Frequently Asked Questions
Patent Law of the UAE
How to apply for patent protection in the United Arab Emirates
After your application is filed with the UAE Patent Office and Pay the applicable service fees during submission, the applicant or their representative will receive a filing number and date as acknowledgment that the application has been filed. Thereafter the process will be as follow:
What happens after I’ve submitted my application?
The Patent Office will conduct a legal examination to ensure that all formal requirements are met. This process typically takes about 30 to 60 days from the date of submission. If the examiner finds any missing documents (such as the Deed of Assignment (DOA), Power of Attorney (POA), etc.), they will issue an amendment order. To comply with this order, applicants are required to submit the missing documents and pay AED 400 [approx. USD 110] to respond to the amendment order. To avoid this fee, applicants should prepare notarized documents (e.g., power of attorney, deed of assignment) in advance and submit them at the time of filing. If the applicant does not make the required amendment within 90 days from the notification of the amendment order, the application will be deemed withdrawn. Once the application is deemed withdrawn, the applicant must restore the application within 9 months from the date of the withdrawal. Otherwise, the withdrawal will be confirmed, and the application cannot be restored.
Substantive Examination
After the legal examination, the applicant will be invited to request a substantive examination by paying the associated fees. For applications with 10 or fewer claims, applicants will be required to pay the standard examination fee of AED 7,000 [approx. USD 1,910]. Applications with claims between 11 and 30 will incur examination fees of AED 8,000 [approx. USD 2,180], and those with over 30 claims will be required to pay AED 9,000 [approx. USD 2,452]. A claim limit of 50 claims still applies; therefore, if an application contains more than 50 claims, UAE examiners will only examine the first 50 claims. This examination assesses the patentability of the invention and usually takes approximately 12 to 18 months from the date of payment until the examination results are received.
Expedited examinations
Applicants will now have the option to request expedited examination for UAE patent applications for a fee of AED 2,000 [USD 545] for both companies and individuals. Applicants who choose this route can expect the first examination report to be issued in as little as six months—compared to the standard 12 to 18 months. This option is only available for the first examination round, so applicants can expect longer turnarounds for re-examination.
Publication and Grant
Upon successful examination, applicants must pay publication fees of AED 800 [approx. USD 220]. The patent is then published, and if no oppositions are filed within 60 days, the patent is granted, and the applicant will receive the official certificate.
Restoration of lapsed applications
Officials have confirmed that applicants will have nine months to restore UAE applications that lapse due to failure to meet a deadline set by an official notice (e.g., a deadline to respond to an office action or pay official fees). Applicants will be required to pay restoration fees of AED 3,000 [approx. USD 820], in addition to a monthly late payment fine of AED 400 [approx. USD 110] for each month leading up to the nine-month restoration period.
Filing requirement of a Patent registration
- Power of Attorney notarized
- Deed of assignment, notarized
- Certificate of incorporation, notarized
- Copy of the priority document if claiming priority
- Copy of international publication
- Specifications in English and Arabic
- Drawings in English and Arabic (if any)
Assignment requirement of a Patent
- Power of Attorney notarized
- Deed of assignment, notarized
- Certificate of incorporation, notarized
Change of Name/Address of a trademark registration
- Power of attorney in the new Name/address notarized
- An official certificate proving the change of Name/Address; notarized
- Certificate of incorporation, notarized