Cost breakdown

Taiwan Patent & Trademark Official FeesWhat the cost is made of, and what moves a quote

The cost of filing a patent or trademark in Taiwan has two distinct parts. Official fees are set and published by the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO); they are identical for every applicant and can be looked up in advance. Associate fees are set by each firm and quoted per case. An invention patent filing fee is NT$3,500 (NT$2,900 filed electronically), with substantive examination charged separately from NT$7,000. Trademarks are charged per class: NT$3,000 to file and NT$2,500 to register, per class.

Who this page is for

  • Companies budgeting for Taiwan IP protection who need to know what the cost consists of
  • Overseas law firms and IP attorneys explaining Taiwan-side costs to their own clients
  • Foreign applicants sizing up the order of magnitude before deciding filing scope
  • In-house IP managers who need a documented basis for cost estimates

Key points

  • Official fees are fixed by the authority and identical for all applicants. Associate fees are set by each firm and quoted per case. The two must be read separately.
  • Patents are charged per application, but claims beyond 10 and specifications beyond 50 pages attract additional official fees. Trademarks are charged per class, so official fees multiply with each additional class designated.
  • Electronic filing reduces the patent filing fee by NT$600 per application; an invention application that also supplies the title, applicant, inventor and abstract in English qualifies for a further NT$800 reduction.
  • Annuity reductions apply only to years 1 to 6, and only to qualifying individuals, schools and SMEs. Foreign schools and SMEs must apply in writing — the reduction is not automatic.
  • Costs are not paid at once. Filing, substantive examination, grant, and each subsequent annuity are four separate points in time.

What a Taiwan IP cost is made of

Whether the matter is a patent or a trademark, the total cost normally comprises the following items. Only the official fees are fixed and public; the rest vary by case and by firm:

  • Official fees: the schedule published by TIPO, covering filing, substantive examination, certificate, annuities, trademark registration and renewal. Identical for every applicant; the full schedule is set out on this page.
  • Associate (agent) fees: the professional fee for a Taiwan patent attorney or trademark agent to handle the matter. Set by each firm, usually by case type or actual time spent, and quoted per case.
  • Translation: rendering a foreign-language specification or priority document into Traditional Chinese, normally charged by word count. A Taiwan application must be filed in Chinese and the Chinese text defines the scope of protection, so translation is unavoidable in patent matters.
  • Disbursements: postage, communication, notarisation and legalisation, and similar out-of-pocket expenses, charged as incurred.

Invention patent — official fees

In NT$. The published TIPO schedule governs; where the authority revises it, the rates in force on the filing date apply.
ItemOfficial fee
Invention patent filing (paper)3,500
Invention patent filing (electronic)2,900
Request for substantive examination (up to 10 claims and 50 pages)7,000
Substantive examination: each claim beyond 10800
Substantive examination: each 50 pages beyond 50500
Accelerated Examination Program (AEP)0 or 4,000 (depending on grounds)
Request for early publication1,000
Request for re-examination (up to 10 claims and 50 pages)7,000
Invalidation: base fee (per claim basis)5,000
Invalidation: each claim challenged800
Certificate fee (payable with the first annuity)1,000

Utility model — official fees

Utility models undergo formality examination only, so there is no substantive examination fee. A technical evaluation report is normally required before rights can be asserted, and that fee is again calculated by claim count.

In NT$.
ItemOfficial fee
Utility model filing (paper)3,000
Utility model filing (electronic)2,400
Technical evaluation report (up to 10 claims)5,000
Technical evaluation report: each claim beyond 10600
Invalidation: base fee (per claim basis)5,000
Invalidation: each claim challenged800
Certificate fee (payable with the first annuity)1,000

Design patent — official fees

In NT$.
ItemOfficial fee
Design patent filing (paper)3,000
Design patent filing (electronic)2,400
Request for re-examination3,500
Invalidation (acting for the petitioner)8,000
Certificate fee (payable with the first annuity)1,000

Patent annuities — the three patent types compared

Annuities run from grant and are payable yearly, increasing with the age of the right. An invention patent costs NT$16,000 a year from year 10, which is the main driver of long-term holding cost — a budget that looks only at the filing stage will understate it substantially.

