Apply online with the UK Intellectual Property Office, the European Patent Office, or the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

Register your invention as a patent to protect your intellectual property

Don’t make your invention public before applying for a patent – it can’t be patented later.

Find out what you can and can’t patent.

The application fee is £230, including search and examination fee. You also need:

• a detailed description of your invention
• drawings – if it’s appropriate
• a set of claims
• an abstract

A patent attorney can help with complex patent applications.

Once you’ve applied, a search to check your invention is new and different takes 4 to 6 months. It can then take more than 4 years for a patent to be granted.