How to obtain a patent in Uzbekistan

A patent protects technical solutions or product appearance. Creators and businesses have three protection periods (Art. 5): inventions 20 years, utility models 5 and designs 10 from filing. The Ministry processes applications; fees arise in stages. Below are rules from patent legislation, the State Duty Law, administrative regulations and the Patent Cooperation Treaty.

At a glance:

• technical solutions and a product’s appearance are different subjects of patent protection;
• filing one application without additional objects costs an individual UZS 880.000 and a legal entity UZS 1.760.000;
• individuals permanently resident abroad and foreign companies act through a patent attorney (Art. 35);
• the PCT national-phase deadline is 31 months from priority;
• protection depends on the claims defining the technical solution or the essential features shown in the images, so the application’s content determines the protection ultimately obtained.

Updated: 16 September 2026

What inventions, utility models and industrial designs protect

Inventions and utility models protect technical solutions; industrial designs protect the artistic and design solution defining a product’s appearance. The choice depends on what has been created: a device, substance, process or design.

A product may be a device, substance, microorganism strain or plant or animal cell culture. A process involves actions on a material object using material means. Utility models are therefore not limited to devices.

Inventive step means that the solution does not follow obviously from the prior art. Industrial applicability of an invention includes possible use in industry, agriculture, healthcare and other sectors. Originality of a design concerns the creative character of the product’s features.

For utility models, the sources use different wording. The law refers to information publicly available in Uzbekistan about means serving the same purpose and their use. The new regulation instead refers to information publicly available worldwide. These formulations should not be presented as identical; the statutory novelty criterion and the regulation’s wording are stated separately here.

This article concerns technical solutions and product designs. The article on trademarks addresses registration of a name or sign. It is relevant when a product and its brand are launched together.

What cannot be patented and how disclosure affects novelty

The law excludes the following objects (Art. 6) from protection as inventions:

• scientific theories and mathematical methods;
• methods of organization and management;
• symbols, schedules and rules;
• rules and methods for performing mental acts;
• algorithms and computer programs;
• projects and planning schemes for buildings, structures and territories;
• solutions concerning only a product’s appearance and intended to satisfy aesthetic needs;
• integrated circuit topographies;
• plant varieties and animal breeds;
• solutions contrary to public interests, humanity and morality.

The same exclusions apply (Art. 7) to utility models. For industrial designs, five categories are excluded (Art. 8): printed matter as such; architecture other than small architectural forms, and stationary structures; objects of unstable shape made from liquids, gases, loose materials or similar substances; solutions determined exclusively by a product’s technical function; and solutions contrary to public interests, humanity and morality.

Public disclosure by the creator, applicant or someone obtaining the information from them can fall within a grace period. For inventions, the application must be filed within six months (Art. 6) of disclosure; the creator or applicant bears the burden of proving the relevant circumstances. Comparable conditions apply to utility models (Art. 7) and industrial designs (Art. 8). This is a conditional exception to novelty rules, rather than separate protection for a published idea.

Who can apply and when a patent attorney is required

The applicant may be the creator, employer or successor in title. An employer has the right to a patent for an employee’s work where the contract provides (Art. 10) for that right. Without such a provision, the creator may obtain the patent in their own name. If the provision exists but, within four months after written notification, the employer neither files an application, transfers the right to file nor tells the creator that the development will be kept secret, the creator may also file in their own name.

Individuals permanently resident outside Uzbekistan and foreign legal entities conduct patent matters through a registered patent attorney (Art. 35). A power of attorney confirms the representative’s authority. A permanent resident of Uzbekistan temporarily abroad may act independently by providing an address for correspondence in Uzbekistan. Where an international treaty provides otherwise, the treaty rules apply (Art. 2).

How to file and which documents are required

Applications are filed with the Ministry of Justice through state information systems. The patent fee is paid (Art. 14) on filing, or a document establishing entitlement to an exemption or reduction is submitted.

The regulation provides several filing channels for residents: a public services centre, the Ministry’s dedicated information system or the Unified Interactive Public Services Portal. Non-residents use the information system. Postal filing is also provided for, with the documents entered into the system; subsequent actions take place electronically.

An invention application contains the complete document set (Art. 15):

1. a request identifying the creator, the person in whose name the patent is sought and their addresses;
2. a description sufficient to carry out the invention;
3. claims expressing its substance and supported by the description;
4. drawings and other materials where necessary to understand the invention;
5. an abstract.

