Free tool
Where is my trademark application?
Enter a USPTO serial number to see where the application stands in plain English, what happens next and how long that usually takes right now, and any deadline you need to meet. Every stage explained: how to register a trademark, step by step.
How long a U.S. trademark application takes right now
Measured from every application that completed each step in the last six months, so these reflect the USPTO's current speed rather than an old average.
| Step | Typical | Most within |
|---|---|---|
| Filing to the examiner's first review | 4 months | 4.5 months |
| Office Action response to the next decision | 15 days | 1.5 months |
| Approval to publication | 28 days | 32 days |
| Publication to registration (in use when filed) | 1.5 months | 1.5 months |
| Publication to Notice of Allowance (intent to use) | 2 months | 2 months |
| Statement of Use to registration | 5 months | 8 months |
"Typical" is the median; "most within" covers nine in ten. Recomputed weekly from the USPTO file histories. The trend over the past year is on the USPTO processing times page.
The stages, in order
- Filed. The application gets a serial number within a day or two and waits for an examining attorney.
- Examined. The examiner either approves it or issues an Office Action listing problems. Most applications get at least one; you have 3 months to respond, extendable once to 6 for a fee.
- Approved and published. The mark is published in the Official Gazette, and anyone can oppose it for 30 days.
- Registered, if it was already in use when filed. If it was filed on intent to use, a Notice of Allowance comes instead, and you have 6 months (extendable up to 3 years) to file a Statement of Use before it registers.
Not filed yet? See how often applications like yours register and check the name first.