A patent gives your company the legal right to stop others from making, using or selling your invention in Singapore for up to 20 years. For technology businesses, life sciences companies, advanced manufacturing and any SME with a genuinely novel product, securing a Singapore patent is one of the highest-leverage IP investments you can make.
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) administers the Singapore patent system under the Patents Act 1994. This 2026 guide walks through the registration process from filing to grant — what’s patentable, how much it costs, how long it takes, and the strategic considerations every applicant should think through before filing.
What Can Be Patented in Singapore?
To be patentable under section 13 of the Patents Act, an invention must be:
- Novel — not part of the state of the art anywhere in the world before the priority date.
- Inventive — not obvious to a skilled person in the field.
- Industrially applicable — capable of being made or used in some kind of industry.
The invention must also fall within patentable subject matter. The following are not patentable:
- Discoveries, scientific theories and mathematical methods (as such).
- Literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works (these go to copyright).
- Schemes, rules or methods for performing a mental act or playing a game.
- Methods of treatment of the human or animal body by surgery or therapy.
- Inventions whose commercial exploitation would be contrary to public order or morality.
Software inventions are patentable in Singapore where they produce a technical effect that goes beyond the normal interaction of computer hardware and software — broadly similar to the European Patent Office approach, and more permissive than India.
The Singapore Patent Registration Process
Step 1: Prior Art Search (Optional but Recommended)
Before filing, conduct a freedom-to-operate and patentability search. This identifies prior art that might bar your application or limit the claims you can secure. IPOS offers a paid search service, and so do private patent attorneys.
Spending S$2,000–4,000 on a pre-filing search frequently saves S$15,000+ in wasted prosecution costs on inventions that aren’t actually patentable.
Step 2: File the Application via IPOS Digital Hub
File electronically through the IPOS Digital Hub. The application requires:
- A request for grant (Form PF1).
- Specification — comprising the description of the invention, claims, abstract, and drawings (where applicable).
- Details of inventors and applicant (the applicant is usually the company; the inventors are named individuals).
- Filing fee.
The filing date is the “priority date” for novelty assessment. From this date, you have 12 months to file corresponding applications in other jurisdictions (or via the PCT route) claiming the same priority.
Step 3: Search and Examination
You must request search and examination within 36 months of the filing date (or priority date, whichever is earlier). The fee is paid separately. IPOS examiners assess novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability.
If objections are raised, you have opportunities to respond and amend the claims. Most applications go through 1–3 rounds of office actions before either being allowed or finally refused.
Step 4: Publication
The application is published 18 months after the priority date. From publication, the application becomes publicly searchable and third parties can submit observations.
Step 5: Grant
Once the application meets all requirements, IPOS issues a Notice of Eligibility to Proceed to Grant. You pay the grant fee, the patent is published as granted in the Patents Journal, and a Certificate of Grant is issued. The patent lasts up to 20 years from the filing date, subject to annual renewal fees from year 5 onwards.
Costs (Official IPOS Fees, 2026)
| Item | Fee (SGD) |
|---|---|
| Filing fee (Form PF1) | S$160 |
| Search and examination request | S$1,890 |
| Grant fee | S$60 |
| Renewal — year 5 | S$140 |
| Renewal — year 10 | S$290 |
| Renewal — year 15 | S$540 |
| Renewal — year 19 | S$1,540 |
Patent attorney fees are separate and usually significantly larger than IPOS fees. A straightforward Singapore filing handled end-to-end by a patent attorney typically costs S$8,000–S$20,000 over the prosecution lifecycle. Complex pharmaceutical or biotech patents can exceed S$50,000.
How Long Does It Take?
| Milestone | Typical Time From Filing |
|---|---|
| Filing receipt | 1–2 weeks |
| Formality examination | 2–4 months |
| Publication | 18 months |
| Search and examination report | 12–24 months after request |
| Grant | 2–4 years (typical), 4–6 years (complex) |
If you need faster prosecution, IPOS offers acceleration programmes (PPH, ASPEC, GPPH) where examination results from another participating office can be relied on. This can shorten time to grant by 12+ months.