A utility model requires the same document types (Art. 16), prepared for that model. An invention or utility model application may cover a group linked by a single inventive or creative concept respectively.

An industrial design application requires a different document set (Art. 17): a request identifying the creator and intended owner; a set of images of the product, model or drawing; an overall drawing, ergonomic diagram and specification of materials where necessary; and a description including the essential features. One application concerns one design and may include its variants.

For documents submitted in another language, the invention regulation allows two months for translation. Compliance preserves the documents’ receipt date; otherwise they are treated as filed on receipt of the translation. Representation also requires a power of attorney.

Priority is normally determined by filing. To claim convention priority after a first filing in a Paris Convention state, the application must arrive within twelve or six months (Art. 18): twelve for inventions and utility models, six for designs. Priority is claimed on filing and/or the necessary materials are submitted no later than three months afterwards.

How long patent examination takes

The timetable depends on the object and examination stage. The waiting period before examination begins is distinct from the duration of examination itself. The regulations provide the following ordinary intervals.

For an invention, scientific and technical examination must be requested with the application or within three years (Art. 23). Without a request, the application is deemed withdrawn. For a design, the examination fee may be paid within three months after dispatch of the decision accepting the application; missing that deadline also leads to withdrawal.

Utility model examination also requires payment: the fee is paid within three months (Art. 22) after dispatch of the formal examination decision accepting the application. Missing the deadline causes the application to be deemed withdrawn.

An examination request for additional material gives the applicant three months to respond (Art. 20). An extension on request may not exceed twelve months after expiry of the original period. The table therefore does not promise an unconditional grant date: examination queries, responses and timely payments affect progress.

Accelerated examination is available for inventions within three months and utility models within one month after the acceptance decision. The request is filed with the application or within three months of filing. Designs have a one-month period after acceptance, with the request submitted within three months of filing. Acceleration does not remove the patentability assessment.

The information search for accelerated examination is governed by a contract between the applicant and the Intellectual Property Centre: for an invention, utility model or industrial design. Those contractual terms are outside the state-fee calculation below.

Patent costs: fees at each stage

Fees depend on applicant status, the object, the number of variants and the volume of documents. One BRV, the base calculation unit, is used to set the statutory amounts. The table shows the main national payments under the national fee schedule, item 10 of the State Duty Law’s schedule, without individual relief or additions for a larger application.

The filing fee is paid when applying. Registration, publication and issuance are paid within three months after dispatch of the examination decision. Payment after that period, but no later than six months, attracts a 50 percent increase. Annual maintenance is paid separately.

The following is a partial list of additional charges under the same schedule item. At filing, each additional invention or utility model in a group costs UZS 440.000/880.000 for an individual/legal entity; each design variant from the second to the tenth costs 440.000/880.000, and each variant above ten costs 880.000/1.760.000. At examination, an additional invention costs 2.640.000/5.280.000, a utility model 1.760.000/3.520.000, each design variant from the second to the tenth 880.000/1.760.000, and each above ten 1.760.000/3.520.000. Dependent claims above ten attract 176.000/352.000 per claim, with a further 88.000/176.000 for claims above twenty. Publication of each description sheet above 35 costs another UZS 8.800/17.600.

Example. An individual files one utility model without relief, additional objects, dependent claims attracting additional fees or an overlength description. National payments through issuance are 880.000 + 1.760.000 + 528.000 + 176.000 + 528.000 + 528.000 = UZS 4.400.000. Maintenance for the first year adds UZS 880.000, giving UZS 5.280.000 in total. This covers the listed actions, excluding document preparation and representation costs.

For invention and utility model actions in subitems “a”–“d”, fee reductions are available (Art. 23 of the State Duty Law): 90 percent for people with Group II disabilities; 30 percent for students, researchers and academic research staff; and 25 percent for legal entities qualifying as small businesses and the accredited educational and scientific organizations specified in the provision. These reductions cannot automatically be applied to industrial designs.

Certain categories of creators (Art. 15 of the State Duty Law) are exempt from the relevant payments: participants in the 1941–1945 war and equivalent persons, and people with Group I disabilities, where they are the sole creators and request protection in their own names.

Patent terms, extensions and annual payments

The term runs from filing, while the exclusive right takes effect upon publication of registration. The law sets terms and extension limits (Art. 5): twenty years for an invention, with up to five additional years in the specified cases; five years plus three for a utility model; and ten years plus five for a design.

