The "status of ratification procedure" refers to the progress made in the formal approval process of international treaties within the EPO Contracting, Extension, and Validation States. This includes tracking the stages of ratification, such as when a state signs the treaty or the agreement, date on which the instrument of ratification or accession is deposited and finally when the treaty enteres into force. Currently, the update includes developments on: the EPC, London Agreement (Art. 65 EPC), PCT, Budapest Treaty, PLT and UPCA.
Monitoring this status aims at supporting users to understand the extent to which these treaties are being adopted and applied across participating jurisdictions, thus affecting the harmonization and effectiveness of patent protection systems.
The tables and map which follow display the progress in ratification procedures for a number of international treaties in the Contracting, Extension and Validation States.
| State | European Patent
Convention |
London Agreement
Art.65 EPC |
PCT | Budapest
Treaty |
PLT* | Agreement on a
Unified Patent Court |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | E: 01.05.2010 | E: 01.09.2013 | E: 04.10.1995 (Chapters I + II) | E: 19.09.2003 | E: 17.05.2010 | |
| Austria | E: 01.05.1979 | E: 23.04.1979 (Chapters I + II) | E: 26.04.1984 | S | R: 06.08.2013 | |
| Belgium | E: 07.10.1977 | E: 01.09.2019 | E: 14.12.1981 (Chapters I + II) | E: 15.12.1983 | S | R: 06.06.2014 |
| Bulgaria | E: 01.07.2002 | E: 21.05.1984 (Chapters I + II) | E: 19.08.1980 | R: 03.06.2016 | ||
| Croatia | E: 01.01.2008 | E: 01.05.2008 | E: 01.07.1998 (Chapters I + II) | E: 25.02.2000 | E: 28.04.2005 | |
| Cyprus | E: 01.04.1998 | E: 01.04.1998 (Chapters I + II) | S | |||
| Czechia | E: 01.07.2002 | E: 01.01.1993 (Chapters I + II) | E: 01.01.1993 | S | S | |
| Denmark | E: 01.01.1990 | E: 01.05.2008 | E: 01.12.1978 (Chapters I + II) | E: 01.07.1985 | E: 28.04.2005 | R: 20.06.2014 |
| Estonia | E: 01.07.2002 | E: 24.08.1994 (Chapters I + II) | E: 14.09.1996 | E: 28.04.2005 | R: 01.08.2017 | |
| Finland | E: 01.03.1996 | E: 01.11.2011 | E: 01.10.1980 (Chapters I + II) | E: 01.09.1985 | E: 06.03.2006 | R: 19.01.2016 |
| France | E: 07.10.1977 | E: 25.02.1978 | E: 25.02.1978 (Chapters I + II) | E: 19.08.1980 | E: 05.01.2010 | R: 14.03.2014 |
| Germany | E: 07.10.1977 | E: 01.05.2008 | E: 24.01.1978 (Chapters I + II) | E: 20.01.1981 | S | R: 17.02.2023 |
| Greece | E: 01.10.1986 | E: 09.10.1990 (Chapters I + II) | E: 30.10.1993 | S | S | |
| Hungary | E: 01.01.2003 | E: 01.01.2011 | E: 27.06.1980 (Chapters I + II) | E: 19.08.1980 | E: 12.03.2008 | S |
| Iceland | E: 01.11.2004 | E: 01.05.2008 | E: 23.03.1995 (Chapters I + II) | E: 23.03.1995 | ||
| Ireland | E: 01.08.1992 | E: 01.03.2014 | E: 01.08.1992 (Chapters I + II) | E: 15.12.1999 | E: 27.05.2012 | S |
| Italy | E: 01.12.1978 | E: 28.03.1985 (Chapters I + II) | E: 23.03.1986 | S | R: 10.02.2017 | |
