Mailing and hand carry addresses

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. 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 line beginning Mail Stop should be omitted from the address.

Except correspondence for Maintenance Fee payments, Deposit Account Replenishments (see 37 CFR 1.25(c)(4)), and 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 (Federal Express (Fed Ex), UPS, DHL, Laser, 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 (e.g., former 37 CFR 1.192).
Mail Stop Comments-Patents	Public comments regarding patent-related regulations and procedures.
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: Certificate Action Forms, Requests for Customer Number, and Requests for Customer Number Data Change (USPTO Forms PTO-2042, 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 Hatch-Waxman PTE	Applications under 35 U.S.C. 156 for patent term extension based on regulatory review of a product subject to pre-market review by a regulating agency. This mail stop is also to be used for additional correspondence regarding the application for patent term extension under 35 U.S.C. 156. It is preferred that such initial requests be hand-carried to: Office of Patent Legal Administration Room MDW 7D55 600 Dulany Street (Madison Building) Alexandria, VA 22314
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, or submitted in a separate envelope and sent to Mail Stop Assignment Recordation Services, Director - U.S. 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 & Review: Technology Center 3600, Office of the Director Room 4B41 501 Dulany Street (Knox Building) Alexandria, VA 22314
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, use Mail Stop Hatch-Waxman PTE. 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, corrected patent application publication, and refund of publication fee.
Mail Stop Post Issue	In patented files: requests for changes of correspondence address, powers of attorney, revocations of powers of attorney, withdrawal as attorney or agent and submissions under 37 CFR 1.501. Designation of, or changes to, a fee address should be addressed to Mail Stop M Correspondence. 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) and 1.302(c)).
Mail Stop Inter Partes Reexam	Original requests for Inter Partes Reexamination and all subsequent correspondence other than correspondence to the Office of the Solicitor (see 37 CFR 1.1(a)(3) and 1.302(c)).
Mail Stop Reissue	All new and continuing reissue application filings.
Mail Stop Sequence	Submission of the computer readable form (CRF) for applications with sequence listings, when the CRF is not being filed with the patent application.
Mail Stop Supplemental Examination	(Effective September 16, 2012). Requests for Supplemental Examination original request papers and any other correspondence to the Office of the Solicitor (see 37 CFR Secs. 1.1(a)(3) AND 1.302(c)). 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 proceeding, use "Mail Stop Ex Parte Reexam."

Trademark applications and correspondence

Paper Trademark identity verification forms should be sent to:

Mail Stop EBC
Commissioner for Trademarks
P.O. Box 1451
Alexandria, VA 22313-1451

Please address trademark-related correspondence 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

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 Policy regarding Letters of Protest must be mailed to:

Letter of Protest
ATTN: Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Policy
600 Dulany Street, MDE-4B89
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 that Fastener Quality Act, notifications of Native American Tribal Insignia.

Trademark-related mail to be delivered by hand or other private courier or delivery service (e.g., UPS, Federal Express) to the Trademark Operation, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, or the Office's Madrid Processing Unit, 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 correspondence 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.
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 are processed much more quickly than those submitted by mail.
Mail Stop Congressional Relations	Mail for the Office of Congressional Relations
Mail Stop Deposit Accounts	Payments to replenish USPTO deposit accounts.
Mail Stop EEO	Mail for the Office of Civil Rights.
Mail Stop External Affairs	Mail for the Office of External 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