The USPTO encourages customers to take advantage of the efficiency and convenience of online fees and payments; however, you may also conduct official correspondence with us via post mail and hand delivery.
For most correspondence (e.g., new patent applications) no mail stop is required because the processing of the correspondence is routine. If no mail stop is included on the list below, no mail stop is required for the correspondence. See the listing under "General correspondence to the United States Patent and Trademark Office" for additional mail stops for patent-related correspondence. Only the specified type of document should be placed in an envelope addressed to one of these special mail stops. If any documents other than the specified type identified for each special mail stop are addressed to that mail stop, they will be significantly delayed in reaching the appropriate area for which they are intended.
The mail stop should generally appear as the first line in the address.
Patent applications and correspondence
Please address mail to be delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as follows:
Mail Stop __________
Commissioner for Patents
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
If no Mail Stop is indicated below, the Mail Stop line should be omitted from the address.
Except correspondence for Licensing and Review (see 37 CFR 5.1(c) and 5.2(c)), please address patent-related correspondence to be delivered by other delivery services (FedEx (formally Federal Express), UPS, DHL, OnTrac (formerly LaserShip), Action, Purolator, etc.) as follows:
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Customer Service Window, Mail Stop _____
Knox Building
501 Dulany Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
| Mail Stop Designations | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Mail Stop 12 | Contributions to the Examiner Education Program. |
| Mail Stop 313(c) | Petitions under 37 CFR 1.313(c) to withdraw a patent application from issue after payment of the issue fee and any papers associated with the petition, including papers necessary for a continuing application or a request for continued examination (RCE). |
| Mail Stop AF | Amendments and other responses after final rejection (e.g., a notice of appeal (and any request for pre-appeal brief conference)), other than an appeal brief. |
| Mail Stop Amendment | Information disclosure statements, drawings, and replies to office actions in patent applications with or without an amendment to the application or a terminal disclaimer. (Use Mail Stop AF for replies after final rejection.) |
| Mail Stop Appeal Brief-Patents | For appeal briefs or other briefs under part 41 of title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations. |
| Mail Stop Conversion | Requests under 37 CFR 1.53(c)(2) to convert a nonprovisional application to a provisional application and requests under 37 CFR 1.53(c)(3) to convert a provisional application to a nonprovisional application. |
| Mail Stop EBC | Mail for the Electronic Business Center including: Patent Electronic System Verification Forms, Requests for Customer Number Data Change, and Requests for Customer Number (USPTO Forms PTO-2042a, PTO/SB/124A and 125A, respectively) and Customer Number Upload spreadsheets and cover letters. |
| Mail Stop Expedited Design | Only to be used for the initial filing of design applications accompanied by a request for expedited examination under 37 CFR 1.155. |
| Mail Stop Express Abandonment | Requests for abandonment of a patent application pursuant to 37 CFR 1.138, including any petitions under 37 CFR 1.138(c) to expressly abandon an application to avoid publication of the application. |
| Mail Stop ILS | Correspondence relating to international patent classification, exchanges, and standards. |
| Mail Stop Issue Fee | All communications following the receipt of a PTOL-85, "Notice of Allowance and Fee(s) Due," and prior to the issuance of a patent should be addressed to Mail Stop Issue Fee, unless advised to the contrary. Assignments are the exception. Assignments with cover sheets should be faxed to 571-273-0140, electronically submitted (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/), or submitted in a separate envelope and sent to Mail Stop Assignment Recordation Services, Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office as shown below. |
| Mail Stop L&R | All documents pertaining to applications subject to secrecy order pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 181, or national-security classified and required to be processed accordingly. Such papers, petitions for foreign filing license pursuant to 37 CFR 5.12(b) for which expedited handling is requested, and petitions for retroactive license under 37 CFR 5.25 may also be hand carried to Licensing and Review: Licensing and Review, Office of the Director |
| Mail Stop Missing Parts | Requests for a corrected filing receipt and replies to OPAP notices such as the Notice of Omitted Items, Notice to File Corrected Application Papers, Notice of Incomplete Application, Notice to Comply with Nucleotide Sequence Requirements, and Notice to File Missing Parts of Application, and associated papers and fees. |
| Mail Stop MPEP | Submissions concerning the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. |
| Mail Stop Patent Ext. | Applications for patent term extension or adjustment under 35 U.S.C. 154 and any communications relating thereto. This mail stop is limited to petitions for patent term extension under 35 U.S.C. 154 for applications filed between June 8, 1995 and May 29, 2000, and patent term adjustment (PTA) under 35 U.S.C. 154 for applications filed on or after May 29, 2000. For applications for patent term extension under 35 U.S.C. 156, submissions must be made electronically via the USPTO patent electronic filing system (https://patentcenter.uspto.gov). For applications for patent term extension or adjustment under 35 U.S.C. 154 that are mailed together with the payment of the issue fee, use Mail Stop Issue Fee. |
| Mail Stop Patent Search Template Comments | Submission of comments regarding search templates. |
| Mail Stop PCT | Mail related to international applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty in the international phase and in the national phase under 35 U.S.C. 371 prior to mailing of a Notification of Acceptance of Application Under 35 U.S.C. 371 and 37 CFR 1.495 (Form PCT/DO/EO/903). |
| Mail Stop Petition | Petitions to be decided by the Office of Petitions, including petitions to revive and petitions to accept late payment of issue fees or maintenance fees. |
| Mail Stop PGPUB | Correspondence regarding publication of patent applications not otherwise provided, including: requests for early publication made after filing, rescission of a non-publication request, request for corrected patent application publication, and refund of publication fee. |
