Patent
Moldova is a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The deadline for entering the national phase via the PCT is 31 months. A simply signed power of attorney is required. To file a patent application in Moldova, a local attorney resident in Moldova must be appointed. However, if the applicant is a company, a notarized power of attorney bearing the company stamp must be submitted. The patent registration process takes 2–4 years. For pharmaceutical patents, a supplementary protection certificate can provide a further 5 years of protection beyond the 20 years.
Utility Model
The requirements are the same as for patents. The term of utility model protection is 6 years. In the 6th year, it can optionally be extended by another 4 years, providing 10 years of protection in total.