EPO patent drawing requirements: the 2026 rules

First things first

Rule 46 EPC is no longer in force

Many manuals, templates and software tools still cite Rule 46 EPC, which was deleted with effect from 1 February 2023. Today the form requirements for drawings are found in three texts.

Deleted

Rule 46 EPC

Deleted with effect from 1 February 2023 (CA/D 10/22, OJ EPO 2022, A101). On the EPO website it appears as “Rule 46 – (deleted)”.

Rule 46 on epo.org →

The basis

Rule 49(2) EPC

Leaves it to the President of the EPO to set the presentation requirements for application documents, drawings included.

Rule 49 EPC →

The rules

Decision of 7 July 2025

Format, margins, lines, characters, numbering and text. In force since 1 October 2025, it replaces OJ EPO 2022, A113.

OJ EPO 2025, A49 →

Color

Notice OJ EPO 2025, A57

Color and grayscale drawings, admissible since 1 October 2025 for electronic filing only.

OJ EPO 2025, A57 →

How to cite the EPO drawing requirements today: Rule 49(2) EPC and the Decision of the President of the EPO dated 7 July 2025 (OJ EPO 2025, A49). For text matter that is not indispensable, cite Art. 1(2)(j) of the Decision together with Guidelines for Examination A-IX, 8; for color drawings, the notice in OJ EPO 2025, A57.

The requirements at a glance

What are the EPO requirements for patent drawings?

Each row gives the article of the Decision of 7 July 2025 and, where useful, the point of the Guidelines for Examination 2026 (GL) that explains it.

Requirement	What the EPO asks for	Source
Sheet	A4, upright, short sides at the top and bottom: 29.7 × 21 cm.	Art. 2(2)
Usable area and margins	Usable surface area of at most 26.2 × 17 cm, with no frames. Minimum margins: top 2.5 cm, left 2.5 cm, right 1.5 cm, bottom 1 cm.	Art. 1(1)
Lines	Black, sufficiently dense and dark, uniformly thick and well defined, generally drawn with drafting instruments.	Art. 1(2)(a), (e)
Scale	Every detail must remain distinguishable after a linear reduction to 2/3. A scale, if given, must be shown graphically.	Art. 1(2)(c)
Numbers and letters	Minimum height 0.32 cm. Latin alphabet; Greek where customary (angles, wavelengths).	Art. 1(2)(g); GL A-IX, 7.5.3
Page numbers	Consecutive Arabic numerals, centered at the top of the page but not in the top margin.	Art. 2(5); GL A-IX, 4.2
Figure numbers	“FIG” and consecutive Arabic numerals, independent of the page numbering, whatever the language of the application. A single figure is not numbered. Partial figures take the same number and a capital letter: FIG 7A, FIG 7B.	Art. 1(2)(h); GL A-IX, 5.2
Layout	Several figures per page, without wasting space, preferably upright. Figures placed sideways have their top at the left side of the page.	Art. 1(2)(h)
Sections	Hatching must not impede reading the reference signs. The section line shows the position of the section and may show the viewing direction.	Art. 1(2)(b); GL A-IX, 7.3.1
Reference signs	Simple and clear, without brackets, circles or inverted commas. No sign in the drawings that is not in the description and claims, and vice versa. Same feature, same sign.	Art. 1(2)(d), (i); GL A-IX, 7.5.4
Text	No text matter, except a few short indispensable keywords, with free space around them for the translation.	Art. 1(2)(j); GL A-IX, 8
Flowcharts	Flow sheets and diagrams are deemed to be drawings. In flow sheets of method steps, a short sentence per step is allowed.	Art. 1(3); GL A-IX, 1.1
Color and grayscale	Admissible since 1 October 2025 for electronic filing only, sufficiently rich in contrast and clearly displayable at 300 dpi.	Art. 1(2)(a); OJ EPO 2025, A57
Photographs	Only where what must be shown cannot be drawn, and provided they are directly reproducible. Numbered like drawings.	GL A-IX, 1.2

Official texts: Decision of the President of the EPO dated 7 July 2025, OJ EPO 2025, A49 and Guidelines for Examination 2026, A-IX “Drawings” (in English, German and French).

