NL Patent Office

Where can I file a PCT application?

You can file a PCT application with three different authorties:

• A national patent-granting authority (in the Netherlands, this is NL Patent Office)
• The European Patent Office (EPO)
• The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Both the national patent-granting body and the European Patent Office will forward the application to the WIPO. When an international application is filed, an international novelty search is carried out, followed by a publication and, if required, a provisional assessement. This completes the PCT procedure.

The results of the novelty search and any assessment may be subsequently transferred to the national patent-granting authority or the European Patent Office. These authorities will complete the process and subsequently grant a patent.

Due to the complex nature of this international application, we recommend that you have a patent attorney take care of the application.