Automatic debiting procedure:
more flexibility for users

EPO News: From 1 April 2025, the EPO will offer users of the automatic debiting procedure more flexibility in the automatic payment of their fees during the European patent grant procedure.

As of 1 April 2025, users will be able to choose between three types of automatic debit orders, covering either

• all fees
• all fees except renewal fees, or
• only renewal fees.

This will enable different persons to share the responsibility of paying the renewal and procedural fees for a single application while still benefiting from the convenience of automatic debiting.
Previously, the automatic debiting procedure could not be restricted to specific types of fees.

Once implemented, the different types of automatic debit orders can be requested in Central Fee Payment, which is the EPO’s primary tool for making payments and managing automatic debit orders.

See also here: Automatic debiting procedure: more flexibility for users | epo.org