| Latvia | E: 01.07.2005 | E: 01.05.2008 | E: 07.09.1993 (Chapters I + II) | E: 29.12.1994 | E: 12.06.2010 | R: 11.01.2018 |
| Liechtenstein | E: 01.04.1980 | E: 01.05.2008 | E: 19.03.1980 (Chapters I + II) | E: 19.08.1981 | E: 18.12.2009 | |
| Lithuania | E: 01.12.2004 | E: 01.05.2009 | E: 05.07.1994 (Chapters I + II) | E: 09.05.1998 | E: 03.02.2012 | R: 24.08.2017 |
| Luxembourg | E: 07.10.1977 | E: 01.05.2008 | E: 30.04.1978 (Chapters I + II) | E: 29.07.2010 | S | R: 22.05.2015 |
| Malta | E: 01.03.2007 | E: 01.03.2007 (Chapters I + II) | R: 09.12.2014 | |||
| Monaco | E: 01.12.1991 | E: 01.05.2008 | E: 22.06.1979 (Chapters I + II) | E: 23.01.1999 | S | |
| Montenegro | E: 01.10.2022 | E: 03.06.2006 | E: 03.06.2006 | E: 09.03.2012 | ||
| Netherlands | E: 07.10.1977 | E: 01.05.2008 | E: 10.07.1979 (Chapters I + II) | E: 10.07.1979 | E: 27.12.2010 | R: 14.09.2016 |
| Norway | E: 01.01.2008 | E: 01.01.2015 | E: 01.01.1980 (Chapters I + II) | E: 01.01.1986 | ||
| Poland | E: 01.03.2004 | E: 25.12.1990 (Chapters I + II) | E: 22.09.1993 | S | ||
| Portugal | E: 01.01.1992 | E: 24.11.1992 (Chapters I + II) | E: 16.10.1997 | S | R: 28.08.2015 | |
| Republic of North Macedonia | E: 01.01.2009 | E: 01.02.2012 | E: 10.08.1995 (Chapters I + II) | E: 30.08.2002 | E: 22.04.2010 | |
| Romania | E: 01.03.2003 | E: 23.07.1979 (Chapters I + II) | E: 25.09.1999 | E: 28.04.2005 | E: 01.09.2024 | |
| San Marino | E: 01.07.2009 | E: 14.12.2004 (Chapters I + II) | S | |||
| Serbia | E: 01.10.2010 | E: 01.02.1997 (Chapters I + II) | E: 25.02.1994 | E: 20.08.2010 | ||
| Slovakia | E: 01.07.2002 | E: 01.01.1993 (Chapters I + II) | E: 01.01.1993 | E: 28.04.2005 | S | |
| Slovenia | E: 01.12.2002 | E: 01.05.2008 | E: 01.03.1994 (Chapters I + II) | E: 12.03.1998 | E: 28.04.2005 | R: 15.10.2021 |
| Spain | E: 01.10.1986 | E: 16.11.1989 (Chapters I + II) | E: 19.03.1981 | E: 06.11.2013 | ||
| Sweden | E: 01.05.1978 | E: 01.05.2008 | E: 17.05.1978 (Chapters I + II) | E: 01.10.1983 | E: 27.12.2007 | R: 05.06.2014 |
| Switzerland | E: 07.10.1977 | E: 01.05.2008 | E: 24.01.1978 (Chapters I + II) | E: 19.08.1981 | E: 01.07.2008 | |
| Turkey | E: 01.11.2000 | E: 01.01.1996 (Chapters I + II) | E: 30.11.1998 | S | ||
| United Kingdom | E: 07.10.1977 | (Chapters I + II) | E: 24.01.1978 (Chapters I + II) | E: 29.12.1980 | E: 22.03.2006 |
E: States for which the treaty or the agreement has entered into force
R: States which have ratified or acceded to the treaty or the agreement(date on which the instrument of ratification or accession was deposited).
S: States which have signed the treaty or the agreement.
*: The European Patent Organisation has signed the PLT (Patent Law Treaty) on 17 May 2001.
+: The United Kingdom has ratified the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court on 26 April 2018 and has withdrawn from this Agreement effective as of 20 July 2020.