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Can I file abroad first? A section 39 check

If anyone involved is resident in India, filing outside India first without permission can cost you the Indian application or patent.

Has it been at least six weeks since the Indian filing, with no secrecy direction in force?

Section 39(1) needs both: the Indian application at least six weeks before the foreign one, and no direction under section 35(1), or all such directions revoked.

Educational guidance only - not legal advice. Do not rely on it. It cannot see your documents, your dates or the prior art, and those usually decide the answer. Laws, rules, forms, fees and deadlines change. Please review your situation with a qualified advocate, patent attorney or registered patent agent before you act or decide not to act.

Not sure whether this applies to your invention?

The honest answer usually needs someone to look at your actual disclosure, your timeline and the prior art. That is a conversation, not an article.