Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Member States and Organizations

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and allows applicants to seek patent protection internationally through a single international patent application.

Where applicable, international applications may proceed through regional patent systems such as:

EP — European Patent Office (EPO)
EA — Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO)
AP — ARIPO
OA — OAPI

PCT Contracting States (158 Countries)

#	Code	Country	Regional Route	PCT Entry Date	Phase Deadline	Special Notes
1	AE	United Arab Emirates	—	10 March 1999	30 months	—
2	AG	Antigua and Barbuda	—	17 March 2000	30 months	—
3	AL	Albania	EP	4 October 1995	31 months	—
4	AM	Armenia	EA	25 December 1991	31 months	—
5	AO	Angola	—	27 December 2007	30 months	—
6	AT	Austria	EP	23 April 1979	30 months	—
7	AU	Australia	—	31 March 1980	31 months	—
8	AZ	Azerbaijan	EA	25 December 1995	30/31 months	30 months (Ch. I); 31 months (Ch. II)
9	BA	Bosnia and Herzegovina	EP	7 September 1996	34 months	Extension of European patent possible
10	BB	Barbados	—	12 March 1985	30 months	—
11	BE	Belgium	EP	14 December 1981	31 months	National route via PCT closed
12	BF	Burkina Faso	OA	21 March 1989	30 months	National route via PCT closed
13	BG	Bulgaria	EP	21 May 1984	31 months	—
14	BH	Bahrain	—	18 March 2007	30 months	—
15	BJ	Benin	OA	26 February 1987	30 months	National route via PCT closed
16	BN	Brunei Darussalam	—	24 July 2012	30 months	—
17	BR	Brazil	—	9 April 1978	30 months	—
18	BW	Botswana	AP	30 October 2003	31 months	—
19	BY	Belarus	EA	25 December 1991	31 months	—
20	BZ	Belize	—	17 June 2000	30 months	—
21	CA	Canada	—	2 January 1990	30 months	Late entry up to 32 months with reinstatement fee
22	CF	Central African Republic	OA	24 January 1978	30 months	National route via PCT closed
23	CG	Congo	OA	24 January 1978	30 months	National route via PCT closed
24	CH	Switzerland	EP	24 January 1978	30 months	—
25	CI	Côte d’Ivoire	OA	30 April 1991	30 months	National route via PCT closed
26	CL	Chile	—	2 June 2009	30 months	—
27	CM	Cameroon	OA	24 January 1978	30 months	National route via PCT closed
28	CN	China	—	1 January 1994	30 months	Late entry up to 32 months with additional fee
29	CO	Colombia	—	28 February 2001	31 months	—
30	CR	Costa Rica	—	3 August 1999	31 months	—
31	CU	Cuba	—	16 July 1996	30 months	—
32	CV	Cabo Verde	AP	6 July 2022	30 months	—
33	CY	Cyprus	EP	1 April 1998	31 months	National route via PCT closed
34	CZ	Czechia	EP	1 January 1993	31 months	—
35	DE	Germany	EP	24 January 1978	31 months	—
36	DJ	Djibouti	—	23 September 2016	30 months	—
37	DK	Denmark	EP	1 December 1978	31 months	—
38	DM	Dominica	—	7 August 1999	30 months	—
39	DO	Dominican Republic	—	28 May 2007	30 months	—
40	DZ	Algeria	—	8 March 2000	31 months	—
41	EC	Ecuador	—	7 May 2001	31 months	—
42	EE	Estonia	EP	24 August 1994	31 months	—
43	EG	Egypt	—	6 September 2003	30 months	—
44	ES	Spain	EP	16 November 1989	30 months	—
45	FI	Finland	EP	1 October 1980	31 months	—
46	FR	France	EP	25 February 1978	31 months	National route via PCT closed
47	GA	Gabon	OA	24 January 1978	30 months	National route via PCT closed
48	GB	United Kingdom	EP	24 January 1978	31 months	—
49	GD	Grenada	—	22 September 1998	30 months	—
50	GE	Georgia	Validation State	25 December 1991	31 months	Validation of European patent possible
51	GH	Ghana	AP	26 February 1997	30 months	—
52	GM	Gambia	AP	9 December 1997	30/31 months	30 months (Ch. I); 31 months (Ch. II)
53	GN	Guinea	OA	27 May 1991	30 months	National route via PCT closed
54	GQ	Equatorial Guinea	OA	17 July 2001	30 months	National route via PCT closed
55	GR	Greece	EP	9 October 1990	31 months	National route via PCT closed
