# Patent registration in Pakistan: fees, how long it takes, and whether your idea can be patented

URL: https://which.pk/business/guides/patent-registration-pakistan/
Author: Ahtisham
Updated: 20 Oct 2026

## Summary

Patent registration in Pakistan starts with an application to IPO-Pakistan's Patent Office: Rs 6,750 with a complete specification, or Rs 2,025 for a provisional one that holds your date for 12 months. IPO's average wait for the first examination report is 18 months, and grant without opposition takes roughly two and a half years. A patent lasts 20 years from filing, with yearly renewal fees of Rs 12,000 to Rs 32,000 from the fifth year. A bare idea can't be patented.

## Key facts

- Filing fee: Rs 6,750 (complete)
- First exam report: About 18 months
- Term: 20 years from filing
- Renewal: Rs 12,000 to 32,000 a year

**Patent registration in Pakistan** is done at IPO-Pakistan's Patent Office in Karachi. Filing costs **Rs 6,750** with a complete specification, or **Rs 2,025** for a provisional one, as of October 2026. IPO's average wait for the first examination report is **18 months**, and a granted patent lasts **20 years from the filing date**. You can't patent a bare idea: IPO wants a new, inventive product or process, written up with claims.

## Can my idea be patented in Pakistan?

Only if it's an invention, not just an idea. IPO's FAQ says plainly that a patent "cannot be obtained on a mere idea or suggestion". Under section 7 of the Patents Ordinance, 2000, an invention is patentable if it is:

- **New:** not disclosed to the public **anywhere in the world** before you file, in print, in a talk, by use or any other way.
- **Inventive:** not obvious to a person skilled in that field.
- **Industrially applicable:** it can be made or used in industry.

It must be a **product** (a substance, article, apparatus or machine) or a **process** (a method of making something).

**File first, publish later:** IPO's filing guide warns that your own thesis, poster, press release, fair display or public use can destroy novelty. Talk to investors under a confidentiality agreement until you've filed. The one exception: showing the product at an officially recognised international exhibition within 12 months before filing.

## What can't be patented in Pakistan?

IPO's patent page lists these as **not inventions**:

- discoveries, scientific theories and mathematical methods
- literary, artistic or purely aesthetic creations
- methods of doing business, playing a game or performing a mental act
- presentation of information and **computer software**
- things that exist in nature

And no patent is granted for:

- inventions against public order or morality, or that seriously harm the environment
- plants and animals (other than micro-organisms)
- diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical methods for treating people or animals
- a **new use of a known product** or process
- a mere change in the appearance of a chemical product

For software, protect the code with [copyright registration](/business/guides/copyright-registration-pakistan/) instead. For a product's look rather than how it works, an industrial design fits better: see [trademark vs copyright vs patent](/business/guides/trademark-vs-copyright-vs-patent/).

## What is the patent fee in Pakistan?

Main fees from IPO's fee page, as of October 2026 (the schedule dates from March 2019):

| Form | What for | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| P-1 / P-1A | Application (inventor applies / company or assignee applies) | Rs 6,750 |
| P-3 | Provisional specification | Rs 2,025 |
| P-3A | Complete specification | Rs 4,725 |
| Extra | Each page beyond 40 / each claim beyond 20 | Rs 90 / Rs 225 |
| P-27 | Patent search by IPO | Rs 1,500 |
| P-10 | Request for sealing (the grant) | Rs 6,750 |
| P-12 | Renewal, years 5 to 8 | Rs 12,000 a year |
| P-12 | Renewal, years 9 to 12 | Rs 18,000 a year |
| P-12 | Renewal, years 13 to 16 | Rs 24,000 a year |
| P-12 | Renewal, years 17 to 20 | Rs 32,000 a year |
| P-13 | Restoring a lapsed patent | Rs 13,500 |

IPO's guide says the Rs 6,750 basic fee covers a specification of up to 40 pages and 20 claims, and it isn't refundable. The schedule has no separate rate for individuals or companies. Patent agents charge their own fee on top. The fee page also lists the complete specification (P-3A, Rs 4,725) as its own form and doesn't say whether it is charged on top of P-1 when you file a complete specification from the start, so confirm the total with the Patent Office before you pay.

Keeping a patent for the full 20 years costs **Rs 344,000** in renewal fees alone (4 years each at Rs 12,000, Rs 18,000, Rs 24,000 and Rs 32,000).

**Help with fees:** IPO lists organisations that help inventors. HEC offers a free patentability evaluation and pays patent application and attorney fees. PCSIR pays the fees of 100 local and 5 foreign filings and offers free search help. SMEDA Lahore runs a free patent help-line.

## How do I file a patent application, step by step?

1. **Search first.** IPO's Patent Office has no online database, per its FAQ. Ask for a search on **P-27** (Rs 1,500; about one month), or search international patent databases yourself.
2. **Write the specification** in English on A4: title, abstract, field, background, detailed description, **claims** and drawings in black lines. The claims set the limits of what you own; IPO advises getting a patent agent's help with them.
3. **Choose provisional or complete.** A provisional (P-3, Rs 2,025) fixes your filing date without claims, but you must file the complete specification within **12 months** or it's abandoned. The complete specification (P-3A) then costs Rs 4,725.
4. **Fill in two copies** of P-1 (you are the inventor) or P-1A (a company or assignee files), plus P-3 or P-3A. Add P-28 if an agent files, and an **NOC** from your university or employer if you're a student or employee there.
5. **Pay** by pay order or demand draft from a scheduled bank, in favour of **Director General, IPO-Pakistan**.
6. **File** by hand or post at the Patent Office in Karachi, IPO's head office in Islamabad or the Lahore regional office. Counters close at 3 pm. Karachi handles all later letters.
7. **Reply to the examination report.** If you don't reply in time, the application lapses.
8. **Acceptance and opposition.** IPO publishes the accepted application in the Patent e-Journal and Gazette. Anyone can oppose within **four months**.
9. **Request sealing** on P-10 (Rs 6,750) within six months of publication. IPO issues the patent certificate in about ten days.

