China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced on 14 October 2026 that the China–New Zealand Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot would be extended for five years, from 1 November 2026 through 31 October 2031. The requirements and procedures for filing PPH requests at the two offices remain unchanged.
The PPH provides a route to request accelerated examination by making use of work carried out by another patent office, subject to the applicable requirements. The extension does not automatically accelerate every related Chinese and New Zealand application. Applicants should check the eligibility of the particular application and the required supporting documents.
For example, an applicant considering a request at CNIPA based on examination work in New Zealand should review the relationship between the applications, the relevant claims and the documents required under the applicable CNIPA guidance. Accelerated examination does not guarantee a patent grant; the Chinese application remains subject to examination.
Official sources: CNIPA’s extension announcement and CNIPA’s original pilot announcement and guidance. Read the original pilot end date in the 2024 guidance together with the 2026 extension announcement.