Applications to other national patent offices

When you want to obtain a patent outside Finland, you can file a PCT or an EP application. Furthermore, you can apply for a patent directly at another national office. If your market area only covers a couple of countries, a direct application to a national authority will often be more affordable than a PCT application.

However, it may be a good idea to start the procedure by filing a national application with the PRH, which you can claim priority from when filing with other offices. To minimize your translation costs, you can prepare your national application in English, and ask us to process it in English.

If you file directly with another national office, you should take advantage of our PPH agreements to expedite the processing. Read more about the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH).

Under this heading (see the menu to the left) we describe patent systems in countries outside Finland, especially the features that differ from our practices.

It is important that you always check the application and processing guidelines on the website of the office you are filing with. In most cases, it would be wise to appoint a local representative (patent attorney or agent).

Do not forget to claim your priority.