1893.01(c) Fees [R-07.2022]

Because the national stage fees are subject to change, applicants and examiners should always consult the Official Gazette for the current fee listing.

The basic national fee must be paid prior to the expiration of 30 months from the priority date to avoid abandonment of the international application as to the United States. This time period is not extendable. 37 CFR 1.495(a) – (b). The search fee required under 37 CFR 1.492(b) and examination fee required under 37 CFR 1.492(c) are due on commencement of the national stage (37 CFR 1.491(a)), but may be accepted later with the payment of a surcharge. 37 CFR 1.495(c)(2).

Fees under 37 CFR 1.16 relate to national applications under 35 U.S.C. 111(a), and not to international applications entering the national stage under 35 U.S.C. 371. National stage fees are specifically provided for in 37 CFR 1.492. However, an authorization to charge fees under 37 CFR 1.16 in an international application entering the national stage under 35 U.S.C. 371 will be treated as an authorization to charge fees under 37 CFR 1.492. See 37 CFR 1.25(b). Accordingly, applications will not be held abandoned if an authorization to charge fees under 37 CFR 1.16 has been provided instead of an authorization to charge fees under 37 CFR 1.492.

A preliminary amendment accompanying the initial national stage submission under 35 U.S.C. 371 that is effective to cancel claims and/or eliminate multiple dependent claims will be effective to reduce the number of claims to be considered in calculating extra claim fees required under 37 CFR 1.492(d) – (e) and/or eliminate the multiple dependent claim fee required under 37 CFR 1.492(f). A subsequently filed amendment canceling claims and/or eliminating multiple dependent claims will not entitle applicant to a refund of fees previously paid. See MPEP §§ 607 and 608.

The application size fee for a national stage application (37 CFR 1.492(j)) is determined on the basis of the international application as published by WIPO pursuant to PCT Article 21. Specifically, the application size fee is calculated on the basis of the number of sheets of specification (including the description, claims, abstract, and, if present, a sequence listing in portable document format (PDF)) and drawings present in the published international application. This calculation is made without regard to the language of publication. Certain other sheets typically present in the international publication are not taken into account in determining the application size fee, e.g., Article 19 amendments/statement, the international search report, and any additional bibliographic sheets (other than the cover sheet containing the abstract). Nor are Article 34 amendments or preliminary amendments taken into account in determining the application size fee.

The processing fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.492(i) will be required for acceptance of an English translation of the international application later than the expiration of thirty months after the priority date, and the surcharge fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.492(h) will be required for acceptance of any of the search fee, examination fee, or inventor’s oath or declaration after the date of commencement. 37 CFR 1.495(c)(4).