The sooner you pay the substantive examination fee, the better. Only after you pay the substantive examination fee will the application be reviewed and authorized.
The substantive examination fee must be paid within three years, otherwise the patent application will be withdrawn after the time has passed. Withdrawing a patent means giving up the priority of the filing date, etc., which is extremely detrimental to protection
In terms of patent protection or certificates, etc., it is also better to submit it as early as possible. Nowadays, technology is updated very quickly, and Three years ago, your patent was creative. Three years later, it will become a common technology. Maybe others have also applied for the same or similar patent as yours.
Only after paying the substantive examination fee will it be made public. Did you entrust an agency to handle it? Then did the agency advance payment or other circumstances occurred?
If the applicant requires substantive examination, he shall submit a request for substantive examination and pay the substantive examination fee. The payment deadline for the substantive examination fee is three years from the filing date (or the earliest priority date if there is a priority claim). If payment is not made or paid in full within the prescribed time limit, the patent application will be deemed to have been withdrawn.
Generally speaking, when you apply for a patent, you submit a request for substantive examination together. After the State Intellectual Property Office accepts your patent application, you can pay the substantive examination fee after adding the application fee.