## How long does patent registration take in Pakistan?

IPO's published average times, with no opposition:

That adds up to **roughly two and a half years**, plus however long you take to reply. An opposition adds about two years on IPO's averages. Protection starts only when the patent is granted, but the 20 years are counted from the filing date.

## How do I keep a patent in force?

Pay the yearly renewal on **P-12** before each year ends, from the 5th year onward. If you miss it, section 32 of the Ordinance gives up to **six months** more with an extra fee. After that the patent lapses, but you can apply to restore it (P-13, Rs 13,500) within **18 months** under section 45.

## Can I patent my invention abroad from Pakistan?

Pakistan is **not** a member of the PCT, WIPO's international patent filing system, per WIPO's list of 159 members (checked 20 Oct 2026). So there's no single international application from Pakistan.

What you can use is the **Paris Convention**, which Pakistan joined in 2004. File in Pakistan first, then file in each other country within **12 months** and claim your Pakistani date as priority.

Section 26 of the Ordinance says a Pakistan resident must not file abroad first without the Controller's written permission, unless the Pakistani application was filed **at least six weeks earlier**.

## Where is the Patent Office in Pakistan?

- **The Patent Office, Karachi:** IP-House, Plot CD-3, behind KDA Civic Centre, Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Tel +92-21-99230591, patent@ipo.gov.pk (IPO contact page, checked 20 Oct 2026). The Controller of Patents is also the Registrar of Designs.
- **IPO head office, Islamabad:** 3rd Floor, NTC building, G-5/2.
- **IPO regional office, Lahore:** Lahore Chamber of Commerce building, near China Chowk.

IPO's older FAQ and filing guide give other Karachi addresses; we use the current contact page. The FAQ also says fees are paid by cheque, while the filing guide asks for a pay order or demand draft. Confirm with the office before you pay.

You don't have to use a patent agent, but IPO advises it. Only agents on IPO's **Patent Agent Register** (public since January 2024) may practise as patent agents.

More guides: [Company Setup](/business/company-setup/), [trademark registration in Pakistan](/business/guides/trademark-registration-pakistan/), [how to register a company](/business/guides/how-to-register-a-company-in-pakistan/).

## Questions people ask

### Can I patent an idea in Pakistan?

Not a bare idea. IPO says a patent can't be obtained on a mere idea or suggestion. You need a product or process that is new, inventive and usable in industry, written up in a specification with claims.

### What is the patent fee in Pakistan?

As of October 2026: Rs 6,750 to file with a complete specification (Rs 2,025 for a provisional), Rs 6,750 to seal the grant, then yearly renewal fees from the 5th year, starting at Rs 12,000.

### How long does it take to get a patent in Pakistan?

IPO's own average times add up to roughly two and a half years without opposition. The longest step is the first examination report, at about 18 months.

### Do I need a patent agent?

IPO advises using one because drafting claims is technical, but it isn't required. IPO publishes a register of licensed patent agents.

### Can I file a PCT application from Pakistan?

No. Pakistan isn't a PCT member. You can claim Paris Convention priority in other countries within 12 months, but you must file in Pakistan first (at least six weeks before) or get IPO's permission.

## Sources

- [Patent: Fee & Forms](https://ipo.gov.pk/patent), IPO-Pakistan (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- [Guidelines for filing Patent Application in Pakistan](https://ipo.gov.pk/system/files/Patent_filing_Guidelines_in_Pakistan-2.pdf), IPO-Pakistan (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- [Patent: Introduction](https://ipo.gov.pk/patent_intro), IPO-Pakistan (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- [Patents: Frequently Asked Questions](https://ipo.gov.pk/patent_faqs), IPO-Pakistan (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- [Average process time for Services of Patent Office](https://ipo.gov.pk/patent_average_time), IPO-Pakistan (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- [Patents Ordinance, 2000 (as published by IPO)](https://ipo.gov.pk/system/files/%28112%29PatentsOrdinance2000_Amendmentsfinal_0.pdf), IPO-Pakistan (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- [Notification of revision of patent fees (March 2019)](https://ipo.gov.pk/system/files/Notification%20of%20Revision%20of%20fee-Patent%20%2804.03.2019%29.pdf), Ministry of Commerce (via IPO-Pakistan) (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- [The Patent Office, Karachi: contact information](https://ipo.gov.pk/ipo_office_patent_office_contact_info), IPO-Pakistan (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- [Patent Agent Register](https://ipo.gov.pk/patent_agent_register), IPO-Pakistan (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- [Incentives for Patent Filing](https://ipo.gov.pk/patent_incentives), IPO-Pakistan (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- [PCT Contracting States](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/pct-system/pct_contracting_states), WIPO (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- [WIPO-administered treaties: Pakistan](https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/treaties/ShowResults?code=PK), WIPO Lex (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- [Summary of the Paris Convention](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/treaties/ip/paris/summary_paris), WIPO (accessed 20 Oct 2026)