The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has issued Patents Registry Circular No. 2/2026, announcing a couple of new measures which it hopes will encourage use of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) by Singapore patent applicants.

What is the Patent Prosecution Highway?

The Patent Prosecution Highway is an international worksharing programme which allows applicants to request accelerated examination in Singapore by relying on positive examination results from a participating overseas intellectual property office. Singapore has a global network of more than 30 PPH partners, including the IP offices of China, Japan, Korea, the United States and the European Patent Office.

What New Measures has IPOS Announced?

First, IPOS will endeavour to issue the first office action within 6 months from the date of the PPH request. This applies to PPH requests filed on or after 1 July 2026. It’s important to understand that IPOS has only stated that they will “endeavour” to issue a first office action within 6 months, so this a target and not a promise.

Second, for a limited period, the official fee for search and examination requests will be reduced by 30%, where a PPH request is filed together with the search or examination request. This applies only to requests filed between 3 August 2026 and 31 December 2027.

Currently, applicants already benefit from a 30% official fee discount, but this has to be requested as a refund after the fees have already been paid. The current arrangement applies to requests filed before 3 August 2026. The new arrangement will give the same benefit for newer requests, but with a simplified payment process.

Why Has IPOS Announced These Changes?

IPOS is clear that it wants to encourage more use of PPH by applicants. The new upfront fee reduction and the 6-month first office action target will undoubtedly make the PPH route more attractive for some applicants.

The announcement should also be seen against the current background of patent examination in Singapore. In recent years, many applicants and practitioners have experienced significantly longer waiting times for first office actions in regular examination. Encouraging greater use of PPH is therefore consistent with an attempt to move suitable cases through examination more efficiently.

How Else Can Applications Be Accelerated?

In the circular, IPOS reminds of other patent acceleration options available, including the ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation (ASPEC), Collaborative Search and Examination programmes with Viet Nam and Indonesia and re-registration programmes with Cambodia and Laos.

However, as we previously reported, the SG Patents Fast programme is currently under review, with acceptance of new acceleration requests suspended from 4 January 2026 until further notice.

Cantab IP’s View

The changes are generally welcome for applications for which PPH is suitable and low risk. In those cases, the revised process should make the PPH route more straightforward and attractive.

However, there are a number of specific situations for which PPH will be entirely unsuitable and where the Singapore claims should not simply follow the claims allowed overseas. In such cases, regular examination may give the applicant more flexibility and result in a stronger and more defensible patent.

As is often the case, the outcome preferred by the IP office for administrative efficiency will not always be the same as the outcome that best serves applicants.

Cantab IP can advise on whether PPH is suitable for a particular Singapore patent application. Please get in touch if you have any questions.

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