14 Aug 2025
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has announced a round of official fee changes — most of them increases — across patents, trade marks, and other forms of IP protection. Most of these changes take effect 1 September 2025, with some bigger increases coming on 1 April 2026.
Patents – Key Increases
From 1 September 2025, there will be small increases in renewal and some search/examination fees, but two charges stand out:
1. Excess Claim Fee
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Current rule: You pay extra for every claim over 20 in your patent application.
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New rule: From 1 September 2025, the limit drops to 15 claims, and the excess claim fee doubles to SGD 80 per extra claim (~USD 70).
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How to avoid the increase:
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If you haven’t requested examination yet, do it before 1 September 2025.
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Or reduce your claims to 15 or fewer before filing for examination after that date.
2. Examination Review Report Request Fee
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This is the fee you pay if you want to respond to a negative Examination Report at the final stage of the process.
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Current fee: SGD 1,420 (~USD 1,100).
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From 1 September 2025: Increases to SGD 2,150 (~USD 1,700).
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From 1 April 2026: Increases again to SGD 3,200 (~USD 2,500).
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How to avoid the increase:
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File your review request before the relevant increase dates.
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Better yet, resolve all objections early — within 18 months of the first Written Opinion — to avoid needing a review altogether.
Trade Marks – Key Increases
From 1 September 2025:
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Filing with custom goods/services descriptions: Fee rises from SGD 380 to SGD 410 per class.
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No change if you use IPOS’ pre-approved goods/services database.
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Renewal fees and some amendment fees will also increase, with the aim of encouraging owners to release unused marks and improve filing quality.
Tip: If you’re planning to file or renew trade marks in Singapore, consider acting before the fee changes kick in.
Other IP Areas Affected
The increases will also touch registered designs, plant variety protection, hearings and mediation, copyright, and extensions of time.
