USPTO Patent Document Apostille

Issuing agency

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

We can obtain it?

No — you order the certified copy from USPTO

Certification first?

No — the USPTO certified copy is authenticated as issued

Also known as

patent grant, letters patent, certified patent copy

A certified copy of a U.S. patent is frequently required when filing for protection abroad, claiming priority from your U.S. application, or enforcing your patent in a foreign court. Because the USPTO is a federal agency, these documents authenticate through the U.S. Department of State — never a state office.

There's one distinction that decides whether your document is accepted, and it catches a lot of people: printouts aren't certified copies.

What a certified patent copy is

The USPTO issues certified copies of patents and patent applications — documents bearing the office's certification and seal confirming they are true copies of the official record. This is different from the patent PDF you can download free from the USPTO's public databases: a download has no certification, and a foreign patent office or court won't accept it as evidence of the U.S. record.

Commonly authenticated items include the issued patent grant, certified copies of the application as filed (for priority claims), and assignment records.

Why it needs an apostille abroad

A foreign patent office or court cannot verify a U.S. patent record on its own. The apostille certifies the USPTO's certification and seal as genuine across the 120-plus Hague Convention countries. Non-Hague destinations require that authentication followed by embassy or consulate legalization.

Ordering the certified copy from USPTO

Certified copies are ordered directly from the USPTO — through its electronic ordering system or by written request — and a fee applies per copy. Specify exactly what you need: the issued patent, the application as filed, or assignment records, since these are different products and foreign offices ask for specific ones.

Once the certified copy arrives, send it to us and we take it through apostille.

Document preparation requirements

• Order the certified copy from the USPTO — not a database download.
• Submit it exactly as issued, with the certification and seal intact.
• Do not notarize it — a notary can't certify a federal record.
• Don't laminate, staple across the seal, highlight, or annotate it.
• Confirm which document the foreign office wants (grant, application as filed, or assignment) before ordering.

The step-by-step process

1. Confirm what the foreign office needs

   Tell us the destination and the filing type — we'll confirm whether you need the grant, the application as filed, or assignment records.

2. Order the certified copy from USPTO

   Request it through the USPTO's ordering system; a per-copy fee applies.

3. Send it to us & we review

   We verify the certification is in a form the Department of State will authenticate.

4. We submit in Washington, D.C.

   We hand-deliver the certified copy to the Office of Authentications with the federal authentication request and fee.

5. Apostille or authentication issued

   You receive an apostille (Hague) or authentication certificate (non-Hague), affixed to your certified copy.

6. Embassy legalization & translation, if required

   For non-Hague destinations we handle embassy legalization, and arrange certified translation where the patent office requires it.

Common rejection reasons — and how to avoid them

Common uses

• Foreign patent filings — supporting national-phase or direct applications abroad.
• Priority claims — proving your earlier U.S. filing date under the Paris Convention.
• IP enforcement in foreign courts — evidencing your U.S. patent rights.
• Technology licensing and assignment — recording rights with a foreign registry.
• Due diligence and financing — where an overseas counterparty needs verified records.

Hague vs. non-Hague countries

Pick your destination below, or see all countries we serve.

Official references: USPTO — Certified Copies · U.S. Department of State — Authenticate Your Document. Government fees are set by these agencies and are separate from our service fee.