PCT applications to the PRH
We are a Receiving Office (RO), and you can file your PCT application with us, and thus start an international PCT procedure in Finland. We will first check that your application meets the formal requirements. Then it will be handed over to an International Searching Authority (ISA).
We also act as an ISA and an International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA). This means that you can choose us to process your application.
The PCT application form (‘Request’) is in English. If you submit your application to us, your application documents may instead be in Finnish or in Swedish. However, they must be translated into English later on. If you choose us as the ISA, you must file a translation 14 months from the priority date at the latest.
If you want us also to carry out an international preliminary examination of patentability, you can also file your demand for that with us.
You can submit your application to us either online (eOLF or ePCT), by post, by secure email, or by fax. You can also file other documents, such as your demand, replies to PCT office actions, and subsequent documents, by the above means. Below you can read brief descriptions of the above means of filing documents. In 2017 PCT applications can no longer be submitted to the PRH through PCT-SAFE.
Go to our information page. There is a link to the PCT forms, which are on the WIPO website.
See also our fees and payment instructions for international (PCT) patent applications .
eOLF
You can submit your PCT application and related documents to the PRH using the EPO Online Filing software (eOLF). Patent agencies generally use the eOLF; thus, if you choose to entrust your application to an agency, you do not have to download the software yourself. Of course, you can download it free of charge, but please note that, besides the software, you will need either an electronic identity card or an EPO smart card plus a card reader for online identification.
ePCT service
To file PCT applications and demands for preliminary examinations with the PRH we offer you the WIPO’s browser-based ePCT service. Through the ePCT Portal, you will also have access to the current bibliographic data of your application and to all related documents, even if they are not yet public.
The ePCT service provides two ways to log in:
- ePCT without strong authentication: A convenient way to upload documents related to PCT applications as PDF files and third-party observations. Using the service requires you to create a WIPO user account.
- ePCT with strong authentication: The service provides access to your international applications filed as of 1 January 2009. The use of the service requires in addition to WIPOs user names, authentication by a WIPO digital certificate or an EPO smart card or sign-in with a one-time password obtained via SMS or an application. Through this service, you can file new PCT applications, demands for preliminary examinations and requests for amendment and rectification.
On the WIPO ePCT website Open link in a new tab you will find a HELP link provided with guidelines for how to create a user account (“Getting started") and for filing international applications ("ePCT-Filing") as well as information about certificates ("FAQ"). Please contact the WIPO PCT eServices-Help Desk Open link in a new tab for help if needed.
PCT application by post, by secure email or by fax
You can file your patent application with us in any of the following ways:
- by posting it to
Finnish Patent and Registration Office
FI-00091 PRH, Finland - by filing it to PRH Registry by secure email. See instructions on how to send secure email.
- by bringing it to our office. Our address is Sörnäisten rantatie 13 C, Helsinki. See our opening hours and how to reach us.
- File your application by fax. The number for fax filing is +358 29 509 5328 (the Registry number). Please observe: Fax filing may pose an information security risk. Should you have any doubt at all about your machine’s data security, we recommend that you do not use it for your filing.
Furthermore, you can file subsequent application documents by post, by secure email, by fax, or by bringing them to our client service.
PCT applications to other offices
Other offices where you can file a PCT application are the International Bureau of WIPO (IB) Open link in a new tab and the European Patent Office (EPO).Open link in a new tab