56	GT	Guatemala	—	14 October 2006	30 months	—
57	GW	Guinea-Bissau	OA	12 December 1997	30 months	National route via PCT closed
58	HN	Honduras	—	20 June 2006	30 months	—
59	HR	Croatia	EP	1 July 1998	31 months	—
60	HU	Hungary	EP	27 June 1980	31 months	—
61	ID	Indonesia	—	5 September 1997	31 months	—
62	IE	Ireland	EP	1 August 1992	31 months	National route via PCT closed
63	IL	Israel	—	1 June 1996	30 months	—
64	IN	India	—	7 December 1998	31 months	—
65	IQ	Iraq	—	30 April 2022	31 months	Recent accession
66	IR	Iran (Islamic Republic of)	—	4 October 2013	30 months	—
67	IS	Iceland	EP	23 March 1995	31 months	—
68	IT	Italy	EP	28 March 1985	30 months	National patent designation only possible for applications filed on or after 1 July 2020
69	JM	Jamaica	—	10 February 2022	30 months	Recent accession
70	JO	Jordan	—	9 June 2017	30 months	—
71	JP	Japan	—	1 October 1978	30 months	—
72	KE	Kenya	AP	8 June 1994	30 months	—
73	KG	Kyrgyzstan	EA	25 December 1991	31 months	—
74	KH	Cambodia	Validation State	8 December 2016	30 months	Validation of European patent possible
75	KM	Comoros	OA	3 April 2005	30 months	National route via PCT closed
76	KN	Saint Kitts and Nevis	—	27 October 2005	30 months	—
77	KP	Democratic People’s Republic of Korea	—	8 July 1980	30 months	—
78	KR	Republic of Korea	—	10 August 1984	31 months	—
79	KW	Kuwait	—	9 September 2016	30 months	—
80	KZ	Kazakhstan	EA	25 December 1991	31 months	—
81	LA	Lao People’s Democratic Republic	Validation State	14 June 2006	30 months	Validation of European patent possible
82	LC	Saint Lucia	—	30 August 1996	30 months	—
83	LI	Liechtenstein	EP	19 March 1980	30 months	—
84	LK	Sri Lanka	—	26 February 1982	30 months	—
85	LR	Liberia	AP	27 August 1994	30/31 months	30 months (Ch. I); 31 months (Ch. II)
86	LS	Lesotho	AP	21 October 1995	30/31 months	30 months (Ch. I); 31 months (Ch. II)
87	LT	Lithuania	EP	5 July 1994	31 months	National route via PCT closed
88	LU	Luxembourg	EP	30 April 1978	20/30 months	20 months (Ch. I); 30 months (Ch. II)
89	LV	Latvia	EP	7 September 1993	31 months	National route via PCT closed
90	LY	Libya	—	15 September 2005	30 months	—
91	MA	Morocco	Validation State	8 October 1999	31 months	Validation of European patent possible
92	MC	Monaco	EP	22 June 1979	31 months	National route via PCT closed
93	MD	Republic of Moldova	Validation State	25 December 1991	31 months	Validation of European patent possible
94	ME	Montenegro	EP	3 June 2006	31 months	EP extension before 1 Oct 2022; EP designation thereafter
95	MG	Madagascar	—	24 January 1978	30 months	—
96	MK	North Macedonia	EP	10 August 1995	31 months	—
97	ML	Mali	OA	19 October 1984	30 months	National route via PCT closed
98	MN	Mongolia	—	27 May 1991	31 months	—
99	MR	Mauritania	OA	13 April 1983	30 months	National route via PCT closed
100	MT	Malta	EP	1 March 2007	31 months	National route via PCT closed
101	MU	Mauritius	—	15 March 2023	30 months	Recent accession
102	MW	Malawi	AP	24 January 1978	30 months	—
103	MX	Mexico	—	1 January 1995	30 months	—
104	MY	Malaysia	—	16 August 2006	30 months	—
105	MZ	Mozambique	AP	18 May 2000	31 months	—
106	NA	Namibia	AP	1 January 2004	31 months	—
107	NE	Niger	OA	21 March 1993	30 months	National route via PCT closed
108	NG	Nigeria	—	8 May 2005	30 months	—
109	NI	Nicaragua	—	6 March 2003	30 months	—
110	NL	Netherlands	EP	10 July 1979	31 months	National route via PCT closed
111	NO	Norway	EP	1 January 1980	31 months	—
112	NZ	New Zealand	—	1 December 1992	31 months	—
113	OM	Oman	—	26 October 2001	30 months	—
114	PA	Panama	—	7 September 2012	30 months	—
115	PE	Peru	—	6 June 2009	30 months	—
116	PG	Papua New Guinea	—	14 June 2003	31 months	—
117	PH	Philippines	—	17 August 2001	30 months	Late entry up to 31 months with additional fee
