Moldova became the 40th member state of the European Patent Organisation on 1 June 2026. European patent applications filed on or after that date now automatically designate Moldova as an EPC contracting state, removing the separate validation fee previously used under the validation system. The same filing-date test applies to PCT cases: an international application filed on or after 1 June 2026 can cover Moldova through the European phase.
The transition still requires careful docketing. European and international applications filed before 1 June, as well as divisional applications derived from them, remain subject to the former validation route. National post-grant requirements in Moldova, including any applicable translation and renewal formalities, also continue to matter. Firms should therefore update filing templates, cost estimates and country-coverage checklists without treating automatic designation as the end of local post-grant work.
