• Patent fees

Fees associated with the Cambodian PCT national phase entry as well as other patent fees are available in the fee calculator.

• Deadline for PCT national phase entry in Cambodia

The time limit for entering Cambodian PCT national phase is 30 months from the date of the earliest priority. It is not possible to restore the term for national phase entry in Cambodia.

• Minimum filing requirements in Cambodia

Filing of the specification, claims, abstract and drawings in English or Khmer is enough to obtain a date of filing for the Cambodian patent application based on the PCT.

• Language of the Cambodian application

The official language is Khmer. An application may be filed in English, and its Khmer translation should be submitted within six months from entering PCT national phase in Cambodia.

• Priority document

A certified copy of a priority document and its translation into Khmer and English should be submitted within three months from the Cambodian PCT national phase entry.

• Power of Attorney requirements

A notarized Power of Attorney may be provided within two months from the Cambodian PCT national phase entry.

• Substantive examination request

Substantive examination should be requested at the time of entering PCT national phase in Cambodia. The Cambodian Patent Office does not conduct the examination itself, but takes into account any international search and examination results of corresponding applications filed in other jurisdictions.

In case the applicant cannot submit the foreign examination results, the Cambodian Patent Office sends a request to a foreign searching and examining authority to conduct the substantive examination for the application upon the applicant’s request. It is possible to file a request for use of the search and examination results from the ASPEC member-country. 

• Novelty grace period

The novelty grace period constitutes 12 months from the first disclosure to the international filing date or the priority date, if any.

• Grant and maintenance fees

The grant fee is to be paid within one month from the date of issuance of the decision to grant. Annual fees are due each year starting from the 2nd one and should be paid on each anniversary of the international filing date. Payment of annual fees may still be made within 6 months from the due date, subject to the payment of a surcharge.

• Representation by a patent attorney

It is required for the foreigners to perform the PCT national phase entry in Cambodia through any patent attorney registered before the Cambodian Patent Office.

•  Notes

1. An invention may be protected as a utility model in Cambodia. The validity term of utility models in Cambodia constitutes seven years from the filing date without the possibility of renewal.
2. As of March 1, 2018, it is possible to validate European patents in Cambodia.
3. It is possible to validate Chinese invention patents (not utility models and design patents) in Cambodia, providing that they have the filing date after January 22, 2003 and are granted in good order. Duration of the validated patents is 20 years from the filing date of the corresponding Chinese application, meaning that such patents have legal force in Cambodia for the rest of the term of the corresponding Chinese patents.

Brief summary is based on the information provided by Haihan IP on 27.02.2024
Please contact us if the above information is not in conformity with Cambodian IP Laws