Switzerland

PVP Office Contact Information

Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG
Plant Variety Rights Office
Schwarzenburgstrasse 165
CH-3003 Bern
Switzerland

Tel. (41-58) 462 2524
Fax. (41-58) 462 2634
Website:  www.blw.admin.ch
E-mail: manuela.brand@blw.admin.ch

Specific requirements in relation to UPOV PRISMA
Are there any specific requirements in relation to UPOV PRISMA that are not required when filing an application directly to the PVP Office?

If you submit your application data via UPOV PRISMA, there is no need to provide a hard copy to the PVP Office.

Application data
Will I receive confirmation that my application data has been received successfully?

Confirmation will be sent to the applicant/nominated representative, together with the invoice for application fees.

Plant Material
When applicable, where should I send the plant material?

The applicant/nominated representative (see Agent/Local Representative Section below for details) will be informed about plant material requirements once the authority responsible for the DUS has been identified.

Note: DUS tests are not conducted in Switzerland. In cases where a DUS test report is not available from a member of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), the Office of Plant Variety Protection will request an appropriate authority of a member of UPOV to perform a DUS test on its behalf.

Payment
How and when do I pay the PVP application fee?

You will receive an invoice for the application fee with the confirmation of receipt of your application data.

Payment should be made to:

Federal Office for Agriculture, Bern
Postal account: 30-4863-1
IBAN: CH52 0900 0000 3000 4863 1
BIC: POFICHBEXXX

Swiss Post – PostFinance
Nordring 8
3030 Bern
Switzerland

Payment may be made in advance of submitting your application data via UPOV PRISMA, however, if this is the case, please indicate the UPOV PRISMA International Reference Number (IRN) reference in your payment details.

Will I receive confirmation that the payment has been received?

Yes. You will receive a confirmation and you will be requested to check the draft publication concerning the application before publishing.

Agent / Local Representative
Do I need an agent or local representative in the country, if I am not a resident?

Yes, an agent is mandatory. The application owner nominates the representative.

Nominated representative
Owners of plant varieties who are not resident or registered in Switzerland must appoint a representative in order to receive information and documents from the PVP Office. The nominated representative shall also be responsible for ensuring that all invoices are paid by the due date.

Owners of plant varieties who are resident or registered in Switzerland may also nominate a representative if they so wish.

UPOV PRISMA Note: Agents that have already created an AGENT Account in UPOV PRISMA can indicate the territories in which they operate. Those agents will appear in a list. In cases where agents need to be accredited by the PVP Office, the agents will only be added to the list of agents available in UPOV PRISMA after the PVP Office has confirmed that the necessary accreditations have been given.
Filing Date
What is considered to be the filing date? (Note: For instance, are there any documents that the applicant must submit to the PVP offices in addition to the application form in PRISMA and the documents required in the application form in PRISMA. If so, please indicate such documents. Are there any documents that the applicant must send in paper format to the PVP Office. If so, please indicate such documents.)

The filing date is considered to be the date at which the application is complete, including payment of application fees.

UPOV PRISMA Disclaimer: The authority entrusted with the task of granting breeders’ rights (PBR authority) retains full responsibility in relation to the requirements concerning the filing date of applications in accordance with the legislation of the member of the Union concerned.

Dates for submission
For testing or plant material purposes, are there dates for the submission of applications?

Applications may be submitted at any time.

Additional requirements
Are there any additional requirements?