Contact the Netherlands Patent Office

Contact

If you have a question for the Netherlands Patent Office, you can contact the public information office. We answer general questions about patents or intellectual property.

Telephone: 088 042 40 02, dial 1 (opening hours: Monday to Friday, 08:30-17:00 CE(S)T). 
Email: octrooicentrum@rvo.nl

When emailing us, please keep in mind that:

• the confidentiality in email communications is not guaranteed. Email as much as possible with the department or person you are in contact with.
• we do not accept patent applications sent by email.

Read how you file your patent application

Questions about specific topics

Do you have questions about your patent or a pending application? Below you find which department can help you further, depending on the topic you have questions about.

Dutch patent applications

For questions about:

• a pending application for a Dutch patent
• restoration of expired patents

Email: teamverlening@rvo.nl
Telephone: 088 042 40 02, dial 2

Patent management

For questions about:

• fees
• priority certificates
• PCT-submissions
• Supplementary protection Certificates

Email: teambeheer@rvo.nl
Telephone: 088 042 40 02, dial 3

European validations

If you want to validate a European patent in the Netherlands, you have to contact the Netherlands Patent Office within 3 months after granting the European patent. After you registrated your patent in the Netherlands, the patent is subject to the Dutch laws and regulations. 

Good to know:

• If the language of filing at the European Patent Office is other than English, you have to submit a translation of the description in English or Dutch.
• In any case, you must file the so-called 'claims' (in Dutch: 'conclusies') in Dutch.
• The costs of submitting the translation are € 25,00. 

If you have further questions about the validation of a European patent, you can use the contact details below.

Email: teameuropese@rvo.nl
Telephone: 088 042 40 02, dial 4

Filing an application

Do you want to file patent documents? You can do this online and on paper. Filing an application by email is not possible. 

Online

Preferably use our online filing software: a system that allows you to file an application via the Internet. Do you have problems with the online filing software? You can send an email to eolf@rvo.nl. 

Read more about online filing

Paper

You can also file an application on paper.

Postal address

Post Office Box 10366
2501 HJ The Hague (the Netherlands)

Visiting address

Prinses Beatrixlaan 2
2595 AL The Hague (opening hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00 CE(S)T)

Notice: if you bring your patent application to our visiting address, please bring a valid identification with you. We will ask you to show your identification because of security measures. 

MyPage

All correspondence sent by the Netherlands Patent Office is available in MyPage. MyPage allows you to pay your annual fees electronically and track the status of your patent application.

To use MyPage, you have to complete the following steps:

1. Apply for a physical smart card from the European Patent Office.
2. Open a deposit account at the Netherlands Patent Office with sufficient balance (you can contact teambeheer@rvo.nl). Transfer the amount to the account number of the Netherlands Patent Office (IBAN ING Bank: NL41 INGB 0705 0012 96 / BIC: INGBNL2A) stating the account number of your deposit account.
3. Register your smart card to MyPage.
   1. Log in using the pin code provided by the European Patent Office.
   2. Fill in the requested information on the registration page.
      You will receive confirmation of your application by email. By post, you will receive a form for requesting a digital 'hoofdkaart'.
4. Please return this completed and signed form to the Netherlands Patent Office to receive rights in MyPage.

If you have further questions about MyPage, you can send an email to mypage@rvo.nl.

Confidentiality

All employees who work for the Netherlands Patent Office have a duty of confidentiality. That means you can speak freely with them about your idea or invention.

Complaint

Do you have a complaint? You can report it to us in different ways. We process your complaint in compliance with the Dutch law.

• by email: octrooicentrum@rvo.nl
• by letter: Post Office Box 10366, 2501 HJ The Hague (Netherlands)
• by telephone: 088 042 40 02, dial 1

If you submit a written complaint, please mention your name, adress and telephone number. We will call you within 5 working days after receiving your complaint to talk about the content of your complaint. If you are not satisfied with the solution, the Netherlands Duth Patent Office will handle your complaint further according the rules of their complaint regulations. If you have questions about the content of the complaint regulations you can contact the Netherlands Patent Office.