Rule 45
Claims incurring fees

(1)⁷² Any European patent application comprising more than fifteen claims shall, in respect of the sixteenth and each subsequent claim, incur payment of claims fees as laid down in the Rules relating to Fees.

(2) The claims fees shall be paid within one month of filing the first set of claims. If the claims fees have not been paid in due time, they may still be paid within one month of a communication concerning the failure to observe the time limit. 

(3) If a claims fee is not paid in due time, the claim concerned shall be deemed to be abandoned.