Under Art. 79(2), the designation fees can be validly paid up to the same time limit as the examination fee and therefore will be generally paid at the same time as the examination fee. The examination whether and to what extent the designation fees have been validly paid has been entrusted to the formalities officer by virtue of Rule 9(3); see point 1 of the Notice of the Vice-President Directorate-General 2 of the EPO dated 28 April 1999 (OJ 7/1999, 503). The same applies to the examination as to whether extension fees have been paid, see A-III, 13.2.