Singapore-Filed vs PCT Route
If your invention has international commercial potential, file a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application within 12 months of your Singapore priority filing. The PCT route preserves your priority date for up to 30 months while you decide which national jurisdictions to enter.
| Approach | When It Makes Sense |
|---|---|
| Singapore-only filing | Domestic market only; small business; budget constraints |
| Singapore + direct foreign filings | Known target markets, willing to commit costs upfront |
| Singapore + PCT | Multiple potential markets, defer cost decisions to month 30 |
| PCT first, no Singapore priority | Singapore not a target market but want global coverage |
Tax and Grant Support for Patenting
Singapore offers material tax and grant support to encourage IP creation:
- Enterprise Innovation Scheme (EIS): 400% tax deduction on qualifying IP registration costs (up to S$400,000 cap). See our EIS guide.
- Section 19B Writing-Down Allowance: 100% writing down allowance over 5/10/15 years on qualifying IP acquired. See our Section 19B guide.
- IP Disclosure Programme and various EDB / Enterprise Singapore IP grants for deep-tech SMEs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Publicly disclosing the invention before filing. Even a conference presentation, demo, blog post or pitch deck shown outside an NDA can destroy novelty. File first, talk second.
- Filing weak claims. Overly broad claims get knocked back during examination. Overly narrow claims are easy to design around. Claim drafting is the most valuable thing a patent attorney does.
- Naming the wrong applicant. The default rule under section 19 is that the inventor owns the patent unless there’s a contract assigning rights. Make sure your employment contracts include IP assignment clauses, and that the applicant on the form is the entity that should own the patent.
- Ignoring inventorship. All inventors must be listed; omitting one can invalidate the patent. Get the inventorship right at filing.
- Letting renewals lapse. Renewal fees increase steeply over the patent’s life. Letting a renewal slip causes the patent to lapse permanently. Diarise renewals or appoint a patent annuity service.
Patent vs Trade Mark vs Design — Which Do You Need?
Many SMEs file the wrong type of IP right. Quick orientation:
| If You Want to Protect… | File… |
|---|---|
| How an invention works (functional) | Patent |
| Brand name, logo, slogan | Trade mark — see our trade mark guide |
| Aesthetic shape, pattern or look of a product | Registered design |
| Software code (literal expression) | Copyright (automatic) |
| Confidential know-how | Trade secret + NDA — no registration |
It is common to combine: a patent on how the device works, a registered design on its appearance, and a trade mark on the product name.
FAQ
Can I file a patent application myself without an attorney? Legally yes, practically no. Patent prosecution is highly technical and the claims you draft will frame everything that follows. Engage a registered Singapore patent attorney unless the invention is very simple.
How long does a Singapore patent last? 20 years from the filing date, subject to renewal fees from year 5.
Can I sell or licence my Singapore patent? Yes. Patents are property rights and can be assigned, mortgaged, licensed exclusively or non-exclusively. Assignments must be recorded with IPOS for full effect.
What if someone infringes my patent? You can apply to the Singapore High Court for an injunction, damages or an account of profits. Patent litigation is complex and expensive — most disputes settle via licensing.
Does a Singapore patent protect me in Malaysia or Indonesia? No. Patent rights are territorial. You need separate patents in each jurisdiction (or use the PCT route).
How Raffles Corporate Services Can Help
While we don’t draft patent claims (that’s the patent attorney’s job), we coordinate the broader IP and corporate work that surrounds a patent strategy — IP-holding company structures, IP licensing agreements, EIS and Section 19B tax claims, employee IP assignment policies and the corporate governance around innovation. Where founders ask “should the patent sit in OpCo or HoldCo, and which Singapore tax incentives can we layer in?”, that’s where we add value.
For deep-tech SMEs, a thoughtfully structured patent portfolio is often the single biggest contributor to a successful Series A or trade sale. Getting the architecture right early matters.
— The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services