EPO renewal fees explained: the annual schedule & how European renewals work

European patent renewals catch people out because they work differently from US maintenance fees — they're annual, they start early, and after grant they stop being an EPO fee altogether. Here's how the system works, what it costs, and where the deadlines actually sit.

Renewals are annual — and start at year 3

Unlike the three US maintenance fees, a European patent carries an annual renewal fee. While the application is still pending at the European Patent Office, these fees are paid to the EPO, starting from the third year and calculated from the filing date. The third-year fee falls due on the last day of the month containing the second anniversary of filing, and each subsequent year follows the same pattern.

If a renewal isn't paid by its due date, there's a six-month grace period during which it can still be paid with a 50% additional fee. After that, the application is deemed withdrawn.

The EPO renewal-fee schedule

These are the EPO renewal fees for a pending European patent application, by year from filing. From the 10th year onward the fee stays flat.

Renewal fees are paid in advance for the coming year, and they climb each year — so European upkeep is a rising annual cost, not a handful of one-off payments. Always check the current EPO fee schedule before paying, as amounts are reviewed periodically.

After grant, renewals go national

This is the part that surprises people. Once a European patent is granted and validated, you stop paying renewals to the EPO. From then on, renewal fees become national fees — paid separately to the patent office of each country where you've validated the patent, under each country's own rules, dates and amounts.

So a granted European patent validated in, say, five countries means five separate national renewal streams, each with its own fee and deadline. There's no single "EPO renewal" any more — which is exactly why a granted European portfolio is so easy to lose track of.

EPO renewals vs. US maintenance fees — the key differences

• Frequency: Europe is annual from year 3; the US has just three fees (3.5, 7.5, 11.5 years).
• Measured from: Europe from the filing date; US from the grant date.
• Who you pay: Europe — the EPO while pending, then national offices after grant; US — always the USPTO.
• Entity discounts: the US offers small- and micro-entity discounts; the EPO renewal fees do not.

How to stay on top of European renewals

1. Track from the filing date — renewals run on filing anniversaries, not grant.
2. Plan for the switch at grant — the moment you validate, your renewal deadlines move to each national office.
3. Keep US and EP in one view so you see the whole upkeep bill and never miss a year.

IP Axix pulls your European and US cases straight from the EPO and USPTO, works out every renewal and maintenance deadline automatically, and reminds you before each one. Book a walkthrough to see it on your own portfolio.

Related free tools

• Renewal cost forecast — US & EPO fees, year by year.
• When is my next deadline? — the soonest deadline on any patent.
• Full portfolio audit — every upcoming deadline plus a health score.

General information only, not legal advice. EPO fees and rules change periodically; verify current amounts against the official EPO fee schedule, remember that post-grant national renewals vary by country, and confirm any critical date with your European patent attorney.