Questions around payment transactions

In DPMAregister, you can find out yourself whether the renewal fee paid by you has been credited in respect of your file number. Enter your file number that you want to check in the “basic search” form in the respective module. For IP rights which are still in force, the next due date is displayed in the list of master data of the individual IP modules. In the module

• Patents/utility models it is displayed in the line “Due date” - FT indicates the day when the fee is due, FG the next annual fee that must be paid.
• Trade marks it is displayed in line 180 Date of expiry of the term of protection
• Designs it is displayed in the line “Payment due on”

If the full and correct fee amount has been paid in respect of the file number, the amount is usually credited within three to four weeks after the receipt of the payment. Then, the next due date - if admissible - will be indicated in the corresponding line.

No receipts are issued for payments. You can use the updated data of your register entry as confirmation of payment.

For some file numbers, the calculation of the next fee due may be delayed. Then, the line for the due date is temporarily not displayed. If there are any discrepancies, please send us a written communication by mail or a fax indicating your file number.

The link in the lines “Payment due on” or “Date of expiry of the term of protection” in the Register information will take you to the fee information. The amount of the fees payable is available in the leaflet Information Concerning Costs, Fees and Expenses (A9510.1) (see forms). General information on fee payments to the DPMA is available here.

For fees and expenses of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office and the Federal Patent Court, which are charged according to the Patent Costs Act (Patentkostengesetz), no turnover tax (value-added tax) falls due. The collection of application fees, annual fees and renewal fees as well as other fees listed in the information leaflet "Information Concerning Costs, Fees and Expenses" is a public task (i.e. a sovereign task) and not a business activity.

SEPA is the abbreviation of Single Euro Payments Area. It consists of the EU member states, the other countries of the EEA, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, as well as Switzerland and Monaco. Europe-wide standardised procedures for non-cash payment transactions (credit transfers, direct debits) are provided in the SEPA area. There is no longer any difference between domestic and cross-border payments. In the participating countries, the direct debit scheme can also be used for cross-border payments in euros.

A SEPA core direct debit mandate is a general authorisation for direct debit payments. Therefore, the SEPA core direct debit mandate can be used as a basis for your payments for all IP rights as well as for all file numbers and invoices in connection with IP procedures.
This applies to all costs arising under the Patent Costs Act (Patentkostengesetz) and the Ordinance Concerning Administrative Costs at the DPMA (DPMA-Verwaltungskostenverordnung). Other payments to the DPMA, in particular payments under private-law contracts, cannot currently be made under the SEPA core direct debit scheme.
The SEPA core direct debit mandate can be submitted for a one-off payment or for recurrent payments. A SEPA core direct debit mandate will expire if it is not used for any direct debit collection within 36 months after the last collection. Each time the mandate is used, the mandate will become valid for another 36 months. A SEPA core direct debit mandate will expire 36 months after the last direct debit collection initiated on the basis of the SEPA core direct debit mandate.

The SEPA core direct debit mandate will allow the DPMA to collect funds from the account of the person authorising the mandate. Furthermore, the person authorising the mandate will allow their bank, referred to as payment service provider, to debit the amounts due for payment from their account.

The following details are mandatory:

• the creditor identifier of the federal administration (already printed on the "SEPA Core Direct Debit Mandate" form),
• name and address of the person authorising the SEPA core direct debit mandate (that is the payer, who is the account holder or the authorised representative),
• bank details (IBAN and BIC of the account to be debited) and
• mandate reference number which the DPMA assigns to you as the person authorising the SEPA core direct debit mandate (automatically printed on the "SEPA Core Direct Debit Mandate" form).

The SEPA core direct debit mandate requires the additional specification of the purpose of use of the mandate.

The DPMA will only be able to accurately identify, on the basis of your SEPA core direct debit mandate, payments of fees or costs due with regard to an IP procedure if you additionally provide the respective specific purpose of use of the core direct debit mandate (for example, an IP file number together with a fee number).
Therefore, you need to submit two documents: the "SEPA Core Direct Debit Mandate" form and the "Specification of the purpose of use of the mandate" form, including in particular the relevant file number, fee number and amount. Only then, the requirements for the direct debit collection will be met.
Please use the appropriate form, "Specification of the purpose of use of the mandate". The "Specification of the purpose of use of the mandate" form can be submitted together with the "SEPA Core Direct Debit Mandate" form or later separately (please always refer to the relevant SEPA mandate reference number). If a valid SEPA core direct debit mandate has already been submitted, it is sufficient to send us the "Specification of the purpose of use of the mandate" form, giving your mandate reference number. You can send us a paper copy of this form or submit the form by fax or electronically via DPMAdirekt.

