If your business is based outside the United States and you hold a U.S. patent or a pending application, a change to USPTO practice may affect a deadline you are already facing. Starting Monday, July 20, 2026, applicants and owners who are not domiciled in the U.S. or its territories must be represented by a USPTO registered patent practitioner. Papers filed in patent matters on or after that date will need to be signed by a registered practitioner.
The part that surprises people is that this is not limited to new applications.
Your pending matters are included
The rule applies to all papers received on or after July 20, 2026, regardless of when the application was filed. So a response, an amendment, or any other paper due after that date, in a case you filed months or years ago, now needs a registered U.S. practitioner to sign it.
If you have a deadline coming up, this is the item to handle first. Waiting until the paper is due leaves no room to bring in representation and get up to speed on your matter.
Who this reaches
Two groups need to act. The first is inventors and companies based outside the U.S. who have been filing here on their own. The second is patent firms and agents outside the U.S. who handle American matters for their clients but are not themselves registered before the USPTO. In both cases, a registered U.S. practitioner now needs to be in place.
What to do
Identify every U.S. matter that may need a paper filed after July 20, with close attention to any pending deadline. Then engage a USPTO registered patent practitioner early enough for a clean handoff before your next due date. If you work with local counsel, get your firm and your U.S. practitioner aligned on strategy and timing so nothing slips.
The USPTO publishes a directory of registered practitioners but does not select or recommend one for you. The choice is yours, and it is worth making with someone who understands both your technology and how a U.S. matter fits into an international portfolio.
Why work with Underwood & Associates
We are a boutique firm, which for you means you work directly with the registered practitioner handling your case, not a rotating group of junior associates. That translates into faster turnaround, direct answers, and fees well below what large firms charge.
The firm is led by a USPTO registered patent practitioner (Reg. No. 65230) with 17 years of experience in U.S. prosecution, PCT and international filings, and matters before the European Patent Office. Our technical range covers a wide variety of subject matters. If you already file in Europe or Asia, you will find the cross-border workflow familiar, and you will find a U.S. associate who speaks your language.
For firms and agents outside the U.S., one point matters before anything else. We work as your U.S. associate, not your competitor. Your client stays your client. We handle the signing and filing before the USPTO and keep you informed at every step.
The fastest way to get an answer
If you have a U.S. matter with a deadline after July 20, 2026, send us your application number and your next due date. We will confirm within one business day whether we can take it over in time to meet that deadline. If you are planning new filings, tell us the technology and the timeline, and we will tell you how we can help.
We invite you to contact us for a free consultation.
This article is provided for general information and does not constitute legal advice or create a client relationship. For the full scope of the rule and any limited exceptions, review the USPTO Federal Register Notice on the required use of a patent practitioner by foreign applicants and owners (2026-05564).
