Application Strategies – How to get an EPO Search Report for € 450

Advanced Application Strategies – How to Get an EPO Search Report for Only €450

The European Patent Office (EPO) regularly increases its fees—typically every two years. As of now, the EPO’s standard search fee is significantly higher than it was a few years ago. However, with a smart filing strategy, you can still benefit from substantial cost savings.

Let’s take a closer look at a strategic first filing in Luxembourg, the small duchy in the heart of Europe:

Why Luxembourg?

For national patent applications filed in Luxembourg, the EPO conducts the prior art search. The current search fee is only €450, plus a national filing fee of €20. After around eight months, you receive a full EPO-style search report—at a fraction of the usual cost.

So where are the savings?

1. Filing a PCT application with priority from a Luxembourg application

If you later file a PCT application claiming priority from your Luxembourg application, and you designate the EPO as International Searching Authority (ISA), the EPO will usually reuse the earlier search report. Provided no lack of unity was found in the national phase, the EPO grants a 100% refund of the PCT search fee which is currently €1,845 (May 2025).

Conclusion:
You originally paid €450 for the national search, and you now save €1,845, yielding a net saving of €1,395.

2. Filing a European (EP) application with priority from a Luxembourg application

If you file a direct EP application claiming priority from your Luxembourg application, the EPO may also reuse the earlier search report. In this case, you receive an 84% refund on the current EP search fee of  €1,520 (as of May 2025), provided no lack of unity was found.

Calculation:

• EP search fee: €1,520
• Refund (84%): €1,276.80
• Net search cost after refund: €243.20
• With your initial €450 national search fee, the total cost is €693.20
• Saving: €826.80 compared to paying the full EP search fee

Additional advantages

This filing route also works for a few other countries, but Luxembourg has a key benefit: national patent applications may be filed in any of the three official EPO languages—German, French, or English. This avoids the need for translation and streamlines the process.