An international patent application is a patent application submitted by the applicant to the patent authority of a contracting country in accordance with the prescribed procedures when obtaining patent protection for an invention in a contracting country of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). . So how to apply for an international patent? How are international patent application fees charged? How are international patent application fees charged? How should I apply for an international patent? 1. File a Chinese patent application. Under normal circumstances, after a Chinese individual or unit makes an invention, they can first file a national application with the China Patent Office. 2. File an international application within the 12-month priority period and claim priority. In this way, the applicant has 12 months to consider whether it is necessary to apply for a patent in a foreign country, how to file the application, and make necessary preparations for filing the application. Reminder: According to relevant regulations, Chinese individuals or entities can also directly file an international application after making an invention. However, the application must specify both the foreign country and China. How are international patent application fees charged? Applying for a patent in a foreign country requires paying considerable fees to foreign patent offices and patent attorneys, which are settled in U.S. dollars. 1. Currently, it costs an average of US$4,000 to US$5,000 to apply for a patent from a country. 2. If you count 5 countries, you will need to prepare approximately US$20,000 to US$25,000. Applicants filing international applications also need to pay the above fees (but the payment time can be postponed from 8 months to 18 months). 3. Pay the fees for the PCT international phase, which include the transmission fee, search fee and international preliminary examination fee levied by the China Patent Office and the basic fee, designation fee and handling fee levied by the International Bureau, etc., which is approximately more than 2,000 US dollars.