Patent drawing sheet with the hatched section A-A of a valve (FIG. 4A) and the enlarged detail B (FIG. 4B), with reference numerals — Sheet exported from Inklaim (sample data): FIG. 4A is the hatched section A-A with the detail circle B, FIG. 4B is detail B enlarged. The numerals stay readable.

The rules that cause the most trouble

One sheet for several offices: check the margins

The EPO accepts 1.5 cm on the right and 1 cm at the bottom, like Rule 11.6 PCT and, on A4 sheets, 37 CFR 1.84(g). The Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM) asks for at least 2.5 cm on all sides (Art. 22 of Ministerial Decree 33/2010). If the same sheet serves first for an Italian priority filing and then for the EPO, a usable area of 24.7 × 16 cm generally meets both minimums.

0.32 cm after reduction, not before

The minimum height exists so that numbers and letters stay legible after reduction to 2/3. If you shrink a view to fit four of them on one sheet, measure the numerals on the final sheet.

Few words, with room for the translation

The Decision gives examples such as “water”, “steam”, “open”, “closed” and “section on AB”. Each word must be replaceable by its translation without covering any line; everything else becomes a reference sign.

Color: electronic filing only

Color and grayscale are not admissible in the description, claims or abstract. The EPO advises against defining a feature by its color (“beige”, “yellow”). On Euro-PCT entry, a translation filed on paper needs black-and-white drawings (OJ EPO 2025, A57, point 13).

Consistent reference signs across the application

If you delete a figure, remove from the text the reference signs that concerned only that figure. The full rules are in the guide to reference signs in patent drawings.

Formalities examination

What does the EPO check on filing?

The Receiving Section checks the usable surface area (Art. 1(1)) and the requirements of Art. 1(2)(a) to (h) only to the extent necessary for satisfactory reproduction or reasonably uniform publication of the application (Art. 4(2) and (3) of the Decision).

Consistency of the reference signs (point (i)) and text matter in the drawings (point (j)) are outside this check, but they are still requirements of the Decision. A sheet that passes the filing check is not necessarily a correct sheet.

For a comparison with UIBM, PCT and USPTO rules, read the guide patent drawings: what they are and how to prepare them; for Italian applications, the guide to Italian patent drawings (UIBM).

EPO rules compliance check of a patent flowchart figure: 170 × 262 mm sight area, no issues found — EPO profile in the editor’s “Compliance” panel: the 170 × 262 mm sight area is drawn on the sheet.

How Inklaim helps

EPO rules checked figure by figure

Inklaim prepares draft sheets and checks them against the formal rules of the office you choose. The final check stays with the patent attorney.

Margins and usable area, minimum character height, line widths, figure labels and sheet numbers, for EPO, UIBM, PCT and USPTO.
A “text matter that is not indispensable” warning citing Art. 1(2)(j), and one click to turn the text into a reference numeral.
Same numeral, same part: consistency across figures, description and claims.

Consistency check between figures and text →

Patent drawing sheets from STEP and IGES 3D models →

Figure texts and translations →

FAQ

Questions about drawings in European patent applications

Is Rule 46 EPC still in force?

No. It was deleted with effect from 1 February 2023. The drawing requirements are now in Rule 49(2) EPC and in the Decision of the President of the EPO dated 7 July 2025 (OJ EPO 2025, A49), in force since 1 October 2025.

What margins does the EPO require for drawings?

At least 2.5 cm at the top, 2.5 cm on the left, 1.5 cm on the right and 1 cm at the bottom, for a maximum usable area of 26.2 × 17 cm on an upright A4 sheet, with no frames (Art. 1(1) of the Decision).

How tall must numbers and letters be?

At least 0.32 cm, so that they stay legible after reduction to 2/3 (Art. 1(2)(g) of the Decision; Guidelines A-IX, 7.5.3).

Does the EPO accept color drawings?

Yes, since 1 October 2025, but only with electronic filing. They must be sufficiently rich in contrast and clearly displayable at 300 dpi; the EPO advises against defining features by color (OJ EPO 2025, A57).

The pilot

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EPO patent drawing requirements: the rules in force in 2026