Patents

Patent Provisional Application Fee

A provisional application must also include the filing fee and a cover sheet identifying: the application as a provisional application for patent which includes the name(s) of all inventors; inventor residence(s); title of the invention; name and registration number of attorney or agent and docket number (if applicable); correspondence address; and any US Government agency that has a property interest in the application.

Since June 8, 1995, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has offered inventors the option of filing a provisional application for patent which was designed to provide a lower-cost first patent filing in the United States. Applicants are entitled to claim the benefit of a provisional application in a corresponding non-provisional application filed not later than 12 months after the provisional application filing date.

Provisional patent applications cannot claim the benefit of a previously filed application, either foreign or domestic.
The current fee for a provisional application for patent can be found on the fee page. USPTO Contact Center (UCC) customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays) at 800-786-9199 to provide fee information. Payment by check or money order must be made payable to “Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office”. And Mail the provisional application and filing fee to: Commissioner for Patents, P. O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.

Currently, the USPTO filing fee for a provisional application is $100.00 for individuals, non-profit organizations, universities and for-profit corporations of less than 500 employees, including affiliates (“small entities”) and $200.00 for for-profit corporations of 500 or more employees, including affiliates (“large entities”).