Patent deadline calculator for India
Enter your filing date and see every deadline for your Indian patent application, from the complete specification and request for examination to renewals. Download the dates straight into your calendar.
Enter your filing date to see every deadline for your application, from the complete specification to renewals.
The deadlines that matter most
Indian patent law has a handful of deadlines that can't be fixed once missed. Missing them can cost you the application or the patent itself:
- 12 months from a provisional filing: file the complete specification.
- 12 months from your priority date: file abroad or file a PCT application.
- 31 months from the priority date: request examination (Form 18), for applications filed from 15 March 2024.
- 6 months from the First Examination Report: file your reply, extendable by up to 3 months.
- Every year from year 3: pay the renewal fee, with a 6-month grace period at extra cost.
Dates are calculated by calendar month from the date you enter, following the Patents Act, 1970 and the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2024. Where a deadline falls on a day the Patent Office is closed, the next working day usually applies. Treat these dates as guidance, and confirm them with your patent agent.
New to the process? Read how to patent an idea in India and provisional vs complete specification. To budget the fees for each step, use the patent fee calculator.
Frequently asked questions
When must I file the complete specification after a provisional?
Within 12 months of the provisional filing date. If you miss it, the application is treated as abandoned and you lose the priority date.
What is the deadline for the request for examination in India?
31 months from the priority date or the filing date, whichever is earlier, for applications filed from 15 March 2024. Applications filed before that date have 48 months. If missed, the application is treated as withdrawn.
How long do I have to reply to a First Examination Report?
Six months from the date of the FER. You can request an extension of up to three months, with a fee, before the six months end.
When is a patent application published in India?
Automatically 18 months from the priority date, or about a month after a request for early publication on Form 9.
When do patent renewal fees start?
From the third year after the filing date. The fee for each year is due on the anniversary of the filing date. Fees for years that passed before grant are paid together within three months of grant.
What is the deadline to file a PCT application or file abroad?
12 months from your Indian filing date (or earliest priority date). A PCT application must then enter the national phase in each country, usually by 30 or 31 months from the priority date; India allows 31 months.
How often is Form 27 (statement of working) filed?
Since the 2024 amendment, once for every period of three financial years, starting with the financial year after grant, within six months of the end of that period.
Don't want to track these yourself?
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