Plant Variety explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
The Second Schedule is the single list of fees payable under the Rules. It was substituted whole by G.S.R. 494(E) of 15 June 2015, entry 9 (renewal) received "Farmers - Nil" in 2016, and entry 9 was substituted again in 2019. This article sets out all thirty-three entries, exactly as printed, with the Form for each.
Rules as amended up to G.S.R. 803(E) dated 16 November 2021. Later notifications should be checked on plantauthority.gov.in.
Rule 2(d) defines "fee" as the fee in the Second Schedule, and rule 8(1) says every fee is payable at its rates. The Schedule has thirty-three entries. Registration fees for new, extant and common-knowledge varieties and EDVs are in entries 5 to 8; renewal is entry 9, a lump sum, Nil for farmers; opposition notices are Rs. 5,000/- to Rs. 10,000/-. Farmers are exempt from fees under section 44 of the Act. The annual fee for retention is not in the Schedule; it is notified separately.
How to read the Schedule
The Schedule has four columns: serial number, "Fee payable on matters", "Amount of fee" and "Form number". Rule 8(1), as substituted in 2015, says the fees for registration, any right granted, and any application or document to be filed are "as per the rates specified in the Second Schedule"; see rules 8 to 10.
The text below is the 2015 Schedule as substituted by G.S.R. 494(E) of 15 June 2015, with entry 9 as substituted by G.S.R. 863(E) of 20 November 2019. Amounts are quoted as printed. The Schedule prints "Individual", "Educational" and "Commercial" without a definition, so this article does not define them.
The thirty-three entries
| Entry | Matter | Amount | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conducting tests | (1) Depend on the nature and type of test subject to a maximum of Rs.2,00,000/- per entry; (2) for on-farm DUS testing, fee shall depend on the location of DUS test sites subject to a maximum of four times of the fee specified for item (1) | - |
| 2 | Notice of opposition | Rs.10,000/- | PV3 |
| 3 | Counter statement | Rs.2,000/- | PV4 |
| 4 | Extension of time | Rs.5,000/- per month | PV5 |
| 5 | Registration of essentially derived varieties | Individual Rs.7,000/-; Educational Rs.10,000/-; Commercial Rs.50,000/- | - |
| 6 | Registration of extant variety as notified under section 5 of the Seeds Act, 1966 | Rs.2,000/- | - |
| 7 | Registration of any variety of the genera and species other than extant varieties and farmers' varieties, as specified in clause (a) of section 14 read with section 29(2) | Individual Rs.7,000/-; Educational Rs.10,000/-; Commercial Rs.50,000/- | - |
| 8 | Registration of a variety about which there is common knowledge, i.e. the extant variety as specified under clause (j)(iii) of section 2 | Individual Rs.7,000/-; Educational Rs.10,000/-; Commercial Rs.50,000/- | - |
| 9 | Renewal fee (as substituted in 2019) | Individuals Rs. 10,000/-; Educational Rs 20,000/-; Commercial Rs 1,00,000/-; one lump sum; Farmers - Nil | PV6 |
| 10 | Application for benefit sharing | Rs.10,000/- | PV7 |
| 11 | Notice of opposition for benefit sharing | Rs.5,000/- | PV8 |
| 12 | Application for registering as agent/licensee | Rs.15,000/- | PV9 |
| 13 | Application for variation/cancellation of the terms of registration | Individual Rs.3,000/-; Educational Rs.5,000/-; Commercial Rs.10,000/- | PV10 |
| 14 | Notice of opposition to application for variation/cancellation of terms of registration | Rs.5,000/- | PV11 |
| 15 | Application of surrender of certificate of registration of plant variety | Rs.5,000/- | PV12 |
| 16 | Notice of opposition for offer to surrender the certificate | Rs.5,000/- | PV13 |
| 17 | Application to revoke certificate of registration | Rs.20,000/- | PV15 |
| 18 | Notice of opposition to application to revoke certificate of registration | Rs.5,000/- | PV16 |
| 19 | Application for cancellation or change of the certificate of registration of a plant variety | Rs.10,000/- | PV18 |
| 20 | Application for correction in National Plant Variety Register | Rs.10,000/- | PV19 |
| 21 | Notice of opposition for application for correction in National Plant Variety Register | Rs.5,000/- | PV20 |
| 22 | Application for correction in National Plant Variety Register by owner/breeder | Rs.10,000/- | PV21 |
| 23 | Application for correction in National Plant Variety Register by registered agent or licensee | Rs.5,000/- | PV22 |
| 24 | Application to alter denomination of a registered plant variety | Rs.20,000/- | PV23 |
| 25 | Notice of opposition to application to alter denomination of a registered plant variety | Rs.10,000/- | PV24 |
| 26 | Notice of opposition to application for claiming compensation | Rs.5,000/- | PV26 |
| 27 | Notice of opposition to application for claiming compensation | Rs.5,000/- | PV27 |
| 28 | Application for grant of compulsory licence | Rs.25,000/- | PV28 |
| 29 | Notice of opposition to an application for grant of compulsory licence | Rs.10,000/- | PV29 |
| 30 | Application for revocation of compulsory licence | Rs.10,000/- | PV30 |
| 31 | Notice of opposition for application for revocation of compulsory licence | Rs.5,000/- | PV31 |
| 32 | Request for inspection of entry in Plant Varieties Register under section 84 | Rs.1000/- (per entry) | PV33 |
| 33 | Request for certified copies under section 84 | Rs.500/- per page | PV33 |
Points to note
Entries 26 and 27 carry the same description. Both read "Notice of opposition to application for claiming compensation", against Forms PV26 and PV27. Rule 67(2) uses Form PV-26 for a breeder's opposition to a farmer's compensation claim under section 39(2), and rule 68(2) uses Form PV-27 for an objection to a community claim under section 41. See rules 66 to 70. The Schedule does not tell the two apart in words.
