The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) has announced the full implementation of electronic receipts for official fees payable for patent and trademark applications starting January 6, 2026. In fact, the TIPO has already provided the official fee receipts in electronic form for many years, along with the paper receipts. Applicants can choose to receive either paper receipts or electronic receipts, and both have the same legal effect as such can be used for tax filing purposes. Furthermore, as of January 2, 2026, the TIPO has updated the Online Application System for patent applications. In line with the international trend toward digitalization and sustainable development, electronic measures for patent and trademark filings in Taiwan are summarized as follows.
Electronic Receipt
Applicants can file documents and pay fees for patent and trademark applications through the TIPO online system, and then download electronic receipts directly from said system. If official fees are paid in person at the TIPO or mailed by post, the Applicant can provide his/her email address to receive the electronic receipt(s) by scanning a QR code on the page for e-receipts provided by the TIPO. For multiple patent or trademark applications, a batch of electronic receipts can be downloaded through the TIPO online system. Compared to paper receipts that may be lost or damaged, electronic receipts in digital format are more convenient to keep and can be quickly retrieved when necessary.
Electronic Filing
Applicants can submit patent or trademark applications through the TIPO E-Set System or Online Application System. Basically, the Applicant (or agent) needs to have a digital certificate and register an account via TIPO’s tiponet for e-filings of patent or trademark matter. The E-Set System requires software installation and provides various application forms for patent and trademark filings. The Online Application System has limited functions and less application forms, and is more suitable for Applicants who are individuals or have a small number of applications.
Currently, applicants may still file patent/trademark applications and other related matters using paper documents and application forms provided by the TIPO. However, for new patent or trademark applications via e-filings, the official fees could be reduced as shown below.
| Patent Application | Paper filing | Electronic Filing |
|---|---|---|
| Invention (a request for substantive examination shall be filed) | NT$3,500 | Reduction of NT$600 for each application |
| Utility Model (formality examination) | NT$3,000 | |
| Design (automatic examination) | NT$3,000 |
Note:
The basic fee for requesting substantive examination of an invention patent application is NT$8,000, with specification (and drawings, if any) no more than 50 pages in total and fewer than 10 claims. Excess page fee is NT$500 for each additional 50 pages, and excess claim fee is NT$800 for each additional claim.
| Trademark registration application | Paper filing | Electronic filing |
|---|---|---|
| Trademark or Collective Trademark for designated goods in Class 1 to 34 | NT$3000 per class, within 20 items of designated goods in the same class; starting from 21st item, an additional NT$200 per item | Reduction of NT$300 for each application; if all designated goods or services have the same reference names as those in the TIPO electronic application system, another reduction of NT$300 for each class. |
| Trademark or Collective Trademark for designated services in Class 35 to 45 | NT$3,000 per class; an additional of NT$500 per item for designated retail service in Class 35 exceeding 5 items | |
| Request Accelerated Examination | An additional NT$6,000 for each class | |
| Certification Mark or Collective Membership Mark | NT$5,000 |
Electronic document
Applicants (or agents) may receive electronic documents from the TIPO service platform upon the Electronic Service Agreement between both parties.
The delivery date for TIPO electronic documents is the day when the Applicant has completed downloading the documents from the platform. However, the statutory period or designated period shall be calculated starting from the next day after the document download is completed. The TIPO will also send an email reminding the Applicant to download the document(s). If the electronic document is not downloaded within five working days, the document will be sent to the Applicant by post in paper form.
Electronic Certificate
Taiwan has been issuing electronic patent and trademark certificates since January 1, 2023. Upon receipt of TIPO approval decision of a patent or trademark application, the Applicant can choose to apply for either an electronic or paper certificate when paying the required fees. The official fees for paper certificate and electronic certificate are the same. To obtain a patent certificate (Letters Patent), the Applicant must pay an issue fee of NT $1,000, together with at least the first annuity fee (NT$2500 for an invention or utility model patent, or NT$800 for a design patent). To obtain a trademark certificate, the Applicant must pay a registration fee of NT$2,500, and if there are two or more classes, it will be NT$2,500 for each additional class. The electronic certificates are issued in PDF format with anti-counterfeiting features. The Applicant (or agent) must download the electronic certificate from the TIPO Electronic Service System (E-SET) or the designated website. After the Applicant has chosen to receive a paper certificate, it is issued as the original certificate, and thus a separate electronic certificate (or a duplicate of electronic certificate) cannot be requested. However, the Applicant may request a paper certificate as a duplicate of original e-certificate. The duplicate certificate in paper version serves as proof of the original e-certificate, and its issuance date and particulars will be identical to those of the original e-certificate. There is no limit to the number of paper duplicate certificates that may be requested, but an official fee is payable for each duplicate copy (NT$1000 for patent certificates and NT$500 for trademark certificates).
