How the PCT Patent Application Process Works

The international phase

You file the international application with a receiving office, often your national patent office, usually within 12 months of your first filing to claim its priority. An International Searching Authority issues a search report and a written opinion on patentability. The application is published about 18 months after the priority date. You may optionally request international preliminary examination.

The national phase

Around 30 months from the priority date (31 in some offices, such as the European Patent Office), you enter the national or regional phase in each country where you want protection, paying fees and filing translations. Each office then examines under its own law.

• Month 0: first filing (for example, a provisional or national application)
• Month 12: PCT filing claiming priority
• About month 16: international search report and written opinion
• Month 18: international publication
• Month 30/31: national phase entry

Who can use it

The United States, Mexico, and Brazil are PCT Contracting States. Argentina is not yet: its accession was approved by the Chamber of Deputies in August 2026 and returned to the Senate.

How IPnite helps

IPnite keeps the first filing, the prior art, and every version of the application in one project, so the PCT application is consistent with the priority document. Filing strategy and deadlines are your responsibility or your professional's.