No. The primary advantage of the direct debit scheme is the fact that it can be used for the direct debit collection of payments of different amounts for a wide variety of fees. Therefore, please preferably authorise a mandate for recurrent payments.

As a rule, a SEPA core direct debit mandate can be authorised for a one-off payment (mandate for a one-off payment). However, one single SEPA core direct debit mandate can also be used for several IP rights, file numbers, Kassenzeichen references, invoices and payment transactions. You will need to authorise a mandate for recurrent payments for this.
By specifying the purpose of use of the SEPA core direct debit mandate, the SEPA core direct debit mandate can be assigned to an IP right, file number, Kassenzeichen reference or invoices.
It is recommended to use the SEPA core direct debit mandate for several IP rights, file numbers or payment transactions, if possible.

No. A pre-notification is any notification to the payer by the party making the direct debit collection announcing a SEPA direct debit collection.
Before the direct debit collection, the DPMA will not send any additional information on the amount to be debited and the exact date on which the payment is to be collected by direct debit. Please refer to the information leaflet “Information Concerning Costs, Fees and Expenses” (A 9510.1) for the amounts of the fees and the costs.
As soon as we have received a valid SEPA core direct debit mandate and the relevant specification of the purpose of use of the mandate, the payments will be directly collected. Please make sure that your accounts always have sufficient funds to meet the payments.

• Payments for all IP rights,
• Payments for all file numbers and invoices in connection with IP procedures, including appeal fees for the Federal Patent Court,
• Payments of costs arising under the Patent Costs Act (Patentkostengesetz) and the Ordinance Concerning Administrative Costs at the DPMA (DPMA-Verwaltungskostenverordnung),
• Payments of international filing fees and search fees (PCT procedures): please also use the SEPA core direct debit scheme to pay the international filing fees and search fees in addition to the transmittal fees (fee number 313 900) and the fees for the preparation of priority documents (fee number 301 300), and please indicate this accordingly on the "Specification of the purpose of use of the mandate" form.

Important: If a revocation action has been brought before the Federal Patent Court, please contact the Federal Patent Court directly for the court file number and indicate it as the purpose of use on the "Specification of the purpose of use of the mandate" form. Please note that all documents required for a mandate (including the "Specification of the purpose of use of the mandate" form) must have been received before a direct debit collection can be made and, therefore, only then, your action will be deemed to be validly brought.

• Other payments to the DPMA, in particular payments under private-law contracts, cannot currently be made under the SEPA core direct debit scheme (for example, licence fees).
• Payments of invoices arising from or after proceedings before the Federal Patent Court or other courts or authorities.

Important: In case of fees notes from courts or other authorities, please contact directly the unit that has issued the fee note/invoice.

As the person liable to pay, you can communicate changes of name, address and/or bank details of the SEPA core direct debit mandate in writing, for example, by letter or fax.

Address:
Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt
Zahlungsverkehr
Zweibrückenstraße 12
80331 München, Germany
Fax: +49 89 2195-2221

A payment collected by SEPA direct debit can be refunded to the payer within eight weeks of the debit date, i.e. the corresponding debit will be reversed. An unauthorised collection, i.e. a payment collected without a mandate, can be refunded to the payer within 13 months of the debit date. The conditions agreed with your bank will apply.

No. SEPA payments can only be made in euros. As before, payments in other European currencies will only be possible by international credit transfer.

You can fill in the "SEPA Core Direct Debit Mandate" form in German or English.

In order to collect payments by direct debit under the SEPA direct debit schemes as a payee, the payee needs a creditor identifier. This is an account-independent and definite code that is valid across Europe and additionally identifies the payee as the person collecting payments by direct debit. The DPMA’s creditor identifier is printed on the "SEPA Core Direct Debit Mandate" forms.

The DPMA's creditor identifier is:
DE09ZZZ00000000001

The mandate reference number is an individual code of a SEPA core direct debit mandate assigned by the DPMA as payee. The mandate reference number may include up to 35 alphanumerical characters and in combination with the creditor identifier (without the creditor business code contained in this number) it is used to clearly identify the mandate on which the direct debit collection is based. A mandate reference number is assigned only once, since the creditor business code of the creditor identifier cannot be used as a distinguishing feature.

