European Patent Office Integrates WIPO ePCT Electronic Notification System

Release Time：2026-05-28 09:16Author：Views：11

As of 1 June 2026, the European Patent Office (EPO) will fully launch the WIPO ePCT online portal to send electronic notifications in the PCT international phase to applicants and representatives. This is a key step for the EPO towards a fully digital patent grant process, marking that PCT communications have officially entered a new paperless era.

This service covers communications issued by the European Patent Office in the following roles: PCT Receiving Office, PCT International Searching Authority, and PCT International Preliminary Examining Authority.

The following two categories of communications are not yet supported for electronic notification:

·Communications issued by the EPO as a supplementary search authority;

·Communications issued by the EPO as a Receiving Office before the record copy is transmitted to the International Bureau.

Users must separately consent to ePCT as the notification method for each individual PCT application; a one-time general consent covering all applications is not supported.

Users who have a validly registered and active MyEPO mailbox, as well as international agents and applicants who have activated the "PCT Link" function, will continue to receive PCT communications via their MyEPO mailbox. If they additionally choose to receive notifications via ePCT, they will receive them simultaneously through both MyEPO and ePCT channels.

The new model upgrades the traditional paper mailing method to a faster and more secure digital solution, which not only simplifies procedures and improves user experience, but also reduces paper consumption, echoing the EPO's long-standing commitment to sustainable development.

Source: https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/news/epo-takes-next-step-towards-paperless-patent-process-electronic-pct-notifications

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