WIPO’s latest PCT practice update confirms that The Bahamas deposited its instrument of accession on 19 May 2026 and will become bound by the Patent Cooperation Treaty on 19 August 2026, bringing the system to 159 Contracting States. Any international application filed on or after that date will automatically include the designation of The Bahamas under country code BS. The country has also made a declaration under Article 64(5), stating that it does not consider itself bound by Article 59 on the referral of inter-State disputes to the International Court of Justice.
For applicants, the practical change is straightforward: no separate designation step will be needed when filing a PCT application after 19 August. The more relevant work comes later, when deciding whether to enter the Bahamian national phase and budgeting for local filing, translation, fee and representation requirements once those details are fully reflected in practice materials. The Article 59 declaration concerns treaty-level dispute settlement between States and does not alter the automatic designation of The Bahamas in new PCT filings.
