International Patent Legal Administration (formerly PCT Legal)

The International Patent Legal Administration (IPLA), formerly the Office of PCT Legal Administration, educates and assists the patent community, develops policy and resolves legal issues relating to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs and other international cooperative patent projects or agreements, such as the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH). The IPLA decides petitions to the Commissioner in international applications filed under the PCT and in U.S. national stage applications submitted under 35 U.S.C. 371.

Correspondence address used for filing new international applications, responses to invitations, demands, national phase entry paper, etc.

Mail Stop PCT
Commissioner for Patents
PO Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450

Hand delivery address* used for filing new international applications, responses to invitations, demands, national phase entry paper, etc. by delivery services (Federal Express (Fed Ex), UPS, DHL, Laser, Action, Purolator, etc.)

United States Patent and Trademark Office
Customer Service Window, Mail Stop PCT
Randolph Building
401 Dulany Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

* The location for the Customer Service Window is on the first floor of the south side of the Randolph Building with street level access from Ballenger Avenue.

Correspondence and hand delivery addresses used for filing petitions and other legal matters in international applications and national phase applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 371.

Correspondence Address

Mail Stop PCT
Attention: International Patent Legal Administration
Commissioner for Patents
PO Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450

Hand Delivery Address

United States Patent and Trademark Office
Customer Service Window, Mail Stop PCT
Attention: International Patent Legal Administration

Randolph Building
401 Dulany Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

Address for PCT Operations customer service for inspecting files located in PCT PALM locations. Customer should call 703-756-1800 to make arrangements to inspect a file.

PCT File Inspection Location

File Information Unit
Randolph Square Building
Room 3A20
2800 South Randolph Street
Arlington, VA 22206

PCT Forms, Fees and Information

What's NEW / Announcements

• Chapter I
• Chapter II
• National Stage (US)

• Current PCT Fees

PCT Documents

• Patent Cooperation Treaty
• PCT Regulations
• PCT Administrative Instructions and Modifications
• PCT Receiving Office Guidelines
• PCT Search & Examination Guidelines
• PCT Gazette

PCT Helpful Resources

• PCT Applicant's Guide
• FAQ's about PCT [PDF]
• Instructions for Accessing WO Documents [PDF]
• Chapter 1800 of MPEP
• PCT Time Limits Calculator
• Time Limit for National/Regional Phase
• Where to File Communications
• Various Forms
• WARNING: Fraudulent Requests for Payment of Fees
  • Non-WIPO Solicitations
  • Non-USPTO Solicitations
• ISA Limited Competency [PDF]
• ROSPATENT - ISA/IPEA Information Sheet [PDF]
• PCT Newsletter
  • Practical Advice: different options available for furnishing priority documents
  • Practical Advice: situation where it may be beneficial to indicate inventor(s) as applicant(s)
• Introduction to PCT (GIPA IP E-Learning Module)

PCT General Information

• PCT Help Desk
• PCT Mailing List
• PCT Contracting States [PDF] w/ Country Codes
• Associating an international application filed under the PCT with a Customer Number
• Faxing International Application Papers to USPTO
• Mailing Address
• PCT Task Force Meeting

PCT & EFS-Web

• File on EFS-Web
  • New international application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty may be submitted using EFS-Web
    • Follow-on for an existing international application
  • First submission for a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. 371 may be submitted using EFS-Web
• Important Reminders
• Help & Tutorials
  • FAQs
  • Filing a new PCT application
  • Filing a Communication with RO/US or ISA/US
  • Filing a Demand for Chapter II Examination
  • Filing a Communication with IPEA/US
  • Associating an international application filed under the PCT with a Customer Number
•    Preparing the PCT-SAFE .zip for fully electronic filing with RO/US using EFS-Web   
• Sequence Listing (SL) & EFS-Web
  • Filled-out Conventional Request (PCT/RO/101)
  • Filled-out PCT-SAFE/EASY

PCT & Sequence Listing (SL)

• July 2009 Administrative Instruction Changes

• Instructions & Examples of Filled-out Request with SL

  • Conventional Request (PCT/RO/101)
  • PCT-SAFE/EASY

PCT & Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)

• Global/IP5 and Other PPH Pilot Programs

Related Sites

• Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs
• World Intellectual Property Organization
• European Patent Office
• Korean Intellectual Property Office
• IP Australia
• Rospatent

An important goal of the USPTO is to provide the worldwide intellectual property community with the most innovative and up-to-date customer service involving the Patent Cooperation Treaty. In our continuing efforts to meet the rapidly growing needs of our customers on a worldwide basis and provide a user-friendly product, we offer downloadable forms and fee information needed for the filing of international applications in the United States Receiving Office (RO/US) and the prosecution of international applications before the United States International Searching Authority (ISA/US) , the United States International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA/US) , and the United States Designated/Elected Office (DO/EO/US) .

Forms are available in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF). Viewing and printing the forms requires that you have Adobe's free Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Details concerning Adobe Acrobat Reader installation and integration with your web browser are dependent upon your computing and browsing environment and cannot be provided or supported by the USPTO.

Note: The USPTO has made every effort to ensure that the PCT forms and information available on this site are accurate and up-to-date. It is the user's responsibility to ensure that the forms and information being downloaded and used in connection with any international application are accurate and current. The Request and Demand Forms are typically updated twice a year (January and July) by the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Any newly revised forms or information should be available within 48 hours of receipt by the office. A reasonable delay between the date of revision and availability on this web site should be anticipated.

PCT Mailing List

The International Patent Legal Administration maintains a mailing list to notify PCT customers, via e-mail, of updates to the forms and other information on these pages. Requests to be placed on this list should be sent to pctupdates-request(at)uspto.gov*. Please ensure that you include your preferred e-mail address in the request. The USPTO privacy policy governs use of this list.

* To help protect our site from spam, please replace (at) with @ when addressing email.

PCT Telephone and Facsimile Numbers

The PCT Help Desk, which provides information and assistance on the PCT process, may be reached by telephone at (571) 272-4300 between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm (EST/EDT), Monday through Friday or by facsimile (FAX) at (571) 273-0419 twenty-four hours a day.

The International Patent Legal Administration for petitions and other legal matters may be reached by facsimile (FAX) at (571) 273-0459 twenty-four hours a day.

The PCT Operations may be reached by facsimile (FAX) at (571) 273-8300 twenty-four hours a day.

Feedback

Comments and suggestions relating to the forms and information available on this site may be directed to the International Patent Legal Administration by mail or facsimile. Any correspondence by mail should be addressed to Mail Stop PCT, Commissioner for Patents, PO Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450. The contents of the envelope should be addressed to the attention of Harry Kim. Harry may be reached by facsimile (FAX) at (571) 273-0419 or by e-mail at Harry.Kim(at)uspto.gov*.

* To help protect our site from spam, please replace (at) with @ when addressing email.

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