How to pay

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) provides guidance to marketing authorisation holders and applicants on how to pay fees levied by EMA.

This content applies to human and veterinary medicines.

EMA advises customers to be vigilant about phishing attempts involving emails appearing to be from EMA. If in doubt, please contact EMA's accounts team at [e-mail] to verify the authenticity of any EMA correspondence.

Applicants and marketing authorisation holders being levied a fee by EMA for the first time should contact EMA's accounts team to request a customer account number.

The customer account number is a unique reference number with the Agency for financial matters. It is quoted on the invoice and all the related financial correspondence received from the Agency. Applicants and marketing-authorisation holders should quote their account number with the Agency on each procedural submission cover letter and in all correspondence related to financial matters.

Receiving an invoice from the Agency

EMA issues invoices to the customer's billing address held on the Agency's file.

Invoices for marketing-authorisation fees contain:

• details of the product and type of procedures involved;
• the fee amount and financial information.

Invoices for pharmacovigilance fees contain:

• details of the procedure;
• the total number of chargeable units attributable to the marketing authorisation holder;
• information on any fee exemptions or reductions applicable to the pharmacovigilance fee;
• the fee amount and financial information.

Applicants and marketing authorisation holders requiring a purchase order number or similar references on their invoice are strongly encouraged to add EMA to their purchase order exemption list as a decentralised body of the European Union (EU).

Alternatively, applicants and marketing authorisation holders can issue a standing (blanket) purchase order covering all marketing authorisation and/or pharmacovigilance fees levied by the Agency for a given period. They should provide such reference to [e-mail].

The reference can also be provided at the point of e-submitting a procedure to the Agency, with the exception of certain procedures. 

Please note that EMA will not accept disputes on the grounds that a purchase order number is not provided. The use of the purchase order system is an internal control process of the applicant. It cannot be used as reason to withhold the payment of the Agency’s fees.

Online invoicing portal

The Agency has implemented an online invoicing portal to enable customers to:

• get instant access to their account;
• view and print-out invoices;
• view their detailed chargeable units line listing for pharmacovigilance fees;
• raise invoice queries;
• search through archived invoices;
• view payments made.

To register with the EMA invoicing portal, please select 'Register now' on the portal log-in page https://fees.ema.europa.eu/bd/public/zindex.jsp and follow the instructions on screen.

Paying an invoice to the Agency

Payments must be made by the payable date indicated on the invoice by bank transfer. Payment of Agency invoices is subject to its European Medicines Agency terms and conditions for the payment of Agency's invoices

The payment by bank transfer must be made net of all bank charges, withholding taxes and any other deductions, in euro and by means of a transfer to the Agency's bank account:

ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
IBAN: NL33 ABNA 0837 2865 06
SWIFT: ABNANL2A

Payments should make clear reference to the invoice number. Alternatively, in the case of single remittance for multiple invoices, a remittance advice must be sent to the Agency, by email to [e-mail].

Raising a query on an invoice

Any query arising on the invoice must be notified to EMA within 30 calendar days from the date of the invoice via the EMA invoicing portal.

Please note that raising a query does not suspend the payment period and the invoice still needs to be paid by its due date. If the query leads to a correction of the invoice, any amount overpaid will be reimbursed by EMA or offset against a future invoice.