A review of PCT official fee movements through April-August 2026
National intellectual property offices regularly revise the official fees they charge for handling PCT applications, either as the receiving office or as the international search authority.
These fee movements can reflect cost-recovery pressures on national offices, as well as international currency movements where offices’ services are chargeable in multiple currencies.
Flint IP’s calculator for PCT official fees has been updated to reflect the PCT fees in effect as of 1 August 2026. This article highlights the fees that have shifted since the last update in April.
Receiving office fees
Every PCT application must designate a receiving office, which receives the application, assesses its compliance with the formality requirements of the PCT Rules, and communicates with the applicant throughout the international stage of the PCT application. Whether an application can be filed with a particular receiving office is determined by the nationality of the applicant or applicants.
Over the last four months, IP Australia’s receiving office fees have reduced by just under 8% for the international filing fee, and by just under 4% for the per-page fee for applications that exceed 30 pages. These represent meaningful overall fee reductions and will continue to make IP Australia an attractive choice as a receiving office.
| Receiving office fee changes | Apr-26 | Aug-26 | Percentage change |
| IP Australia – international filing fee (AUD) | 2,146 | 1,982 | -7.6% |
| IP Australia – fee per sheet (AUD) | 28 | 27 | -3.6% |
As with our fee calculator, the international filing fee amount above assumes electronic filing of the application through ePCT.
Search authority fees
Under the PCT process, applications are searched and a search opinion is issued by the international search authority. Applicants can select an IP office to act as the international search authority, depending on the search-provider arrangements maintained by the receiving office.
Our calculator currently covers the international search authority options available for PCT applications filed at the International Bureau, IP Australia, or the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand.
The table below summarises search fee movements over the four months to 1 August 2026.
| International search authority fee changes | Apr-26 | Aug-26 | Percentage change |
| IP Australia – search fee (NZD) | $2,494.00 | $2,664.00 | 6.8% |
| IP Australia – search fee (CHF) | $1,452.00 | $1,239.00 | -14.7% |
| Korean IPO – search fee (AUD) | $1,276.00 | $1,166.00 | -8.6% |
| Korean IPO – search fee (CHF) | $672.00 | $842.00 | 25.3% |
| EPO – search fee (NZD) | $3,701.00 | $3,717.00 | 0.4% |
| EPO – search fee (CHF) | $1,719.00 | $1,734.00 | 0.9% |
IP Australia’s search fees have increased by about 7% for applications filed at the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand, but decreased by almost 15% for applications filed at the International Bureau, where fees are payable in Swiss francs.
The Korean Intellectual Property Office’s search fees have decreased by almost 9% for PCT applications filed at IP Australia, but have simultaneously increased by 25% for applications filed at the International Bureau.
We will continue monitoring PCT fee changes and updating the dataset used by our calculator for PCT official fees.
If you need advice on which international filing route will best align with your commercial objectives, please get in touch with one of our team.
