As governments begin easing travel restrictions in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we are witnessing the reopening of several Intellectual Property Offices in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. With this update, we want to assure you that our main priority remains to ensure the safety and well-being of our people, families, clients, and the communities in which we live and work.
In order to ensure an uninterrupted service, you may send all your instructions, queries, and documents directly to your account managers and the people you are corresponding with at the offices concerned. We will docket all the instructions we receive from you, prepare all the required forms, and diarize all approaching deadlines in order to ensure proper follow-up and organization.
This article is being updated regularly. All new information is below.
|
Country |
PTO Status |
Deadlines |
Submission of Original Documents & POAs |
Last Updated |
|
Afghanistan |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
Scanned copies of documentation and simply signed POAs are accepted |
November 1, 2021 |
|
Algeria |
Operational
|
Extensions are no longer applicable |
PTO is operating/simply signed POAs are usually accepted |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Bahrain |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
All documents are submitted online |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Cyprus |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
A scanned copy of the documents and simply signed POAs are usually accepted |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Djibouti |
Operational
|
Extensions are no longer applicable |
Usual procedure – original documents should be available at the time of filing .A simply signed POA is usually required |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Ethiopia |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable
|
TMO will be flexible in accepting the soft copies of the same and later originals to follow |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Egypt |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
The Trademark and Patent Offices are accepting scanned documents and simply signed copies of POAs along with an email from the client or/attorney proving The difficulty of legalizing the required POAs. (Original documents should be submitted whenever possible) |
December 20, 2020 |
|
Gaza |
Operational
|
No extension announced |
Extension of time is acceptable due to the current situation. Simply signed POAs are usually acceptable |
June 1, 2021 |
|
Gulf Cooperation Council |
Operational, but stopped accepting new patent filings. Read more here |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
All documents are submitted online |
January 6, 2021 |
|
Iraq |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
Documents can be submitted within 6 months from filing date |
February 25, 2021 |
|
Iraq (Kurdish Region) |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
Documents can be submitted within 6 months from filing date |
February 25, 2021 |
|
Jordan |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
All documents should be submitted |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Kuwait |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
All documents should be submitted once the PTO re-opens |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Lebanon |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
Legalized POAs and documents are still required; but simply signed e-copies are accepted. No official notification about the submission of original documents. |
February 8, 2021 |
|
Libya |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
Original documents can be submitted online or otherwise sent by courier |
February 25, 2021 |
|
Morocco |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
Simply signed POAs are usually used. Recordal assignment and merger will be filed later on, because the related documents should be submitted at the PTO |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Oman |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
All documents should be submitted |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Pakistan |
Operational |
No extension announced |
All documents should be submitted |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Qatar |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
All original documents required to support new filing, oppositions, and responding to office actions |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Saudi Arabia |
Operational |
Extensions are no longer applicable |
Filing can be done with colored scanned copies |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Sudan |
Operational |
No extension announced yet |
Usual procedure – soft copies followed by originals. A simply signed POA is usually required |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Tanzania |
Operational |
No extension announced yet |
Original documents can be submitted online or otherwise sent by courier |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Tunisia |
Operational |
No extension announced yet |
TMO will be flexible during this period. A simply signed POA is usually required |
May 17, 2021 |
|
UAE |
Operational |
No extension announced yet |
Original documents can be submitted online or otherwise sent by courier |
November 30, 2020 |
|
West Bank |
Operational |
No extension announced yet |
A simply signed copy of POA is sufficient and the original may be submitted within three months from the filing date. Due to the current situation, more than one extension of time is acceptable |
March 14, 2021 |
|
Yemen |
Operational |
No extension announced yet |
Original documents should be submitted once received without late surcharges, simply signed copies of the required documents are sufficient at this stage (original documents should be submitted whenever possible) |
November 30, 2020 |
|
Zanzibar |
Operational |
No extension announced yet |
Original documents can be submitted online or otherwise sent by courier |
November 30, 2020 |
For more information on how to reach a particular office in the Saba IP Network, please click here
Should you have any questions, or require any additional information on the above, please contact us at support@sabaip.com