IP India guide
How to check Indian patent application status
By Raj Sutariya, Co-founder, PatentAssist.ai
Updated
You can check the status of any Indian patent application for free with its application number. This guide shows where to look and explains what each status on the IP India portal means, including what you have to do next and by when.
Quick answer: 3 steps
- Open the Application Status tab on IP India's public search portal.
-
Enter the application number (for example
202541000123) and the captcha. - Click Search. The result shows the filing date, the applicant, and the current status.
PatentAssist.ai shows the application with its full text, claims, drawings, and status, and lets you pull up every other application from the same applicant. Free, no signup.
What each Indian patent status means
The wording on the portal varies slightly between offices and over time, but every status maps to one of these stages.
| Status | What it means | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Filed / awaiting publication | The application is on record but still confidential. It is published 18 months from the priority or filing date, whichever is earlier. | Nothing is due. File Form 9 if you want early publication (it then happens within about a month). |
| Published | The application has appeared in the weekly Official Journal of the Patent Office under Section 11A and is now public. | Third parties can now file a pre-grant opposition. Make sure the request for examination is filed in time. |
| Awaiting request for examination | The application will not be examined until the applicant files Form 18 (or Form 18A for expedited examination). | File Form 18 within 31 months of the priority date (48 months for applications filed before 15 March 2024), or the application is treated as withdrawn. |
| Awaiting examination | The request for examination is on file and the application is in the queue to be taken up by an examiner. | Nothing is due. Use the wait to review prior art the examiner is likely to cite. |
| Under examination / FER issued | The examiner has issued the First Examination Report (FER) listing objections on novelty, inventive step, clarity, or formalities. | Put the application in order within 6 months of the FER. A 3-month extension is available on Form 4. |
| Reply filed / hearing | The FER reply is on file. If objections remain, the Controller issues a hearing notice before deciding. | Attend the hearing and file written submissions within 15 days after it. |
| In opposition | Someone has filed a pre-grant opposition under Section 25(1), or a post-grant opposition under Section 25(2) after the grant. | Respond to the notice of opposition within the time the Controller sets. |
| Granted | The patent has been granted and the grant is published in the Official Journal under Section 43(2). | Pay renewal fees from the 3rd year onwards. A post-grant opposition can be filed within one year of the grant publication. |
| Refused | The Controller has refused the application under Section 15, usually after a hearing. | An appeal lies to the High Court (the IPAB was abolished in 2021). |
| Deemed abandoned | The applicant did not put the application in order within the FER deadline, so it is treated as abandoned under Section 21. | Revival is exceptional. Speak to a patent agent about your options quickly. |
| Withdrawn | The applicant withdrew the application, or it is deemed withdrawn because no request for examination was filed in time. | Treat the Form 18 deadline as final. Whether a late request can be condoned is at the Controller's discretion under rule 138, so do not rely on it. |
| Ceased | A granted patent has lapsed because a renewal fee was not paid. | Apply for restoration under Section 60 within 18 months of the lapse. |
Key Indian patent deadlines
- Complete specification: within 12 months of a provisional application.
- Publication: 18 months from the priority date, or about a month after an early publication request (Form 9).
- Request for examination (Form 18): 31 months from the priority date for applications filed on or after 15 March 2024, and 48 months for older ones.
- Reply to the FER: 6 months, extendable by 3 months on Form 4.
- Renewal fees: due every year from the 3rd year after filing. A lapsed patent can be restored within 18 months. See patent fees in India for the amounts.
Publications and grants appear every Friday in the Indian Patent Journal. To research the prior art an examiner is likely to cite, run a free Indian patent search.
More IP India guides
- Patent drawing requirements: USPTO, EPO and India
37 CFR 1.84, the EPO rules that replaced Rule 46 EPC, and Indian rule 15, compared side by side.
- Patent fees in India (2026)
Every official Indian patent fee from filing to renewal, with a fee calculator.
- The Indian Patent Journal, explained
What the weekly Indian Patent Journal publishes and how to search it.
- How to file a patent in India, step by step
Every step from prior art search to grant, with the forms and deadlines at each one.
- Types of patent applications in India
Ordinary, provisional, convention, PCT national phase, divisional and patent of addition, plus product vs process patents.
- Provisional vs complete specification in India
When to file a provisional, what it must contain, and the 12-month deadline for the complete.
- How to write patent claims: USPTO, EPO and India
Claim structure and worked examples, then the claim rules and fees at the USPTO, the EPO and the Indian Patent Office, side by side.