In NT$ (standard annuity, before any reduction).
YearsInventionUtility modelDesign
Years 1–3 (per year)2,5002,500800
Years 4–6 (per year)5,0004,0002,000
Years 7–9 (per year)8,0008,000 (years 7–10)3,000 (from year 7)
From year 10 (per year)16,000

Trademarks — official fees

The key difference from patents is the unit of charge: trademarks are charged per class. A single mark designating three classes incurs three times the filing and registration fees. In classes 1 to 34, each class covers up to 20 goods, with additional items charged individually beyond that.

In NT$.
ItemOfficial fee
Filing: classes 1–34 (up to 20 goods per class)3,000 per class
Filing: classes 35–45 (services)3,000 per class
Each additional item of goods, classes 1–34200 per item
Each additional specified retail service, class 35500 per item
Request for accelerated examination6,000 per class
Registration fee2,500 per class
Renewal fee4,000 per class
Opposition (acting for the opponent)4,000 per class
Invalidation (acting for the petitioner)7,000 per class
Revocation (acting for the petitioner)7,000 per class

Other procedures and administrative remedies

In NT$.
ItemOfficial fee
Restoration of priority claim (patents)2,000
Change of name or address (patents / trademarks)300 / 500
Recordal of assignment, pending application2,000
Recordal of assignment, registered right2,000
Recordal of licence (patents / trademarks)2,000
Trademark divisional application2,000 per additional application
Patent divisional applicationInvention 3,500 / UM & design 3,000
Amendment or correction of translation errors2,000
Patent term extension (pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals)9,000
Request for an interview with the examiner1,000 per occasion
Administrative litigation, first instance (IP and Commercial Court)4,000
Appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court6,000

Electronic filing discounts and annuity reductions

  • Electronic patent filing: NT$600 off per application (invention NT$2,900; utility model and design NT$2,400).
  • English-language particulars for invention patents: supplying the title, applicant, inventor and abstract in English attracts a further NT$800 reduction.
  • Electronic trademark filing: NT$300 off per application, plus a further NT$300 per class where the designated goods or services match TIPO’s reference list.
  • Annuity reduction eligibility: qualifying individuals, schools and SMEs only, and only for years 1 to 6 — NT$800 off per year for years 1–3 and NT$1,200 off per year for years 4–6.
  • How the reduction is claimed differs: it is applied automatically for individuals and Taiwanese schools, but foreign schools and SMEs must apply in writing.

What moves the total cost

Official fees can be looked up. Variation in the total comes mainly from the factors below — supplying this information when requesting a quote will materially shorten the exchange:

  • Claim count: substantive examination is priced on a basis of 10 claims, with NT$800 per additional claim in official fees (NT$600 for a utility model technical report). Claim count is also a primary driver of the associate fee.
  • Specification length: NT$500 for each 50 pages beyond 50 in official fees, and page count also determines translation volume.
  • Translation word count: for a foreign-origin patent case this is usually the largest single item after the associate fee.
  • Number of trademark classes and goods: official fees multiply per class, with additional items charged individually beyond 20 goods in classes 1 to 34. Scope decisions drive the order of magnitude directly.
  • Number of office action rounds: responses and amendments are normally charged by time spent, and the number of rounds cannot be fixed before filing.
  • Whether accelerated examination is requested: the AEP official fee for invention patents is NT$0 or NT$4,000 depending on the grounds; trademark accelerated examination is NT$6,000 per class.
  • Whether priority is claimed: claiming Paris Convention priority carries no official fee in itself, but obtaining and translating the priority document may add cost.
  • Applicant status: whether the applicant qualifies for the annuity reduction affects holding cost in years 1 to 6.

When each item falls due

Taiwan IP costs are spread across several points in time rather than paid at once. For an invention patent:

  • At filing: filing fee, associate fee, translation.
  • On requesting substantive examination: the examination fee — which may be requested within three years of the filing date, not necessarily at filing.
  • On receiving an office action: associate fees for the response and amendment, accumulating with each round.
  • On grant: the certificate fee together with the first annuity.
  • Each year thereafter: annuities, rising with the age of the right. Non-payment affects the survival of the right.