118	PL	Poland	EP	25 December 1990	30 months	—
119	PT	Portugal	EP	24 November 1992	30 months	—
120	QA	Qatar	—	3 August 2011	30 months	—
121	RO	Romania	EP	23 July 1979	30 months	—
122	RS	Serbia	EP	1 February 1997	30 months	Extendable by 30 days with additional fee
123	RU	Russian Federation	EA	29 March 1978	31 months	—
124	RW	Rwanda	AP	31 August 2011	30 months	—
125	SA	Saudi Arabia	—	3 August 2013	30 months	—
126	SC	Seychelles	AP	7 November 2002	31 months	—
127	SD	Sudan	AP	16 April 1984	30 months	—
128	SE	Sweden	EP	17 May 1978	31 months	—
129	SG	Singapore	—	23 February 1995	30 months	Late entry up to 18 months beyond deadline with fee
130	SI	Slovenia	EP	1 March 1994	31 months	National route via PCT closed
131	SK	Slovakia	EP	1 January 1993	31 months	—
132	SL	Sierra Leone	AP	17 June 1997	31 months	—
133	SM	San Marino	EP	14 December 2004	31 months	National route via PCT closed
134	SN	Senegal	OA	24 January 1978	30 months	National route via PCT closed
135	ST	Sao Tome and Principe	AP	3 July 2008	30 months	—
136	SV	El Salvador	—	17 August 2006	30 months	—
137	SY	Syrian Arab Republic	—	26 June 2003	31 months	—
138	SZ	Eswatini	AP	20 September 1994	31 months	National route via PCT closed
139	TD	Chad	OA	24 January 1978	30 months	National route via PCT closed
140	TG	Togo	OA	24 January 1978	30 months	National route via PCT closed
141	TH	Thailand	—	24 December 2009	30 months	—
142	TJ	Tajikistan	EA	25 December 1991	30/31 months	30 months (Ch. I); 31 months (Ch. II)
143	TM	Turkmenistan	EA	25 December 1991	30/31 months	30 months (Ch. I); 31 months (Ch. II)
144	TN	Tunisia	Validation State	10 December 2001	30 months	Validation of European patent possible
145	TR	Türkiye	EP	1 January 1996	30 months	Late entry up to 33 months with additional fee
146	TT	Trinidad and Tobago	—	10 March 1994	30/31 months	30 months (Ch. I); 31 months (Ch. II)
147	TZ	United Republic of Tanzania	AP	14 September 1999	21/31 months	21 months (Ch. I); 31 months (Ch. II)
148	UA	Ukraine	—	25 December 1991	31 months	—
149	UG	Uganda	AP	9 February 1995	30/31 months	30 months (Ch. I); 31 months (Ch. II)
150	US	United States of America	—	24 January 1978	30 months	—
151	UY	Uruguay	—	7 January 2025	30 months	Not bound by PCT Chapter II (Article 64(1)(a) declaration)
152	UZ	Uzbekistan	—	25 December 1991	31 months	—
153	VC	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	—	6 August 2002	31 months	—
154	VN	Viet Nam	—	10 March 1993	31 months	—
155	WS	Samoa	—	2 January 2020	31 months	—
156	ZA	South Africa	—	16 March 1999	31 months	—
157	ZM	Zambia	AP	15 November 2001	30 months	—
158	ZW	Zimbabwe	AP	11 June 1997	30/31 months	30 months (Ch. I); 31 months (Ch. II)

Notes

“National route via PCT closed” means that protection is only available through the applicable regional patent organization.
“Validation State”: These are states that are not parties to the European Patent Convention but, under a special validation agreement signed with the European Patent Office (EPO), allow European patent applications and patents to be made valid and take effect (validation) within their own territories.
Regional patent organizations can simplify prosecution and validation across multiple countries.

Regional Patent Organizations

ARIPO (AP)

Botswana, Cabo Verde, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

OAPI (OA)

Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo.

Eurasian Patent Organization (EA)

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan.

European Patent Office (EP)

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom.

Sources:

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Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Member States and Organizations