The decision to grant contains the date of the mention of the grant of the European patent and is sent to the applicant when the technical preparations for printing the patent specification have been completed.

At the same time as mention of the grant is published in the Bulletin, the EPO publishes the patent specification containing the description, claims (in the three official languages) and any drawings. The front page of the published specification shows inter alia the Contracting States which are still designated at the time of grant (or the designation of which has been withdrawn after completion of the technical preparations for printing).

Mistakes in the specification of a European patent arising in the course of its production have no effect on the content of the patent granted. For this, only the text on which the decision to grant the patent is based is decisive (see Legal Advice No. 17/90, OJ 6/1990, 260).