Patents
European Patent Office Closure Dates - 2022
November 30, 2021
A list of the days on which the European Patent Office (EPO) filing offices are closed in 2022 has recently been published. A deadline set by the EPO which falls on a day on which one of the filing offices of the EPO is closed extends to the first day thereafter on which all the filing offices are open.
The European Patent Convention (EPC) is an agreement between 38 European countries.
The EPC allows you to apply for a patent at the EPO, which has offices in Berlin, The Hague and Munich.
The EPO reviews and examines your patent application before deciding on whether to grant a patent. During the process of review and examination the EPO issues communications which include deadlines for response.
However, if a deadline falls on a day on which one of the filing offices of the EPO is closed, then that deadline is extended to the first day thereafter on which all the filing offices are open.
A list of the days on which the EPO filing offices are closed in 2022 has recently been published, and can be found here. The offices are also closed on every Saturday and Sunday.
Robert Lambton
Associate