OAPI
Supported patent filings

PCT National Phase Entry
Deadline: 30 months
Power of Attorney: Yes
Assignments: Yes
Language: English or French
Translation Extension: No
Excess Claims Fee: Yes*
Examination Request: No substantive examination
Country Notes:

* Reduced claims may be lodged on filing to reduce claim surcharges payable.


• OAPI member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Republic of), Côte d’Ivoire, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo.
Direct Filing
Deadline: 12 months
Power of Attorney: Yes
Assignments: Yes
Language: English or French
Translation Extension: No
Excess Claims Fee: No
Examination Request: No substantive examination
Country Notes:

• A certified copy of the Priority Document, along with a certified English or French translation of the Priority Document (in case of non-English language), must be submitted within six months from the application filing date. This is a hard deadline and cannot be extended.


• Note that assignments are required for Paris Convention filings even though they are not required for PCT cases.

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