3.1 Receipt; confirmation 

The receipt of European patent applications filed online via EPO Online Filing, Online Filing 2.0 or the EPO web-form filing service is acknowledged electronically during the following submission session. Where it becomes apparent that the acknowledgment's transmission failed, the authority with which the application was filed promptly transmits the acknowledgment by other means where possible on the basis of the information supplied (see Art. 13 of the decision of the President of the EPO dated 14 May 2021, OJ EPO 2021, A42 3 May 2023, OJ EPO 2023, A48).

The receipt of European patent applications filed using the EPO Contingency Upload Service is confirmed electronically by the EPO in the service itself. An acknowledgment of receipt indicating the application number assigned is sent separately in accordance with the provisions governing the filing of documents on paper (see following paragraph).

The acknowledgement of receipt of European patent applications filed on paper (usually the last page of EPO Form 1001) is issued by the authority with which the application is filed – either the EPO (Munich, The Hague or Berlin) or the competent national authority. The receipt must be issued without delay and include the application number and the date of receipt.