Pursuant to the revised Patent Law that will be enforced from March 1, 2017, a request for examination should be filed within 3 years from the filing date in connection with a patent application that is filed on or after March 1, 2017 (within 3 years from the international filing date in the case of a patent application filed based on the PCT international application).

However, it is possible to request a deferred examination even under the revised Patent Law.  Therefore, if an applicant files a request for a deferred examination within 9 months from the date of filing a request for examination, it is possible to delay the examination up to a maximum of 5 years from the filing date.

(Effective from March 1, 2017)