The mandate reference number will be automatically printed on your "SEPA Core Direct Debit Mandate" form if you download the form from our website.

The "SEPA Core Direct Debit Mandate" form (A 9530.1) and the "Specification of the purpose of use of the mandate" form (A 9532.1) are available to you at Forms. You can download both forms directly from our website.

Important: You will need to submit the original "SEPA Core Direct Debit Mandate” form to the DPMA bearing your handwritten signature.

Our SEPA-compliant bank details for the payment of fees and costs of the DPMA and the Federal Patent Court are as follows:

IBAN: DE84 7000 0000 0070 0010 54
BIC (SWIFT code): MARKDEF1700
Beneficiary/recipient: Bundeskasse Halle / DPMA

You will always need to submit the original "SEPA Core Direct Debit Mandate" form at the DPMA.

Important: It is not sufficient to submit the direct debit mandate by fax only.
If you want to claim a certain payment date, it is sufficient to first send your "SEPA Core Direct Debit Mandate" form to us by fax and then send us the original form with your handwritten signature within one month after receipt of the fax by the DPMA.
However, if the original "SEPA Core Direct Debit Mandate" form is received after the expiry of one month after receipt of the fax by the DPMA, only this later date is deemed the payment date (with possible consequences for the validity of your IP rights).

You can send us a paper copy of the “Specification of the purpose of use of the mandate" form or submit it by fax or via DPMAdirekt. Please send it to the following address:

Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt
Zahlungsverkehr
Zweibrückenstraße 12
80331 München, Germany
Fax: +49 89 2195-2221

In any case, a due payment is deemed to be effected on the date on which both, the SEPA core direct debit mandate and the specification of the purpose of use of the mandate, have been received by the DPMA.
The payment date is deemed to be the date on which the requirements for the SEPA core direct debit are fulfilled and the collection can be made by the DPMA. This is the case if

• a valid original SEPA core direct debit mandate bearing your handwritten signature has been received by the DPMA and
• the specification of the purpose of use of the mandate has been submitted.

If the DPMA has already received a valid (original) SEPA core direct debit mandate, the payment date will be deemed to be the date on which the specification of the purpose of use of the mandate has been received (even if by fax) (however, no sooner than the due date of a fee).
If the DPMA has not received a valid SEPA core direct debit mandate yet, you can submit it together with the specification of the purpose of use of the mandate. You can also send us both forms by fax. In this case, the date of receipt of the fax will be deemed to be the payment date if the original SEPA core direct debit mandate bearing your handwritten signature is submitted within one month after receipt of the fax by the DPMA. If the original SEPA core direct debit mandate is received later than one month after receipt of the fax by the DPMA, only that later date of receipt will be regarded as the payment date.
Another requirement is that the your account has sufficient funds so that the intended direct debit collection can be made.

If the payer, for the first time, has insufficient funds in their account for the SEPA direct debit, the Bundeskasse (federal cash office) will set the SEPA mandate to the status “provisionally ineffective”.
This means that subsequent mandates cannot be executed, despite sufficient funds in the account, before a DPMA staff has clarified the status of the mandate with the customer and reactivated the mandate.

As a rule, you may authorise a SEPA core direct debit mandate for a one-off payment or recurrent payments.
A SEPA core direct debit mandate for recurrent payments will expire if it is not used for any direct debit collection within 36 months after the last collection. Each time the mandate is used, the mandate will become valid for another 36 months.
A SEPA core direct debit mandate will expire 36 months after the last collection initiated on the basis of the SEPA core direct debit mandate.

No. Either you use the SEPA core direct debit mandate within 36 months for direct debit collections or it will lapse. You will need a new SEPA core direct debit mandate for a direct debit collection after 36 months.

Yes, you can participate in the SEPA core direct debit scheme even without Internet access. Please contact our SEPA hotline +49 89 2195-4500.
They will send you a filled-in SEPA core direct debit mandate. Please sign it and send the original copy back to us:
Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt
Zahlungsverkehr
Zweibrückenstraße 12
80331 München, Germany

Please use the form A 9532.1, which we will also send to you, to specify the purpose of use of the SEPA core direct debit mandate.