Electronic Priority Document Exchange

Priority documents^*1 related to Patent applications, Utility model applications, Industrial Design applications^*2*3 and PCT international applications filed to the JPO as the receiving Office^*4 are electronically exchanged between the JPO and some overseas offices/organizations. This program allows an applicant to be exempt from submission of a priority document(s) in paper form, which is required for the person who claims priority under the Paris Convention through undertaking the prescribed procedures^*5.

Please see the following pages for the details about these procedures.

Notes:

• (*1) Priority documents: A document to prove that the date when an application is filed with the Office of First Filing may be considered as a reference date for the substantial examination of its subsequent application filed with the Office of Second Filing.
• (*2) On January 1, 2020, the JPO starts Electronic Priority Document Exchange of Industrial Design applications through the Digital Access Service (DAS) offered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
• (*3) On January 1, 2022, priority documents related to Industrial Design applications filed with the JPO since January 1, 2022, can be exchanged electronically between the JPO and the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) bilaterally through the bilateral PDX.
• (*4) On April 1, 2025, the JPO, as a depositing office, starts to deposit certified copies of PCT international applications filed electronically to the JPO as the receiving Office as priority documents via DAS.
• (*5) Related laws and regulations: Patent Act Article 43(5) (Applicable mutatis mutandis in Utility Model Act Article 11(1) and Designs Act Article 15(1)), Ordinance for Enforcement of the Patent Act Article 27-3(3) (Applicable mutatis mutandis in ordinance for Enforcement of the Utility Model Act Article 23(1) and the Designs Act Article 19(3))

1. The Procedures for Electronic Exchange of Priority Documents through the Digital Access Service Offered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Details on WIPO Digital Access Service

• Electronic Exchange of Priority Documents through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Priority documents related to Patent applications, Utility model applications, Industrial Design applications^*1 and PCT international applications filed to the JPO as the receiving Office^*2 can be exchanged electronically by means of the WIPO Digital Access Service (hereinafter referred to as the DAS) between the JPO and the following offices/organizations^*3. The DAS allows for comprehensive procedures and makes it easier for an applicant to file applications in several countries.

Notes:

• (*1) On January 1, 2020, the JPO starts Electronic Priority Document Exchange of Industrial Design Applications through the DAS.
• (*2) On April 1, 2025, the JPO, as a depositing office, deposits certified copies of PCT international applications filed electronically to the JPO as the receiving Office as priority documents via DAS.
• (*3) Priority documents for Trademark applications are excluded.

Participating Offices/Organizations (As of November 25, 2024)^*4

• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Cuba
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Eurasian Patent Organization
• European Patent Office (EPO)
• European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
• Finland
• France
• Georgia
• Germany
• India
• Iran
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan*5
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Mexico
• Monaco
• Morocco
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Peru
• Poland
• Republic of Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• WIPO

• (*4) Each participating office/organization provides services as an office providing a priority document to the office of second filling (Depositing Office) and/or an office retrieving a priority document from the office of first filing (Accessing Office). Please see the following website of the WIPO for the latest status of priority documents which each participating office/organization can provide or retrieve.
  WIPO DAS: Participating Offices (WIPO website) (External link)
• (*5) The formats of Japanese Patent, Utility model, Industrial Design application, and PCT international application numbers are below.

	Country code	Application Number Example
Patent	JP	YYYYNNNNNN 2020012345
Utility model	JP	YYYYNNNNNN U 2020012345 U
Industrial Design	JP	YYYYNNNNNN D 2020012345 D
PCT international application	JP	PCT/JPYYYY/NNNNNN PCT/JP2025/012345

* Please note that "JP" is a country code and it is not a part of application number.

Procedures for using DAS with the JPO

Please see the following links for the procedures for using the DAS with the JPO.

• Procedures for Use of DAS at the JPO as the Office of Second Filing
• Procedures of DAS with the JPO as the Office of First Filing

Procedures for using DAS when filing the PCT international application with the JPO

Please see the following link for procedures for using the DAS when filing the PCT international application with the JPO which is the receiving Office.

• Exemption from Submission of Priority Documents through the Digital Access Service (DAS) for PCT International Applications

Procedures for using DAS when filing the international Industrial Design application

Please see the following link for procedures for using the DAS when filing the international Industrial Design application.

• [Hague] Submission of priority documents using digital access service (DAS) to Japan Patent Office as the designated Contracting Party

2. The Procedures for the Bilateral Electronic Exchange of Priority Documents (the Bilateral PDX) between the JPO and the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) (For Patents, Utility models and Industrial Designs only)

Priority documents related to Patent applications, Utility model applications and Industrial Design applications can be exchanged electronically between the JPO and the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) bilaterally through the bilateral PDX.

• On January 1, 2022, priority documents related to Industrial Design applications filed with the JPO on or after January 1, 2022, can be exchanged electronically through the bilateral PDX.
• * Please note that, through the bilateral PDX, priority documents related to Trademark applications cannot be exchanged electronically.
• Electronic Exchange of Priority Document Data with the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO)

3. Notice from the JPO on Priority Document Submission Deadline (For Patents and Utility models only)

(1) Notice Being Made A Year and Two Months After Priority Date

In July 2007, the JPO started to notify every applicant who has not submitted a priority document on paper or electronically a year and two months after the priority date (This Notice is just a SERVICE, not based on legal grounds.).

(2) Notice Being Made A Year and Four Months After Priority Date (Notice of non-submission of priority certificate)

In principle, the JPO will notify every applicant, who has not submitted a priority document on paper or electronically a year and four months after the priority date, of Notice of non-submission of priority certificate based on the Patent Act Article 43(6).

In this case, the priority document can be submitted only within two months from the date of shipment of Notice of non-submission of priority certificate.

[Last updated 11 March 2025]

Contact

Mechanism of Digital Access Service (DAS) and bilateral PDX Information Technology Policy Planning Office TEL: +81 3 3581 1101 Ext. 2505   Formality Check Administrative Affairs Section, in Customer Relations Policy Division under Trademark and Customer Relations Department, Japan Patent Office TEL: +81 3 3581 1101 Ext. 2618   Electronic Priority Document Exchange in the Procedures for PCT International Application Receiving Office, Office for International Applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), Application Division, Trademark and Customer Relations Department, Japan Patent Office TEL: +81 3 3581 1101 Ext. 2643   Electronic Priority Document Exchange in the Procedures for Hague International Application In charge of Hague, Office for International Design Applications under the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement and International Trademark Applications under the Madrid Protocol, Application Division, Trademark and Customer Relations Department, Japan Patent Office TEL: +81 3 3581 1101 Ext. 2683