From 1 July 2026, the EUIPO will fold its Easy Filing forms for designs and trade marks into its standard online filing tools, leaving a single filing route; the Office announced it on 19 June 2026. The filing process itself does not change and Fast Track remains available, but the switch coincides with the final phase of the EU design reform, which changes how designs can be represented. Companies with EUIPO design filings in preparation for July 2026 should decide now whether to file before or after the switch.
Update (October 2026): The EUIPO confirmed on 1 July 2026 that the new EU design framework is fully applicable, and its “Apply now” page for designs now offers a single EU design filing form. EUIPO, 1 July 2026.
Key takeaways
- Easy Filing for designs and trade marks is integrated into the standard EUIPO online forms from 1 July 2026.
- The EUIPO says the filing process itself remains unchanged and Fast Track is still possible if its conditions are met.
- On the same date, the new EU design rules allow up to 10 static views, or a 3D or video file, instead of the former limit of seven views.
- Fees and the 50-design limit for multiple applications already changed on 1 May 2025 and are not affected.
What exactly is changing in EUIPO design filing in July 2026?
The EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) registers EU designs, formerly known as Community designs. In its announcement of 19 June 2026, the Office explains that it will streamline its online filing tools for trade marks and designs as from 1 July 2026, integrating the Easy Filing forms into the standard online filing process. The EUIPO will update its web pages, FAQs and guidance before the change.
The notice does not mention transitional arrangements for drafts saved in Easy Filing.
Why the timing matters: phase 2 of the design reform
The switch lands on the day the second phase of the EU design reform applies. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/138, published on 19 March 2026 and applicable from 1 July 2026, allows a design to be represented statically, dynamically or as an animation, using drawings, photographs, videos, computer imaging or modelling. As an article published by the EUIPO on 15 June 2026 notes, it also removes the former limit of seven views.
| Element | Until 30 June 2026 | From 1 July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Online tools | Easy Filing and standard forms | Standard online forms only; Fast Track still available |
| Static views | Up to seven | Up to 10 |
| 3D and video | Not available | One dynamic (OBJ, STL) or animated (MP4) file per design |
| Mixing formats | Not applicable | One type of representation per design |
| Application fee | EUR 350, plus EUR 125 per additional design (since 1 May 2025) | No change announced |
| Multiple applications | Up to 50 designs, any classes (since 1 May 2025) | No change |
The technical limits come from the EUIPO’s design representation page, which applies Executive Director Decision EX-26-03 of 1 June 2026: 2 MB per JPEG view and 20 MB for an OBJ, STL or MP4 file. Fees and multiple applications follow the 2025 reform of the Guidelines.
What should you do with applications in preparation?
- Ready to file with static views and no more than seven: there is no reason to wait. Filing before 1 July also avoids any doubt about saved drafts.
- Needing more than seven views, or an animated or 3D representation: prepare for filing on or after 1 July, when those formats become available.
- Drafts saved in Easy Filing: keep your own copy of the data, product indications and image files, so the application can be rebuilt in the standard form if needed.
- Applications planned as the first filing for Hague or national filings abroad: check the format first. The EUIPO warns that jurisdictions outside the EU may not recognise dynamic or animated designs for priority purposes.
Does Fast Track survive the change?
Yes. The EUIPO’s announcement states that Fast Track examination remains possible where applications meet the required conditions. According to the Fast Track conditions page, the applicant must use only static views, take product indications from DesignClass, provide WIPO-DAS codes or attachments for any priority claim, pay by current account or credit card and, if a representative files, use its EUIPO ID number. The Office indicates that a compliant design can be registered within two working days.
In practice, an animated or 3D representation therefore means giving up Fast Track for that application.
What this means for your business
- List the EU design applications you plan to file in the coming weeks and sort them by format: static or dynamic.
- File the static, Fast Track-ready ones as planned; do not hold them back for the new tools.
- If the EU filing will support Hague or national filings in Latin America or Africa, align formats and priority dates before filing.
Our team for EU and international design filings can review your pipeline and prepare the applications in the right format for each office.
When to bring in an adviser
- Representation choices define the scope of protection; a video or 3D file protects what it shows, nothing more.
- Losing a priority date because the EU filing cannot serve as a basis abroad is costly to fix.
- Application fees must now be paid within one month of filing to secure the filing date.
Frequently asked questions
Will I still be able to file EU designs online after 1 July 2026?
Yes. The EUIPO has said that applicants will continue to submit trade mark and design applications through the standard online forms on its website. What disappears is the separate Easy Filing option, which is integrated into the standard filing process; the filing steps themselves remain unchanged.
Should I wait until July to file a design with a video or 3D model?
Dynamic and animated representations are only accepted under the rules applicable from 1 July 2026, so those applications need to be filed from that date. Before choosing that format, check whether you will need the EU filing as a priority basis outside the EU, where such representations may not be recognised.
Can IP Global Guard file my EU design applications around the switch?
Yes. We prepare and coordinate EU design applications before the EUIPO, directly where our professionals are entitled and through qualified representatives otherwise, and align them with Hague and national filings across Europe, Latin America and Africa from one point of contact.
How IP Global Guard can help with your July filings
Tools and rules changing on the same day invite filing errors. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, coordinates design filings in more than 25 jurisdictions; see our coverage across Europe, Latin America and Africa.
Send us the designs you plan to file and your target markets, and we will tell you which to file now, which to prepare for July and how to keep priority abroad. Talk to our design team.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the position on its publication date.
Sources
- EUIPO, EUIPO streamlines online filing tools to simplify the user experience (19 June 2026)
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/138, OJ L of 19 March 2026
- EUIPO, Design (law) aficionados beware: a new era is about to begin (15 June 2026)
- EUIPO, Design representation (Decision EX-26-03 of 1 June 2026)
- EUIPO, Fast Track conditions for designs
- EUIPO, 2025 Designs reform edition of the Examination Guidelines (28 May 2025)
- EUIPO, The modernised EU design legal framework is now fully applicable (1 July 2026)