Entry 1 is not a single figure. Testing fees "depend on the nature and type of test", with a maximum of Rs.2,00,000/- per entry, and the on-farm DUS fee is "subject to a maximum of four times of the fee specified for item (1)". No amount can be computed from the Schedule alone.
The three categories are undefined. Entries 5, 7, 8, 9 and 13 give three amounts. Ask the Authority which category applies to your applicant before paying.
No entry for Forms PV-14, PV-17, PV-25 or PV-32. The Schedule prints no fee against these Forms. Entry 32 and 33 both use Form PV33.
Renewal is a lump sum. Entry 9 states "one lump sum" and, since 2016, "Farmers - Nil". The 2019 amendment replaced the earlier per-year renewal amounts. The renewal procedure is in rules 37 to 39.
Farmers are exempt. Section 44 of the Act says that "a farmer or group of farmers or village community shall not be liable to pay any fees in any proceeding before the Authority or Registrar ... or the High Court under this Act or the rules made thereunder", and the Explanation includes fees for inspection of a document or for a copy of a decision, order or document. See sections 42 to 44. The Schedule itself shows the exemption only for renewal (entry 9, "Farmers - Nil"), and rule 31(2) repeats it for opposition fees. The other entries print their amounts without a farmers' carve-out, so a farmer or group should rely on section 44 and say so in the application.
The annual fee is separate
Rule 54 refers to the Second Schedule for the annual fee for retention of registration, but the Schedule has no such entry. The annual fee under section 35(1) is notified by the Authority: S.O. 2182(E) of 26 August 2009, as amended by S.O. 1598(E) of 15 June 2015. As notified (check plantauthority.gov.in for any later notification), it is Rs. 2000 plus 0.2 per cent of the sales value of seeds in the previous year plus 1 per cent of royalty received in the previous year, for new varieties; Rs. 2000 for an extant variety notified under section 5 of the Seeds Act; Rs. 2000 plus 0.1 per cent of sales value plus 0.5 per cent of royalty for other extant varieties; and Rs. 10 for farmers' varieties. See rules 54 to 59 and section 35.
Using the Schedule in practice
Each step has its own fee and Form. Our IP portfolio management team can build a fee calendar for a portfolio from these entries.
Need help with fees and filing budgets?
Fees are due at every stage, and the wrong category or a missed Form can delay an application. Our IP portfolio management team can map the Second Schedule entries to your filings and keep a calendar of what is payable and when.
Key takeaways
- The Second Schedule has thirty-three entries and applies to all fees under the Rules; rule 8(1) points to it.
- Registration: entries 5 to 8; renewal: entry 9, lump sum, Nil for farmers; testing: entry 1 with printed maxima.
- Entries 26 and 27 have the same description but different Forms (PV26 and PV27).
- Individual, Educational and Commercial are undefined.
- The annual retention fee is notified separately by S.O. 2182(E) of 2009 as amended in 2015.
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Disclaimer: Based on the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001 as amended up to the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, the PPV&FR Rules, 2003 as amended up to G.S.R. 803(E) of 16 November 2021, and the regulations, rules and scheme named in the article, as published by the PPV&FR Authority and consulted on 3 October 2026. Later notifications should be checked on plantauthority.gov.in. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.