PCT National Phase Deadline Calculator

In several countries, yes. Singapore allows entry up to 48 months from the priority date on payment alone, Indonesia up to 43, Canada up to 42 with a statement that the failure was unintentional, India up to 37 on Form 4, Türkiye 33, China 32 and the Philippines 31. Elsewhere a reinstatement request may be possible if the delay was unintentional. In Korea and Mexico no remedy exists.

Singapore, Indonesia, Türkiye, China, the Philippines and Serbia grant their extension on payment of the prescribed fee, with no requirement to explain the delay. India's six-month Form 4 extension and Canada's twelve-month reinstatement do require a reason, but a straightforward one is usually enough.

Yes, up to 37 months. The 31-month deadline sits in Rule 20(4)(i), and the amended Rule 138 introduced by the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2024 lets the Controller condone a delay of up to six months on a Form 4 request. The IPO e-filing portal now lists national phase entry as a Rule 138 option. It remains a discretionary power — you must show the failure was unintentional and that you always intended to pursue the application.

It is the PCT's own safety net. Where an office has not opted out, you may ask it to reinstate your rights if the deadline was missed either unintentionally or in spite of due care — each office chooses which test it applies. The request must be made within the earlier of two months from the removal of the cause and twelve months from the deadline. Ten offices have notified incompatibility with the rule, including China, India, Korea, Mexico, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the Philippines; several of them provide a national remedy instead.

From the earliest priority date claimed in the international application. If no priority is claimed, it runs from the international filing date instead. Where several priorities are claimed, the earliest one governs — this is the date to enter in the calculator.

Because the European remedy is not calendar-driven. Entry is due at 31 months; if it is missed, the EPO issues a loss-of-rights communication and further processing must be requested within two months of that letter, not within two months of the deadline. The letter usually issues a month or two after the 31-month date, so the practical outer limit lands near 33 months — but your actual deadline is set by the EPO's communication.

Not directly. France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Slovenia and San Marino have closed their national routes for PCT applications — the European Patent Office is the only way in, and a European patent is then validated in the countries you want.

The international application lapses in every country you did not enter, and the invention is almost certainly already published — the PCT publishes at 18 months — so refiling fresh is not an option. The disclosure becomes prior art against you. Where a late-entry route still exists, it is normally the only route left.