Guide
UK patent filing cost: the stages and what each one costs
Updated
A UK patent is not paid for in one go. It is a sequence of decisions spread over years, each with its own fee and its own deadline, and knowing the sequence is most of knowing the cost.
The three ways to start
Gov.uk sets out three types of initial application, with different official fees. You can apply for a filing date only, submitting the minimum information to secure a legal filing date and requesting search and examination later: no fee online, £120 by post if you pay when you apply and £150 if you pay later. You can apply for a filing date and search, which requires claims as well as a description: £275 online plus £27 for each claim over 25. Or you can apply for a filing date, search and examination: £405 online plus £27 for each claim over 25 and £13 for each page of description over 35 pages, or £530 by post with the same additional fees (gov.uk, checked 14 August 2026).
The deadlines that follow
- Search: gov.uk states that if you did not request it when you applied, you usually must request your search within 12 months of your filing date.
- Publication: if your application is complete the IPO will publish it, usually 18 months after your filing date. Publication does not mean the patent has been granted.
- Examination: usually to be requested within 6 months of publication. Gov.uk warns that if you do not request and pay for these on time your application could be terminated.
- Amendment: there is no limit on the number of times you can amend an application to try to meet the requirements, which is precisely why prosecution cost is unpredictable.
- Renewal: a patent must be renewed on the fourth anniversary of filing and then every year, up to a maximum of 20 years.
Renewal fees, in full
| Year | Renewal fee |
|---|---|
| 5th | £90 |
| 6th | £120 |
| 7th | £150 |
| 8th | £170 |
| 9th | £200 |
| 10th | £230 |
| 11th | £250 |
| 12th | £290 |
| 13th | £340 |
| 14th | £400 |
| 15th | £480 |
| 16th | £560 |
| 17th | £620 |
| 18th | £690 |
| 19th | £760 |
| 20th | £810 |
Gov.uk states that you can renew up to 3 months before, or within 1 month after, the due date to avoid late payment fees, and that you can renew up to 6 months after the due date but will pay £32 on top of the renewal fee for each extra month. The due date is the last day of the month in which you first filed (gov.uk).
Where the attorney time actually goes
The official fees above are the smaller and more predictable half of a UK patent. The professional half is concentrated in two places: drafting the specification and claims at the start, and responding to the examiner during prosecution. Drafting is a fixed, knowable piece of work that a firm can usually quote for. Prosecution is not, because it depends on what the search turns up and how many rounds of argument follow. When comparing quotes, look hardest at how each firm proposes to charge for prosecution.
All official figures on this page are quoted from gov.uk as at 14 August 2026, and the IPO's Patent forms and fees publication was updated on 1 April 2026. Fees change, most often at the start of a financial year. Check gov.uk before relying on any of them.