPH accelerated examination procedure using PCT work products prepared by the Office. Guidelines/Form
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines/Form
   
SG Intellectual Property Office of Singapore has PCT-PPH agreements with:
BR National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) (Brazil) Guidelines PDF
  CN China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Guidelines PDF
EP European Patent Office Guidelines PDF
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution Highway pilot. Guidelines PDF
   
TR Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (Turkpatent) has PCT-PPH agreements with:
  ES Spanish Patent and Trademark Office Guidelines
  JP Japan Patent Office Guidelines
   
US United States Patent and Trademark Office has PCT-PPH agreements with:
  BR National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) (Brazil) Form PDF/FAQs PDF
This Office also has a PCT-PPH accelerated examination procedure using PCT work products prepared by the Office.
This Office participates in the Global Patent Prosecution HighwayPDF pilot.

This Office participates in the IP5 Patent Prosecution HighwayPDF pilot.		 Form PDF/FAQs PDF
Form PDF/Guidelines PDF/FAQs PDF
Form PDF/Guidelines PDF/FAQs PDF
This Office also has a number of PPH agreements which do not include PCT work products.