IPOS extends patent search and examination deadline relief and reopens fast-track programmes

On 12 August 2026, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) announced two changes to its patent and trade mark procedures: The Extension of Time (EOT) Pilot for patent search and examination requests has been extended for a further year, and the SG Patents Fast and SG Trade Marks Fast acceleration programmes will resume accepting new requests from 1 September 2026.

EOT pilot extended to August 2027

IPOS has extended its EOT Pilot by a further year following positive feedback from stakeholders. Under the pilot, eligible applicants can obtain an 18-month extension for requesting search and/or examination without incurring official fees. With the extension, the pilot applies to applications whose examination deadlines fall between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2027 (inclusive). 

The extension gives applicants additional time to assess the commercial prospects of an invention, consider prosecution strategy, or coordinate filing and examination activities across multiple jurisdictions before incurring examination costs. It may also be useful where an applicant wishes to allow a corresponding application in another jurisdiction to progress first, such that any examination findings can be taken into account during prosecution in Singapore. This could include examination via the various Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) routes, which have recently been updated in Singapore.

The EOT Pilot remains a temporary pilot rather than a permanent feature of Singapore patent practice. Applicants should therefore take note of the cut-off date when reviewing the prosecution strategy for pending and upcoming Singapore applications.

For more information, please refer to Patents Circular No. 4/2026 and our previous article on recent Singapore IP practice updates.

SG Patents Fast and SG Trade Marks Fast return

IPOS suspended the acceptance of new requests under SG Patents Fast and SG Trade Marks Fast with effect from 4 January 2026 pending review. IPOS has now confirmed that new requests will be accepted again from 1 September 2026. 

Acceleration is available where the request for search and examination is made on or after 1 September 2026, meaning pending patent applications can still benefit if examination has not yet been requested. On the trade mark side, only applications filed on or after 1 September 2026 will qualify. 

The reopening of the fast-track schemes will be particularly welcome for businesses seeking rapid protection for new technologies, brands, and products in Singapore. For example, accelerated examination may be relevant where an applicant is seeking greater certainty for investment or licensing discussions, preparing for commercialisation, or wishes to establish enforceable rights at an earlier stage. Given that the programmes have been suspended once before, applicants who intend to rely on them may wish to promptly file acceleration requests.

For more information, please refer to Patents Circular No. 5/2026 and Trade Marks Circular No. 3/2026, as well as our article on the acceleration scheme, including associated timeframes and official fees. 

The two announcements provide applicants with different tools for managing the timing of prosecution in Singapore. The EOT Pilot may be useful where an applicant wishes to defer examination and retain flexibility at an early stage, while SG Patents Fast and SG Trade Marks Fast may be appropriate where commercial priorities call for a faster examination result.

Applicants with pending or planned Singapore patent or trade mark filings may wish to review their portfolios in light of the two key dates: 1 September 2026, when the fast-track programmes reopen to new requests, and 31 August 2027, the current cut-off for the EOT Pilot.

If you would like to discuss how these changes may affect your Singapore patent or trade mark strategy, please contact our team at mail@marks-clerk.com.sg.

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