International Patent Filing: PCT Process Explained
One patent only protects you in one country. If you plan to sell or license abroad, you need a strategy for international protection, and the Patent Cooperation Treaty is the backbone of it.
The PCT gives you a single international application that preserves your right to file in over 150 countries, buying you time to decide where protection actually matters.
How the PCT works
- File one international application
- Get an international search report on novelty
- Enter the national phase in chosen countries
- Each country then examines independently
The timing that matters
- PCT gives you roughly 30 months before national phase
- Prioritize countries where you will actually sell
- Translation costs multiply across jurisdictions
- National phase fees can dwarf the PCT filing fee
Use the PCT window to test which markets are real, then spend your national-phase budget only where the revenue justifies it.
Choosing your markets
National phase fees add up fast, so file abroad only where you will actually sell or license the product.
- Prioritize revenue markets
- Factor translation costs
- Revisit the list each year