How to Submit a FOIA Request to the USPTO
The request must be in writing. No telephone requests will be accepted.
If you do not know the exact title of the document you are seeking, you should provide a reasonable description of the document. The more information that you can provide about the document, such as its author or date, the more expeditiously your request will be processed.
Your request will be logged and a tracking number assigned to it. The tracking number assigned is of great importance to you as a requester because, in the event you would like to check the status of your request, it enables us to locate where in the process your request is.
FOIA Requests Should Be Addressed to:
By mail:
USPTO FOIA Officer
United States Patent and Trademark Office
PO Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
efoia@uspto.gov
By hand:
Madison Building East
600 Dulany Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Please note: efoia@uspto.gov is a link for FOIA request submissions only. In any e-mail request, please state that that the request is made pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and describe the records sought. Failure to do so may result in your e-mail not being identified as a FOIA request. E-mail submissions not considered FOIA requests may be disregarded.
For general information, please refer to the following USPTO website address:
You must also provide a mailing address in your EFOIA request. Not all USPTO records are reasonably available in a format suitable for e-mail transmission. Failure to provide a mailing address could result in a delay in processing your request.