| Mail Stop Post Issue | In patented files: requests for changes of correspondence address, powers as attorney or agent, revocations of powers of attorney, withdrawal of attorney and submissions under 37 CFR 1.501. Designation of, or changes to, a fee address should be addressed to Mail Stop Maintenance Fee. Requests for Certificate of Correction need no special mail stop, but should be mailed to the attention of Certificate of Correction Branch. |
| Mail Stop RCE | Requests for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114. |
| Mail Stop Reconstruction | Correspondence pertaining to the reconstruction of lost patent files. |
| Mail Stop Ex Parte Reexam | Original requests for Ex Parte Reexamination and all subsequent correspondence other than correspondence to the Office of the Solicitor (see 37 CFR 1.1(a)(3)). Effective September 16, 2012, this mail stop is also to be used for any papers to be filed in an ex parte reexamination proceeding ordered as a result of a supplemental examination proceeding. |
| Mail Stop Reissue | All new and continuing reissue application filings. |
| Mail Stop Sequence | Submission of the sequence listing in computer readable form (CRF) or extensible markup language (XML) for applications, when the CRF or XML is not being filed with the patent application. |
| Mail Stop Supplemental Examination | (Effective September 16, 2012). Requests for Supplemental Examination, including original request papers and any other correspondence, other than correspondence to the Office of the Solicitor (see 37 CFR 1.1(a)(3)). This mail stop is limited to original request papers and any other papers that are to be filed in a supplemental examination proceeding. For any papers to be filed in an ex parte reexamination proceeding ordered as a result of a supplemental examination proceeding, use "Mail Stop Ex Parte Reexam". |
Trademark applications and correspondence
Please address trademark-related mail to be delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS), except documents sent to the Assignment Services Division for recordation, requests for copies of trademark documents, and documents directed to the Madrid Processing Unit, as follows:
Commissioner for Trademarks
P.O. Box 1451
Alexandria, VA 22313-1451
Paper Trademark Identity Verification Forms (USPTO-TM Form 320) must be mailed to:
Mail Stop EBC
Commissioner for Trademarks
P.O. Box 1451
Alexandria, VA 22313-1451
Mail to be delivered by the USPS to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, must be mailed to:
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board
P.O. Box 1451
Alexandria, VA 22313-1451
Mail to be delivered by the USPS to the Office's Madrid Processing Unit, must be mailed to:
Madrid Processing Unit
600 Dulany Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-5796
Mail to be delivered by the USPS to the Office's Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy regarding Letters of Protest must be mailed to:
Letter of Protest
ATTN: Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Examination Policy
600 Dulany Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-5796
Mail to be delivered by the USPS to the Director regarding the Fastener Quality Act (FQA) must be mailed to:
Director, USPTO
ATTN: FQA
600 Dulany Street, MDE-10A71
Alexandria, VA 22314-5793
Mail to be delivered by the USPS to the Commissioner regarding the recordal of a Native American Tribal Insignia (NATI) must be mailed to:
Native American Tribal Insignia
ATTN: Commissioner for Trademarks
600 Dulany Street
MDE-10A71
Alexandria, VA 22314-5793
Do NOT send any of the following via USPS certified mail or with a "signature required" option: submissions to the Madrid Processing Unit, Letters of Protest, applications for recordal of insignia under the Fastener Quality Act, notifications of Native American Tribal Insignia.
Trademark-related mail to be delivered by other delivery services (FedEx (formally Federal Express), UPS, DHL, OnTrac (formerly LaserShip), Action, Purolator, etc.), by courier or by hand to the Trademark Operation, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the Office's Madrid Processing Unit, Letters of Protest, FQA or NATI, must be delivered to:
Trademark Assistance Center
Madison East, Concourse Level Room C 55
600 Dulany Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
General correspondence to the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Please address mail to be directed to a mail stop identified below to be delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as follows (unless otherwise instructed):
Mail Stop _____
Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
| Mail Stop Designations | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Mail Stop 3 | Mail for the Office of Personnel from NFC. |
| Mail Stop 6 | Mail for the Office of Procurement. |
| Mail Stop 8 | All papers for the Office of the Solicitor should be sent to Mail Stop 8, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450, EXCEPT for notices and requests pursuant to 37 CFR 90.2, 90.3, and 2.145, which should be filed electronically. |
| Mail Stop 11 | Mail for the Electronic Ordering Service (EOS). |
| Mail Stop 13 | Mail for the Employee and Labor Relations Division. |
| Mail Stop 16 | Mail related to refund requests, other than requests for refund of a patent application publication fee. Such requests should be directed to Mail Stop PGPub. |
| Mail Stop 17 | Invoices directed to the Office of Finance. |
| Mail Stop 24 | Mail for the Inventor's Assistance Program, including complaints about Invention Promoters. |
| Mail Stop 171 | Vacancy Announcement Applications. |
| Mail Stop Assignment Recordation Services | All assignment documents, security interests, and other documents to be recorded in the Assignment records. Note that documents with cover sheets that are faxed to 571-273-0140 or submitted electronically (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov) are processed much more quickly than those submitted by mail. |
| Mail Stop Deposit Accounts | Payments to replenish USPTO deposit accounts. |
| Mail Stop Document Services | All requests for certified or uncertified copies of patent or trademark documents. |
| Mail Stop EEO | Mail for the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity. |
| Mail Stop Governmental Affairs | Mail for the Office of Governmental Affairs. |
| Mail Stop Interference | Communications relating to interferences and applications and patents involved in interference. |
| Mail Stop Maintenance Fee | Payments of maintenance fees in patents, and mail to designate or change a fee address, or other correspondence related to maintenance fees. |
| Mail Stop OED | Mail for the Office of Enrollment and Discipline. |
| Mail Stop OPIA | Mail for the Office of Policy and International Affairs |
| Mail Stop Office of the General Counsel | Mail for the Office of the General Counsel. |