European qualifying examination (EQE)
Information about the European qualifying examination available here.
Enrolment
Compulsory registration
Enrolment to the pre-examination will only be open for candidates who have registered at the latest by 15 January of the year in which they intend to enrol for the pre-examination.
See notice of the Examination Secretariat.
Enrolment periods
1. Pre-examination 1 March 2021
Candidates may enrol as from 3 February 2020. Applications must be submitted no later than 11 May 2020 via the EPO web portal. For a first time enrolment to the pre-examination candidates must have registered at the latest by 15 January 2020. Candidates who have previously been admitted to the pre-examination are already registered.
2. Main examination 2 to 4 March 2021 (Papers A, B, C and D)
Candidates may enrol as from 1 April 2020. Applications must be submitted no later than 17 August 2020 via the web portal.
For more details, for example on payment of fees, withdrawal, enrolment process, required period of professional activity (patent attorney trainees; EPO examiners), choice of papers, fees and fee subsidies, examination centers, etc , refer to OJ 2019, A98 and to the EQE website.
Notice
Examination Board
Distribution of points Paper D (13 March 2019)
EQE 2020 - pilot project for writing Papers A, B, C and D on a computer - second phase (30 August 2019)
Examination Dates
Notice of 16 October 2019 from the Examination Secretariat - dates and times for the EQE 2020
Notice of 15 November 2018 from the Examination Secretariat - dates of EQE 2020-2023
Supervisory Board, Examination Board, Examination Committees and Examination Secretariat
List of members, status as at 14.02.2019
Examination Committees
Notice of the Examination Board of 10 May 2019 - Examination Committees are looking for new members
Regulation
If you have questions about the EQE or the Regulation on the EQE, please get in touch with the Examination Secretariat of the European Patent Office
Email: eqe@epo.org
Tel.: +49 89 23 99 51 55