The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) currently offers three domestic programs to speed up the first-instance examination of invention patent applications. Each can be requested only after TIPO has notified the applicant that substantive examination is about to begin. Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) routes are not covered here.

1. Accelerated Examination Program (AEP)

Bases. Two of the four bases rest on foreign prosecution: a counterpart that has been examined and granted in any country, or a pending US, Japanese or European counterpart that has received an office action from the USPTO, JPO or EPO. The other two are commercial necessity, shown, for example, by a negotiated license agreement or advertising catalogues, and claims directed to green technology.

Timing and limits. A request may be filed after notice of substantive examination or re-examination. The granted-counterpart basis remains usable after a TIPO office action, but not where the Taiwanese claims have been narrowed in reply to it and the foreign grant is broader.

Cost and speed. Requests based on foreign prosecution are free; the other two cost NT$4,000 per request. TIPO targets an outcome about six months after the filing is complete, or nine months for a pending US/JP/EP counterpart whose claims differ from the Taiwanese claims.

2. Startup Proactive Patent Examination Pilot Program

Eligibility. Running since January 5, 2021 and renewed for another year from January 1, 2026, this program is open to companies (i) incorporated in Taiwan or abroad less than eight years before requesting this program, (ii) awarded a designated national innovation award within the past two years, or (iii) mentored by an implementing agency commissioned by TIPO under a government science and technology development program. A patent agent must be appointed, and the request is free, and must be filed online between the examination notice and the first office action.

Process. Where objections exist, TIPO sends a search report and an outline of the objections within about a month (complex cases, e.g., more than 40 claims, excepted), then holds an interview, normally within another month, at which the examiner proposes amendments. Cases without objections are allowed directly. The applicant has one month to respond, and TIPO generally issues an allowance or office action within a further month, about four months overall. If the interview cannot be held within the month or no reply is filed in time, the case reverts to regular examination. Categories (i) and (ii) are limited to six requests each per month and five per company per year.

3. Accelerated Examination Pilot Program for Women Applicants

Trialed from July 1, 2025 and extended until June 30, 2027, this program requires all applicants to be natural persons, at least one of whom must be both a woman and an inventor. The request must be made in her name through TIPO’s e-filing system, between the date of the examination notice and the first office action (re-examination excluded). Non-Taiwanese applicants must provide documentary proof of their gender, such as a passport. There is no fee, and TIPO issues an office action or decision within six months of the request. Monthly intake is capped, and each eligible applicant may file up to five requests during the trial period.

Key Takeaways

TIPO reports average times from request to outcome of 66 days for the startup program (announced December 2025) and 44.2 days for the women applicants’ program (announced June 2026). Because monthly quotas apply to the women applicants’ program and startup categories (i) and (ii), it is advisable to file promptly after the examination notice. If the month’s quota is already full,  applicants are recommended to file their requests on the first day of the following month.