The time limit for entering the Cambodian PCT national phase is 30 months from the date of the earliest priority, and it is not possible to restore the term for national phase entry in Cambodia.
Filing requirements in Cambodia
Minimum filing requirements in Cambodia involve filing the specification, claims, abstract, and drawings in English or Khmer, which is sufficient to obtain a date of filing for the Cambodian patent application based on the PCT.
The official language of the Cambodian application is Khmer. An application may be initially filed in English, and its Khmer translation should be submitted within six months of entering the PCT national phase in Cambodia.
For the priority document, a certified copy and its translation into Khmer and English should be submitted within three months from the Cambodian PCT national phase entry.
Power of Attorney requirements involves providing a notarized Power of Attorney within two months from the Cambodian PCT national phase entry.
A substantive examination request should be made at the time of entering the PCT national phase in Cambodia. While the Cambodian Patent Office does not conduct the examination itself, it takes into account any international search and examination results of corresponding applications filed in other jurisdictions. If the applicant cannot submit foreign examination results, the Cambodian Patent Office may send a request to a foreign searching and examining authority to conduct the substantive examination upon the applicant’s request. It is also possible to file a request for the use of search and examination results from an ASPEC member country.
The novelty grace period in Cambodia constitutes 12 months from the first disclosure to the international filing date or the priority date, if any.
For grant and maintenance fees, the grant fee is to be paid within one month from the date of issuance of the decision to grant. Annual fees are due each year starting from the 2nd one and should be paid on each anniversary of the international filing date. Payment of annual fees may still be made within 6 months from the due date, subject to the payment of a surcharge.
For foreigners, it is required to perform the PCT national phase entry in Cambodia through any patent attorney registered before the Cambodian Patent Office.
You can check a list of Cambodia IP firms here.