- Form 18: request for examination in India
The Form 18 deadline, fees, expedited examination on Form 18A, and what happens if you miss it.
- How to respond to a First Examination Report (FER)
The FER deadline, common objections, how to structure the reply, and the hearing.
- Indian patent timeline, from filing to expiry
Each stage of an Indian patent with its statutory deadline, from filing to the end of the 20-year term.
- Types of patent searches, and which one you need
Patentability, freedom-to-operate, invalidity and landscape searches compared by purpose, timing, scope and deliverable.
- Patentability search: how to check novelty before you file
What counts as prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102 and Art. 54 EPC, the grace period gap, search steps and how to read results.
- Freedom-to-operate search in the US and Europe
In-force claims only, legal status checks at the USPTO, EPO and UPC, FTO opinions after Halo, and design-arounds.
- Invalidity search: prior art to challenge a patent
IPR, PGR, EPO opposition and UPC revocation deadlines, prior art dates, standards documents and claim charts.
- Patent landscape analysis, step by step
Building a CPC and keyword dataset, cleaning families and names, the metrics that matter and the 18-month publication lag.
- Google Patents search guide
Search operators and fields, Boolean and proximity syntax, non-patent literature, and where Google Patents falls short of the official databases.
- The Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC), explained
How CPC symbols are built, CPC against IPC, the Y section, how to find the right class and how to search it in each database.
- Patent search Boolean operators and search strings
Boolean, proximity and truncation syntax compared across Patent Public Search, Espacenet, Google Patents and The Lens, with semantic search for contrast.
- The PCT application: timeline, fees and national phase
The international phase month by month, receiving Office and ISA fees in CHF, USD and EUR, national phase deadlines by office, and a deadline calculator.
- How much does a patent cost?
USPTO fees by entity size from filing to the last maintenance fee, what drives professional fees, EPO fees, and an estimator.
- How long does a patent last?
US utility and design terms, patent term adjustment and extension, terminal disclaimers, maintenance fee deadlines, Europe and India, with an expiry estimator.
- Can AI write a patent application?
What AI drafting does well and badly, the USPTO and EPO positions on AI tools, AI inventorship after 2025, and confidentiality.
- PCT national phase deadlines by country
30, 31 or more months: the national phase time limit at every office in WIPO's table, late-entry options and a deadline calculator.
- PCT search report, written opinion and Chapter II
How to read the international search report and written opinion, Article 19 amendments, informal comments, and when a Chapter II demand is worth filing.
- Pre-grant and post-grant opposition in India
Who can oppose, the grounds in Section 25, the deadlines and fees, Form 7A and Form 7, and how the Opposition Board and hearing work.
Indian patent status: frequently asked questions
How do I check Indian patent application status by application number?
Open the Application Status tab on IP India's public search portal (iprsearch.ipindia.gov.in/PublicSearch), enter the application number and the captcha, and click Search. To see the application together with its full text, claims, and other applications from the same applicant, search the same number in PatentAssist.ai's free Indian patent search.
What does the Indian patent application number format look like?
Applications filed since 2016 use a 12-digit number such as 202541000123: the filing year (2025), the office code (1 Delhi, 2 Mumbai, 3 Kolkata, 4 Chennai), the application type (for example 1 for ordinary), and a 6-digit serial number. Older applications look like 1234/DEL/2010.
How long does it take to get a patent granted in India?
Publication happens 18 months from the priority date unless you request early publication. After the request for examination, the wait for the First Examination Report varies with the office and the field of technology, and expedited examination (Form 18A) is faster. From filing to grant usually takes several years, and depends heavily on how quickly FER objections are resolved.
What is the deadline to file the request for examination (Form 18)?
31 months from the priority date or filing date, whichever is earlier, for applications filed on or after 15 March 2024, when the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2024 took effect. Applications filed before that date keep the earlier 48-month deadline.
How long do I have to reply to a First Examination Report?
Six months from the date the FER is issued, extendable by up to three months on Form 4. File the Form 4 request within the original 6 months to be safe. If the application is not put in order in time, it is deemed abandoned under Section 21.
Why is my patent application status not updating?
The status on the portal changes only when the Patent Office records an action, such as publication, issue of the FER, or a hearing notice. Long gaps are normal while an application waits in the examination queue. Check the application's documents and the weekly Official Journal for the latest actions.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Deadlines depend on your application's facts, so confirm them with a registered patent agent.