Most commonly missed when budgeting

  • Lifetime annuity total: budgeting only for the filing stage and overlooking NT$16,000 a year from year 10 for an invention patent is the most common reason long-term cost is understated.
  • Substantive examination is a separate fee: for invention patents, filing and substantive examination are distinct procedures with distinct fees, and examination may be requested up to three years after filing.
  • Trademark class count: assuming one price per mark, when official fees are charged per class and scope decisions multiply the budget directly.
  • Excess claims and pages: the surcharges beyond 10 claims and 50 pages are easily skipped at the estimating stage.
  • Extensions and interviews: requesting an extension of a response period or an examiner interview each carries an official fee. Individually small, but they can recur during prosecution.
  • The annuity reduction is not automatic: foreign schools and SMEs must apply in writing, failing which the standard annuity applies.

How WISECODE can help

The official fees on this page are public information that anyone can look up. Associate fees vary considerably with technical field, claim count, specification length and translation volume, and are quoted after assessing the specific matter.

  • Assess the appropriate patent type (invention, utility model or design) and trademark class scope for your technology and commercial footprint, so the order of magnitude is settled first.
  • Provide a complete per-case quote covering both official and associate fees, identifying which items are fixed and which vary with prosecution.
  • Assess eligibility for annuity reductions, including the written application route required for foreign schools and SMEs.
  • Work directly in English or Japanese with overseas applicants and partner firms, including cost explanations and billing documents.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What does the cost of a Taiwan patent application consist of?

Four categories: (1) TIPO official fees, which are fixed and public; (2) associate fees, set by the firm handling the matter; (3) translation into Traditional Chinese, normally charged by word count; and (4) disbursements such as postage and legalisation. Only the official fees can be determined in advance from a published schedule.

What is the difference between official fees and associate fees?

Official fees are the statutory schedule published by TIPO. They are identical for every applicant, do not change according to which firm is instructed, and are not part of the firm’s professional remuneration. Associate fees are the professional fee for a Taiwan patent attorney or trademark agent to handle the case, set by each firm and usually calculated by case type or actual time spent.

What are typical Taiwan associate fees for patent national phase entry?

Taiwan is not a PCT member, so there is no national phase entry in Taiwan. A foreign applicant files a national application directly with TIPO, claiming Paris Convention priority where available. On the official-fee side that means NT$3,500 to file (NT$2,900 electronically) plus NT$7,000 for substantive examination within the 10-claim, 50-page baseline. Associate fees are set by each firm and depend mainly on claim count, specification length and translation volume, so they are quoted per case rather than as a single figure.

Does the number of claims affect the cost?

Yes. Substantive examination for an invention patent is priced on a baseline of 10 claims and 50 pages; each claim beyond 10 adds NT$800 in official fees and each 50 pages beyond 50 adds NT$500. For a utility model technical report the figure is NT$600 per claim beyond 10. Claim count is also a primary driver of the associate fee.

How much does one trademark class cost in Taiwan?

NT$3,000 per class to file (classes 1–34 cover up to 20 goods per class, with NT$200 per additional item; class 35 adds NT$500 per additional specified retail service), and NT$2,500 per class for the registration fee on allowance. Because trademarks are charged per class, official fees multiply with each additional class designated.

How much does electronic filing save?

NT$600 per patent application (bringing an invention filing to NT$2,900 and a utility model or design to NT$2,400). For trademarks, NT$300 per application, plus a further NT$300 per class where the designated goods or services match TIPO’s reference list.

Who qualifies for the annuity reduction, and does it apply to foreign applicants?

It is limited to qualifying individuals, schools and SMEs, and only for years 1 to 6 — NT$800 off per year for years 1–3 and NT$1,200 off per year for years 4–6. It is applied automatically for individuals and Taiwanese schools, but foreign schools and SMEs must apply in writing; without that application the standard annuity applies.

Why does this page not list your firm’s associate fees?

Associate fees vary considerably with technical field, claim count, specification length, translation volume and the number of office action rounds. A single headline figure would not help anyone budget and is easily misread. This page publishes in full the part that can be determined in advance — the official fees and the cost structure. For the associate fee, send us the basic case details and we will quote on the specific matter.

Need a full quote for a specific matter

The official fees on this page are public information and may be cited freely. For a complete quote including associate fees, send us the following and we will revert after assessing the matter.

Supplying these details speeds up the quote

  • Matter type: invention, utility model or design patent, or trademark
  • Patents: technical field, expected claim count, specification length, source language
  • Trademarks: the mark, and the classes and goods or services to be designated
  • Whether priority is claimed, and the country and date of the priority application
  • Any official deadline, such as a priority expiry date
Request a per-case quote

Last updated: September 2026