PCT Newsletter
December 2025 | No. 12/2025
Modified PCT Legal Texts – entry into force on 1 January 2026
Amendments to the PCT Regulations
The amendments to the PCT Regulations that will enter into force on 1 January 2026 are as follows:
- Amendments to PCT Rules 33 and 64: Broadening the definition of relevant prior art for international search and preliminary examination to include non-written disclosures, which were adopted at the 56th session of the Assembly of the PCT Union (PCT Assembly) held from 9 to 17 July 2024.
- Amendments to PCT Rules 34, 36, and 63: setting out a revised definition of the minimum documentation that an International Searching Authority is required to consult during international search, along with changes to the minimum requirements that an International Searching and Preliminary Examining Authority needs to satisfy before it can be appointed and that it needs to continue to satisfy during its appointment, which were adopted at the 55th session of the PCT Assembly held from 6 to 14 July 2023.
A PowerPoint presentation showing the amendments to the PCT Regulations is available at:
The consolidated versions of the modified PCT Regulations, as in force from 1 January 2026, are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, in PDF format on the PCT Legal Texts webpage.
Languages other than English and Italian can be selected at the top-right corner of the page.
Modified Administrative Instructions under the PCT
With effect from 1 January 2026, the Administrative Instructions under the PCT have been modified, including the addition of Sections 116 and 521, and new Annex H. These changes relate to the new definition of PCT Minimum Documentation and Annex H deals, in particular, with the technical and accessibility requirements and procedure for inclusion of patent and utility model documents and non-patent literature in the minimum documentation, as defined in PCT Rule 34.1 (as in force from January 1, 2026). For further details, please refer to Circular C. PCT 1672 dated 19 June 2024.
The updated versions are available in English, French, Japanese, Spanish and Russian, in PDF format, on the PCT Legal Texts webpage. The Chinese version is in preparation and will be published soon. The texts in English and French will also be available in HTML format.
Modified PCT International Search and Preliminary Examination Guidelines
The PCT International Search and Preliminary Examination (ISPE) Guidelines have also been modified to implement the amendments to the PCT Regulations that will enter into force on 1 January 2026. For further details, please refer to Circular C. PCT 1696 dated 16 December 2025.
The consolidated versions are available in English, French, and Spanish, in PDF format on the PCT Legal Texts webpage.
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