Filing Requirements
Patent applications under the Paris Convention
Required Documents

1. A notarized Power of Attorney.

2. Priority document (a certified copy of the application, if priority is to be claimed in Syria), which can be filed within 3 months from the date of filing the application in Syria.

3. Specifications, claims and abstract of the invention in quadruplicate in English or French with the Arabic translation. Arabic translation can be made through our office.

4. A legalized assignment from the inventor(s) to the applicant, in case the priority application was filed in the name of the inventor(s), which can be filed within 3 months from the date of filing the application in Syria.

5. At a later stage and in order to support the consideration procedures by the Patent Office, a certified copy of the corresponding letters patent issued in the home country of the applicant or any other foreign one is required.

During the prosecution of the convention patent application, the Israel-Boycott Bureau may request from the above applicant company a boycott declaration. This document is to be submitted only when it is actually requested.

If the boycott declaration is not submitted when requested, the application will not progress to registration procedures. In case the proposed applicant has prior registrations or a clearing approval in Syria, then it would be possible to waive the request of this declaration.

A patent application is usually referred to university professors and scholars specialized in patent issues who lay down a report as to whether the patent has a practical industrial application on the basis of which the ad hoc committee decides whether to grant the patent or not. (This step takes 2-3 years).

National Phase Entry of the PCT

It is possible to file a national application of the PCT international application in Syria during the 31-month period.

Required Documents

1. A notarized Power of Attorney.

2. A copy of the PCT international application (request form 101, with its attached declarations as filed), showing Syria as a designated country.

3. WIPO IB advice of receipt of priority document within the specified period (form 304).

4. A copy of the PCT publication.

5. A copy of the search report with the ISA's written report.

6. A copy of the preliminary examination report.

7. Specifications, claims and abstract of the invention in quadruplicate in English or French with the Arabic translation. Arabic translation can be made through our office.

8. CD of the specifications, claims and abstract of the invention.

As for the national applications of PCT, the Patent Office relies mainly on the intentional preliminarily examination report to decide on granting the patent in Syria or not. This procedure could take one year or so. However, this is not always the rule, sometimes; such applications are also referred to Research Centers for consideration.

Notes:

- Annuities should be paid annually from the international filing date, even before granting the patent.

- Pharmaceuticals and chemical compounds/reagents are not patentable under the Syrian patent law substantially. In this context, such inventions can be protected in Syria as to the method of preparation thereof.

- Boycott declaration is not requested as to national applications of PCT in Syria.

- A 6-month grace period is allowed for late payment of annuities against payment of a lateness fine.

- Working of a patent is compulsory within 2 years as of the date of the grant. A nominal working notice published in a local newspaper inviting potential investors to exploit the invention in the country is acceptable for satisfying the compulsory condition.