1. Filing. The application secures its filing date. Where priority is claimed, the priority document must be filed within the applicable deadline.
2. Preliminary examination. CNIPA checks the application for formal compliance and for obvious substantive defects.
3. Publication. The application is published at 18 months from the filing date — or from the priority date, where priority is claimed. The applicant may request earlier publication.
4. Substantive examination. The applicant must request substantive examination and pay the fee within 3 years of the filing date, failing which the application is deemed withdrawn. One or more office actions may issue at this stage.
5. Grant. Once the application passes examination, CNIPA issues a notice of grant. The certificate is issued and the grant published once the registration formalities are completed.
Filing to grant typically takes more than two years. The examination period can be shortened through the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH), prioritized examination, or pre-examination at a regional IP protection center.
