USPTO Trademark 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

trademark registration certificate, certified trademark copy

A certified copy of a U.S. trademark registration is often required to register or enforce your mark abroad — as the basis for a Madrid Protocol application, for a direct national filing, or as evidence in a foreign opposition or infringement proceeding. As a federal document, it authenticates through the U.S. Department of State.

As with patents, the distinction that matters is certified copy versus printout.

What a certified trademark copy is

The USPTO issues certified copies of trademark registrations and related records — bearing the office's certification and seal confirming they're true copies of the official register. A status printout from the USPTO's public search system is not the same thing and won't be accepted by a foreign trademark office as proof of your U.S. rights.

Commonly authenticated items include the registration certificate, certified copies of the registration with current status, and assignment records showing ownership.

Why it needs an apostille abroad

A foreign trademark office cannot verify a U.S. registration 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 plus embassy or consulate legalization.

Ordering the certified copy from USPTO

Order certified copies directly from the USPTO through its ordering system; a fee applies per copy. Be specific about what you need — a plain certified copy of the registration, a copy with current status and title, or assignment records — because foreign offices ask for particular versions.

Once you have it, send it to us and we take it through apostille.

Document preparation requirements

• Order the certified copy from the USPTO — not a public-search printout.
• Submit it exactly as issued, with 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 version the foreign office needs (registration, status-and-title, or assignment).

The step-by-step process

1. Confirm what the foreign office needs

   Tell us the destination and filing route — we'll confirm whether you need the registration certificate, status and title, 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 required.

Common rejection reasons — and how to avoid them

Common uses

• Madrid Protocol applications — using the U.S. registration as the basis for international filing.
• Direct foreign trademark filings — national applications that require proof of the home registration.
• Brand enforcement abroad — oppositions, infringement actions, and customs recordals.
• Licensing and assignment — recording ownership with a foreign registry.
• Corporate transactions — verifying IP ownership for an overseas counterparty.

Hague vs. non-Hague countries

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

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