One of the most common — and most avoidable — ways to lose a Chinese patent is simply forgetting to pay the annual fee. A Chinese patent stays in force only if you pay an annuity every year after grant, and the deadlines are easy to miss when you manage multiple patents.
This guide shows you how to check your China patent annuity due dates, what happens if you miss one, and how to track every deadline automatically — for free.
Why China Patent Annuities Are Easy to Miss
- Annual, not one-off. Unlike the filing fee, annuities recur every single year for the life of the patent.
- Deadline is tied to the filing date. The annuity due date is the anniversary of the application’s filing date — not the grant date — so it can fall at any time of year.
- Fees rise over time. The amount starts low but increases as the patent ages, so the cost is not constant — see our China patent cost estimate for a year-by-year view.
- Multiple patents, multiple dates. If you hold several patents filed on different dates, you have several different deadlines to track.
How to Check an Annuity Due Date Manually
You can look up the status and fees of any Chinese patent in the CNIPA’s official Patent Business Processing System (cponline.cnipa.gov.cn). However, manual checking means remembering to do it — and remembering the dates across every patent you own. A personal annuity dashboard keeps every due date and payable amount in one place.
The Easier Way: Automatic Monitoring
The simplest way to avoid missing a deadline is to track it automatically. Our free China patent annuity monitor queries the CNIPA official register and emails you 30, 7, and 1 days before each deadline. There’s no sign-up and no limit on the number of patents.
How the free monitor works
- Enter your Chinese patent number and email on the monitoring page.
- We query the official register in real time to confirm the next annuity due date and payable amount.
- You receive email reminders before each deadline, with a link to your personal annuity dashboard.
What Happens If You Miss an Annuity Deadline
Missing a deadline triggers a surcharge (late fee), then a restoration period requiring a restoration fee, and ultimately — if still unpaid — permanent loss of the patent right. Once lapsed, the invention enters the public domain and cannot be protected again.
The cost of tracking every deadline is zero; the cost of missing one can be the entire patent. That asymmetry is why monitoring is the single highest-value habit for any Chinese patent holder.
If you hold patents in more than one jurisdiction, it also helps to see how annuity rules compare across China, the US, the EPO, Japan, Korea and Germany — the due-date logic is not the same everywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is my China patent annuity due?
The annuity due date is the anniversary of the application’s filing date each year. A free monitoring tool can confirm the exact date for each patent by querying the official register.
How much are China patent annual fees?
Annual fees start low (around ¥900) and increase as the patent ages, reaching several thousand CNY in the later years of an invention patent’s 20-year term. Use our China patent fee calculator to see the official amount for each year, plus professional service fees.
What if I forget to pay an annuity?
You may face a surcharge and, eventually, loss of the patent. Automatic email reminders before each deadline are the simplest way to prevent this.
Can I monitor multiple patents for free?
Yes. A free annuity monitor lets you track an unlimited number of patents with no sign-up required.