Student Inventors & People of Determination Get Patent Fee Exemptions

New exemptions on industrial-property service fees for student inventors and People of Determination take effect from September 14th under Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026.

The resolution, issued on July 24th and published in the Official Gazette on August 14th, exempts both groups from a range of Ministry of Economy and Tourism fees covering core industrial-property procedures.

These include applications for patents, utility models, industrial designs and integrated circuit layout designs, as well as services related to ownership changes, amendments, appeals, certified copies, official certificates, international patent applications and selected publication requirements.

Separate exemptions also cover technical examination and review procedures. People of Determination and student inventors each receive exemptions from designated substantive examination, expedited examination and re-examination services.

Substantive examination is the stage at which a patent or utility-model application is technically assessed to determine whether it meets the legal requirements for protection.

Under the existing fee schedule, a patent application costs AED 1,000 for individuals, SMEs and academic institutions. New industrial-design applications are also priced at AED 1,000 for those groups, compared with AED 2,000 for companies. Patent examination fees can rise to several thousand dirhams depending on the application and number of claims, with estimates ranging from around AED 7,000 to AED 9,000.

The exemptions operate within the industrial-property framework established under Federal Law No. 11 of 2021, which covers patents, utility certificates, industrial designs and integrated circuit layout designs. Patents are valid for 20 years, while utility certificates are valid for 10 years, subject to applicable requirements.