Contents

• More Time to Request Patent Examination Without Extension Fees

• SG Patents Fast Returns from 1 September 2026

• Faster Examination for Singapore Trade Marks

• Choosing the Right Pace

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has announced several updates affecting the timing of patent and trade mark prosecution in Singapore. From 1 September 2026, applicants will again be able to use SG Patents Fast and SG Trade Marks Fast to accelerate examination. At the same time, a pilot initiative allowing patent applicants additional time to request search and examination, or examination only, without paying extension fees has been extended for another year.

Together, these measures give applicants more options to either speed up prosecution when early certainty is important, or delay examination where more time is needed before deciding how to proceed.

More Time to Request Patent Examination Without Extension Fees

A Singapore patent applicant is generally required to request search and examination, or examination only, within 36 months from the priority date, or from the filing date if no priority is claimed.

Under the extended pilot initiative, where the relevant deadline falls between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2027, the applicant may extend the deadline by up to 18 months without paying the usual official extension fees.

Without the fee waiver, an extension fee of S$200 is payable for each month of extension requested, up to a maximum of 18 months. The initiative can therefore result in a meaningful saving where the applicant wishes to defer examination. The normal fees for the search and examination request, or examination-only request, will still apply.

The additional time can be useful where an applicant is not yet ready to proceed with examination in Singapore. For example, the applicant may wish to review developments relating to the technology or business, monitor corresponding applications in other countries, or wait for a favourable overseas examination result that could subsequently support accelerated prosecution in Singapore through a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme.

SG Patents Fast Returns from 1 September 2026

Applicants requiring a quicker examination outcome will again be able to request acceleration under SG Patents Fast.

There are two options available:

SG Patents Fast 4, targeting a first office action within four months; and

SG Patents Fast 8, targeting a first office action within eight months.

To qualify, the Singapore patent application must not be a divisional application and must contain no more than 20 claims. An entity may submit to five new acceleration requests each month.

Depending on the examination route selected, the acceleration fee is S$1,200 or S$1,800 for Fast 4, and S$600 or S$900 for Fast 8, in addition to the normal search and/or examination fees.

Faster Examination for Singapore Trade Marks

SG Trade Marks Fast will also resume from 1 September 2026 for eligible Singapore national trade mark applications, excluding certification and collective marks.

Under the programme, IPOS targets issuance of the first examination report, or a notice that the application has been published for opposition, within three to six weeks from filing.

The acceleration request must be made when the application is filed. A related patent application is no longer required, and applicants are not required to use only pre-approved descriptions of goods and services from IPOS' Classification Database.

The additional acceleration fee is S$200 per class where all goods and services use pre-approved descriptions, or S$250 per class otherwise.

Choosing the Right Pace

The latest changes provide applicants with useful flexibility in managing Singapore IP prosecution. Patent applicants can postpone the examination decision for up to 18 months without the usual extension fees, while applicants requiring an earlier result can instead consider accelerated examination. Trade mark applicants with time-sensitive filing strategies will similarly have access to a substantially faster examination route.

The appropriate option will depend on the applicant's commercial objectives, international filing strategy and how quickly protection is required in Singapore.

About the Author

Han Chun KUA is a Singapore Patent Attorney and a registered Patent Agent, Industrial Design Agent and Trade Marks Agent in Malaysia. He has extensive experience advising clients on patent and industrial design protection across Singapore, Malaysia and Southeast Asia, with particular experience in assisting international applicants seeking regional intellectual property protection.