The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (“IPOS“) has issued Circular No. 4/2025 on “Pilot Initiative – Fee Savings for Using the Patent Prosecution Highway (“PPH“) programme” on 12 September 2025.
Pursuant to this Circular, IPOS is piloting a fee refund initiative for search and/or examination reports, i.e. Singapore Patent Forms PF11 (Request for a Search and Examination Report) and PF12 (Request for an Examination Report) (“S&E requests“). This initiative seeks to support businesses and allow greater access to the PPH programme.
The key features of the initiative are as follows:
- Applicants may obtain a refund of 30% of official fees paid for S&E requests when they make a request to use the PPH from 15 September 2025 to 31 December 2027. The refund amount in S$615 for requests for search and examination reports and S$426 for requests for examination reports.
- IPOS will initiate the refund on acceptance of the PPH request. Applicants do not need to make a separate request for refund.
- Applicants can expect to receive the refund within one to two months.
IPOS has also highlighted that applicants who prefer to receive an earlier search and/or examination report and use the report to advance their corresponding patent applications outside of Singapore may continue to utilise IPOS’ suite of acceleration programmes, including (i) SG Patents FAST; (ii) the ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation; (iii) Collaborative Search and Examination programmes with Vietnam and Indonesia; and (iv) re-registration programmes with Cambodia and Laos.
Click on the following link for more information:
- Circular No. 4/2025: Pilot Initiative – Fee Savings for Using the Patent Prosecution Highway programme (available on the IPOS website at ipos.gov.sg)
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