An invention extension is available for a medicine or pesticide requiring authorization for use. The period is calculated from filing to the first authorization and is capped at five years. An extension request is submitted within six months after patent grant or the first authorization obtained during the patent term, whichever deadline ends later. The authorization accompanies the request.

For a utility model or design, the request is submitted during the last three months of the patent term or during the following six months with an additional fee. Extension of the maximum term and annual maintenance are different actions.

Annual rates are set in the same fee schedule, item 10:

For a utility model, the first year is paid with registration, publication and issuance; later years are paid during the last three months of the current patent year. For an invention, the third-year payment is made with issuance. For a design, the schedule note provides for payment for three years from filing together with issuance. Subsequent annual payments are made during the last three months of the relevant period specified in the schedule.

Failure to pay on time can cause early termination (Art. 28). The schedule provides an additional six-month period with a 100 percent surcharge on the prescribed fee. Restoration costs 200 percent of the annual maintenance rate for the patent year in which the request is made.

A restoration request is filed within three years (Art. 28¹) after termination, but before the patent’s maximum term ends. A person who began use or necessary preparations during the interval before publication of restoration retains the right to continue using the object without expanding production.

How an international PCT application works

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) allows an international application to be used for subsequent national protection. It has the effect of national filing (Art. 11 PCT) in the relevant states; the procedure does not create a single worldwide patent. In Uzbekistan, the Ministry acts as the receiving, designated and elected Office.

To enter Uzbekistan’s national phase for an invention, the applicant must, within 31 months from priority, provide a translated request or a national request, the international application’s publication sheet and translated claims, and pay the national fee. Translations of the application materials accompany the request; amended claims and explanations of their amendments are also translated. Utility models also have a 31-month deadline.

An international application undergoes an international search (Art. 15 PCT) to identify prior art. The national fee table above separately shows the invention examination rate where the relevant report is available. It does not calculate the entire international procedure’s budget.

For applicants from Uzbekistan, the law separately governs patenting abroad: inventions and utility models containing no state secrets may be patented in other states after three months (Art. 36) from filing the corresponding application with the Ministry. For a foreign applicant, national-phase entry does not remove the patent-attorney requirement. This PCT section concerns inventions and utility models; the design procedure described here is national filing.

What changed in 2026

• Effective from 11 June 2026, Resolution No. 297 of 10.06.2026 introduced administrative regulations for patent grants, maintenance and duplicates. The examination periods in this article follow the new regulations.
• The regulation approved by Resolution No. 297 of 10.06.2026 sets filing channels, including public services centres for residents, and electronic processing after filing.

What to check before filing

First identify the object of protection and the person entitled to the patent. Then compare the description, claims or images: they must disclose the actual solution for which protection is sought.

Filing planning requires the first disclosure date, the first application date where priority is claimed, the document set, the representative’s authority and a fee calculation. After filing, monitor examination queries and payment deadlines. For an international application, track national-phase entry separately; after grant, track annual maintenance and the patent’s maximum term.

Frequently asked questions

Can an idea alone be patented?

The application must disclose an object meeting the patentability requirements. An invention needs a description sufficient to carry it out and invention claims (Art. 15); naming an idea is insufficient. Where the result concerns a product’s appearance, the documents centre on the images and essential features of the industrial design rather than claims defining a technical solution.

Does a foreign company need a local patent attorney?

As a general rule, a foreign legal entity acts through a patent attorney (Art. 35) registered with the Ministry. The same applies to an individual permanently resident abroad. The rule concerns status and permanent residence; temporary travel by a permanent resident of Uzbekistan is addressed separately. Any treaty-specific rules must be checked against the applicant’s circumstances.

Does filing mean the patent has already been granted?

No. A patent is issued after state examination, and the exclusive right begins upon publication of registration (Art. 5). Filing starts the procedure and the calculation of the patent term, but does not replace a grant decision, registration or the necessary payments. The fee table therefore separates filing from examination and the steps completing issuance.

Can a patent be renewed indefinitely?

No. The law sets maximum extension periods (Art. 5): three additional years for a utility model and five for a design; up to five years for an invention only in the specified cases. Annual maintenance payments preserve the patent within the applicable term but do not, by themselves, turn it into a perpetual right.

Does PCT provide a patent in every country immediately?

No. An international application meeting the requirements has the effect of a national application (Art. 11 PCT), while protection is obtained in the relevant states. For Uzbekistan, national-phase requirements must be fulfilled on time: documents, translations and national payment. International search helps assess prior art but does not replace the national patent-grant procedure.