Turkey Patent Fee Discount Cuts SME Costs 75%, AI Searches 50%
Turkey has introduced a patent fee discount for small businesses and artificial intelligence developers. Under a change to the 2026 fee schedule of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) filing their first patent application get 75% off the application, search report and examination report fees, while applications in the AI field classified under IPC class G06N get 50% off the urgent search report fee.
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır announced the move on October 31, 2026. The amendment, titled Communiqué BİK/TÜRKPATENT: 2026/2, was published in Turkey’s Official Gazette on the same day and took effect upon publication.
Who Qualifies for the Turkey Patent Fee Discount
The 75% reduction targets SMEs applying for a patent for the first time and covers three services on their first application: the filing fee, the search report fee and the examination report fee. According to the communiqué, the new reduced rates apply to legal entities in the SME category that hold an SME status certificate.
The second measure focuses on AI. Patent applications classified under G06N in the International Patent Classification (IPC) now pay half the usual fee for an urgent search report. G06N is the WIPO class for “computing arrangements based on specific computational models”, which includes neural networks, machine learning methods and knowledge-based systems.
What the Minister Said
Kacır shared the news on his NSosyal account. “As the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, we have launched an important discount program to encourage the patenting of our SMEs’ inventions and of innovations developed in the field of artificial intelligence in our country,” he said.
“We are providing a 75% discount on application, search and examination report fees for SMEs filing a patent application for the first time. For patent applications in the field of artificial intelligence (IPC class G06N), we are applying a 50% discount on the urgent search report fee,” Kacır added.
He also stressed continued support for entrepreneurs: “We will continue to stand by our entrepreneurs so that innovative ideas turn into inventions, and inventions into added value.”
Why It Matters for Startups and AI Developers
Patent costs are often a barrier for small companies protecting their first invention, and an urgent search report helps applicants learn quickly whether their idea is likely to be patentable. Cheaper access to both gives Turkish SMEs and AI teams a lower cost route into IP protection.
The step builds on earlier efforts by the office, which launched a fast-track patent process for AI projects in August. It also fits Turkey’s wider push on research spending, after the country set a record in R&D investment.
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