The UK Intellectual Property Office has confirmed updated fees for Patent Cooperation Treaty filings effective 1 January 2026. Applicants will pay a transmittal fee of £75, a search fee of £1,605, and an international fee of £1,242 for the first 30 sheets plus £14 for each sheet above 30.
These rates apply when filing under the PCT through the UK receiving Office. Filing‑related fees are paid to the receiving Office, which remits the international fee to WIPO’s International Bureau and transmits the search fee to the International Searching Authority, as outlined by WIPO. The PCT Schedule of Fees sets base amounts in Swiss francs, with national currency equivalents adjusted periodically.
Electronic filing reductions apply alongside the new rates: £187 when the request form is not in character‑coded format and £280 when it is in character‑coded format. These mirror the PCT’s electronic‑filing reductions expressed in national currency.
The notice also lists £150 for restoration of the right of priority and £20 for preparation of a priority document. These items are payable only where relevant to the application.
For budgeting, a 30‑sheet application filed in character‑coded electronic form would attract £75 transmittal + £1,605 search + £1,242 international fee, less the £280 e‑filing reduction. On these assumptions the amount due at filing would be £2,642, excluding any optional services.
If the same application extends to 45 sheets, the international fee increases by 15 × £14 to £1,452. The total before reductions would be £3,132; with the £187 non‑character‑coded reduction the payable amount would be £2,945, and with the £280 character‑coded reduction £2,852. These figures are illustrative only.
Process and tooling matter this year. The IPO has stated that from 1 January 2026 the EPO’s eOLF system is no longer supported for PCT filings and cannot be updated to reflect the annual fee change; the One IPO Patent Service is planned for spring 2026. Firms should ensure their chosen route implements the 2026 fees.
The UK PCT fees collection page references the current fee sheet and links to the 2026 update. Practitioners should use the latest fee sheet when making payments so the receiving Office can route the search and international amounts correctly.
Rates differ between receiving Offices because they are set in local currency against the PCT’s Swiss‑franc schedule. For comparison, the USPTO indicates that from 1 January 2026 its international filing fee is $1,667 with a $19 page fee above 30 sheets, reflecting exchange‑rate movements.
In practical terms, in‑house counsel and patent attorneys should update cost schedules dated before 1 January 2026, confirm page counts ahead of submission, and check that filing format qualifies for the higher electronic reduction. Budgeting to have both the search fee and the international fee available at filing remains advisable to avoid delays.