Korean Patent Application Cost: Official Fees and Budget
A Korean patent budget should distinguish official fees, Korean translation, attorney fees, prosecution, and registration. The amount depends on the filing route, specification length, claim count, technical field, and number of examination responses.
Patent official fees
MOIP's English fee schedule, last updated on February 10, 2026, states the following principal fees:
- electronic patent application: KRW 46,000;
- request for substantive examination: KRW 166,000 plus KRW 51,000 for each claim;
- request for preferential examination: KRW 200,000; and
- annual fees for years 1 to 3: KRW 13,000 plus KRW 12,000 for each claim, for each year.
Priority claims and other procedures carry separate fees. The official schedule should be checked again when filing instructions are issued.
Examples for 10 and 20 claims
For an electronically filed application with 10 claims, the application fee is KRW 46,000 and the examination fee is KRW 676,000. The combined filing and examination fees are KRW 722,000.
If all 10 claims are allowed, the annual fees for years 1 to 3 total KRW 399,000. The resulting official-fee total through initial registration is KRW 1,121,000, excluding priority claims and any additional procedure.
For 20 claims, the corresponding filing and examination fees total KRW 1,232,000, and the first three annual fees total KRW 759,000. The official-fee total through initial registration is KRW 1,991,000.
These calculations are budget examples, not fee quotations. They exclude translation, attorney fees, examination responses, optional searches, work required for preferential examination, appeals, taxes, bank charges, and later annuities.
Translation cost
A foreign-origin application ordinarily requires a Korean translation. Translation fees vary with the length and complexity of the specification, number of claims, technical terminology, formulas, tables, sequence listings, and filing schedule.
The scope of the quoted service should be clear. A budget should state whether Korean patent counsel will review the claims, align terminology across related applications, and resolve ambiguities in the source text. Translation errors in the claims or key definitions may affect prosecution and enforcement.
Professional fees during prosecution
Professional work may include a pre-filing review, Korea-specific claim amendments, filing formalities, priority documentation, the examination request, examination responses, examiner interviews, divisional or re-examination advice, grant reporting, and annuity management.
The number and complexity of examination reports cannot be fixed at filing. A useful estimate identifies standard charges or ranges and states which items require prior client approval.
Comparing quotations
Quotations should use the same assumptions: source-language word count, claim count, filing route, priority claims, examination timing, translation language, filing deadline, and level of attorney review.
Official fees, translation, attorney work, and optional services should appear as separate items. The quotation should also state what the filing report includes and how examination responses will be charged.
Official reference
Related guidance
- Korea PCT National Phase Deadline: The 31-Month Rule
- Patent Prosecution Timing in South Korea
- Documents Required to File a Patent in Korea
This article provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. Official fees and procedures may change and should be confirmed for each matter.
