China: taking a PCT application to grant costs an estimated US$2,197, plus about US$14,075 in renewal fees over the patent's life. The PCT national phase for China must be entered within 30 months of the earliest priority date. It can be extended to 32 months. China is a leading patent market for electrical machinery, apparatus, energy and audio-visual technology. It is also one of the world's leading exporters of mobile phones and network equipment and computers.
Goods where China is among the world's 3 largest exporters, has at least 15% of world exports, or that make up at least 25% of its own exports - of at least US$500m a year.
Our estimate is about US$2,197 to take a PCT application to grant in China. That is about US$661 in official fees and US$1,536 in attorney fees. By stage: filing US$739, examination request US$527, office action response US$676 and grant / issuance / publication US$255 (one office action response included). Renewal fees over the patent's life add an estimated US$14,075. These are estimates only, for a standard application (10 claims, 30 pages, a company applicant): the actual cost depends on the law firm and the application. Request a quote from a law firm on this site for an exact price.
The PCT national phase for China must be entered within 30 months of the earliest priority date. It can be extended to 32 months.
China's 10 largest fields of technology by patent publications are computer technology (251,059 a year), measurement (130,050 a year), electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (115,794 a year), machine tools (78,614 a year), digital communication (75,309 a year), chemical engineering (73,005 a year), civil engineering (71,188 a year), other special machines (65,195 a year), medical technology (64,014 a year) and transport (59,891 a year). Within its region, it stands out for electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (#1 in East Asia and Pacific), audio-visual technology (#1 in East Asia and Pacific), telecommunications (#1 in East Asia and Pacific), digital communication (#1 in East Asia and Pacific), basic communication processes (#1 in East Asia and Pacific) and computer technology (#1 in East Asia and Pacific). Publications are growing fastest in computer technology (14% a year), biotechnology (12% a year) and measurement (9% a year). About 89,380 PCT applications enter the national phase in China each year.
China's GDP is US$19,498.0bn, of which services US$11,250.3bn, industry US$6,949.4bn (of which manufacturing US$4,822.7bn) and agriculture US$1,298.3bn. Spending a year: households US$7,486.3bn and health care US$1,073.8bn. China's exports of goods came to US$3,605.7bn in 2024. Its 10 largest exports were mobile phones and network equipment (US$281.0bn, 8% of its exports, #1 in the world), computers (US$190.4bn, 5% of its exports, #1 in the world), integrated circuits (chips) (US$167.5bn, 5% of its exports, #2 in the world), cars (US$91.3bn, 3% of its exports, #3 in the world), batteries (US$75.5bn, 2% of its exports, #1 in the world), vehicle parts (US$54.5bn, 2% of its exports, #2 in the world), semiconductors and solar cells (US$52.2bn, 1% of its exports, #1 in the world), transformers and converters (US$52.1bn, 1% of its exports, #1 in the world), computer parts (US$45.7bn, 1% of its exports, #1 in the world) and toys (US$40.7bn, 1% of its exports, #1 in the world). Where products are made, a patent there can stop infringing copies being made, not only being sold.
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Find the best countries for your patentPatent publications and PCT national phase entries: averages over recent years. Exports: customs trade statistics; re-export hubs are left out. Costs are estimates.