Apply for Patent under the PCT

Learn about the PCT patent application process in Singapore which includes the national phase entry, search and examination options, and grant procedures.

Last updated 26 March 2025

You may apply for a patent in Singapore under the Patent Co-operation Treaty (PCT). The application process is similar to filing a patent in Singapore.

View the detailed flowchart [PDF, 226 KB] (opens in new tab).

Step 1: Request for entry into National Phase Stage

Your application must be filed within 30 months* and should include:

Application form
Application fee: S$210/-
Singapore has been designated in the PCT International Application

If the PCT International Application was not filed in English, a translation of the international application into English and a verification of the translation must be enclosed.

If the necessary information is absent, the Registrar will notify you, who shall have 2 months from the date of the notification to provide what is lacking. Your application will be treated as withdrawn if you are unable to submit the necessary in time. Otherwise, a Date of Filing will be accorded.

*From the declared priority date or where there is no declared priority date, from the date of filing of the PCT international application.

Step 2: Search and examination

At this stage, patent examiners will search for similar earlier inventions in the same field as your patent application. Such similar earlier inventions are known as “prior art”.

Next, they will examine and compare the prior art to your patent application and determine if the prior art destroys the novelty of your patent application. The patent examiner will also determine if the other patentability criteria (such as inventive step and industrial application) are met.

You can choose either of the 3 search and examination routes, depending on the availability of a foreign search and/or examination results and cost.

Table caption

*Which route should I take?*	Option 1	Option 2*	Option 3*
Timeframe	Search within 13 months + Examination within 36 months	Combined Search and examination within 36 months	Examination within 36 months
Fees^	Search (S$ 1,735) + Examination (S$1,420)	Combined Search and Examination (S$ 2,050)	Examination (S$1,420)
Advantages	Opportunity to decide whether to proceed with examination depending on the search results	Enjoy time and cost savings as compared to Option 1	Less expensive if a foreign search result is available
Disadvantages	More expensive than Option 2 if proceeding with examination	-	There may be other prior arts that have not been uncovered in earlier search

*If you have a foreign search and examination results from partnering offices, you can make use of working-sharing arrangements such as Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) and ASEAN Patent Examination Cooperation (ASPEC) Programme to obtain a patent in Singapore faster and more efficiently.

^Fee discount and excess claim fees may apply for the different options. Go to Step 2: Apply for a Patent to find out more.

After the search and examination process, an examination report or a supplementary examination report will be issued to you. The examination report will detail the patent examiners’ opinion on the registrability of your patent application.

If there are no unresolved objections:

You will be issued a Notice of Eligibility to Proceed to Grant.

If there are one or more unresolved objections:

You are required to respond within 2 months (for simple amendments, i.e. invitation to amend) or 5 months (for written opinion).

A response to the invitation to amend can be:

An amendment of the patent specification; or
Rejecting the invitation to amend.

A response to the written opinion can be:

Written submissions on the patent examiner’s opinion;
An amendment of the patent specification;
Rejection of the invitation to amend (with or without explanation); or
Both of the above

Subsequent written opinion may be issued until all outstanding issues surrounding the patent application is resolved.

If the outstanding issues cannot be resolved within 18 months from the date of the first written opinion, you will receive a Notice of Intention to Refuse from the Registry of Patents.

What should I do if I have received a Notice of Intention to Refuse?

If you are still interested in proceeding with the patent application, request for an Examination Review within 2 months from the date of the Notice of Intention to Refuse. If applicable, you may, at the same time, amend the specification of the patent application to overcome the unresolved objection(s).

If you fail to request for an Examination Review, the patent application will be refused, and you will be notified.

Step 3: Grant

You must file a request for the issuance of the Certificate of Grant within 2 months after the issuance of the Notice of Eligibility to Proceed to Grant.

If you have made any amendments or corrections to the original specification, you need to submit a set of consolidated specification together with the request for the issuance of the Certificate of Grant.

Once the request is filed and the conditions for grant are satisfied, the Registrar will issue the Certificate of Grant.

If you fail to file the request, the patent application shall be treated as abandoned and the Registrar will notify you accordingly by letter.