How long does the patent examination take?

Legal analysis: the time of patent substantive examination is uncertain, generally 6 to 18 months. The length of substantive examination depends on the content of the invention, the examiner's understanding of the invention, the examiner's work arrangement and the time for documents to travel back and forth between the examiner and the applicant or his agent. At present, the public service of patent examination process is free of charge.

Legal basis: Article 35 of the Patent Law of People's Republic of China (PRC). Within three years from the date of filing, the administrative department for patent in the State Council may, upon the request of the applicant at any time, make a substantive examination of the application. If the applicant fails to request substantive examination within the time limit without justifiable reasons, the application shall be deemed to have been withdrawn. The patent administrative department of the State Council may, when it deems it necessary, examine the application for a patent for invention on its own.