According to a recent World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Press Release, there are now 17 countries (including the European Patent Office) allowing electronic filing of Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications. The list of countries/offices, in alphabetical order, providing such a filing mechanism includes Australia, Denmark, the European Patent Office (EPO), Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States of America. Oddly enough, the newest member of this list is the United States, when on October 14th of this year the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s EFS-Web system was expanded to allow for the filing of PCT-SAFE (“Secure Applications Filed Electronically”) system. Some benefits are listed in the WIPO press release (link below), including reduced fees in some instances, prompt filing receipts and processing notices, and cost savings pertaining to copies and postage.

WIPO Press Release: LINK
PCT Treaty, Regulations and Administrative Instructions: LINK
USPTO Electronic Business Center Website: LINK
Current USPTO Fee Listing: LINK
USPTO EFS-Web Help & Tutorial Webpage: LINK