General Requirements Bulletin - Admission to the Examination for Registration to Practice in Patent Cases before the USPTO - October 2020 Revision

Sep 4, 2026

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General Requirements Bulletin issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office Office of Enrollment and Discipline provides guidance for admission to the examination required for registration to practice in patent cases before the USPTO. The bulletin explains recognition standards for attorneys and agents, criteria for scientific and technical training, waiver requests for former USPTO employees, application steps, filing and mailing instructions, post-application process, reasonable accommodations, test administration, reapplication, refunds, regulation waivers, and successful completion requirements.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages43

Reading Time1 h 48 min

AccessFree to download

General Requirements Bulletin

Recognition of Attorneys and Agents

Request for Waiver of the Examination for Former USPTO Employees under 37 CFR § 11.7(d)

Scientific and Technical Training Requirements for Admission to the Examination

Instructions for Applying for Admission to the Examination

Filing Deadline

Mailing Instructions and Confirmation of Receipt by OED

The Process Following Application for Admission to the Examination

Reasonable Accommodations

The Examination

Test Administration

Reapplying for the Examination

Refunds of USPTO Fees

Waivers of Regulations Regarding the Examination

Successful Completion of the Examination

Finding OED Information on the Internet

Certificate of Mailing under 37 CFR 1.8

OED Privacy Act Advisory Statement

| | | --- | | United States Patent and Trademark Office Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED)
General Requirements Bulletin for Admission to the Examination for Registration to Practice in Patent Cases before the United States Patent and
Trademark Office [1]
[1] The contents of this guidance document do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way. This guidance is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies. See Premysler v. Lehman, 71 F.3d 387, 390 (Fed. Cir. 1995) (“the General Requirements do not bind the public to new regulations that were not subject to notice and comment”) . | |
Issued October 2020 | General Requirements Bulletin Table of Contents I. RECOGNITION OF ATTORNEYS AND AGENTS ............................................................................. -1- II. REQUEST FOR WAIVER OF THE EXAMINATION FOR FORMER USPTO EMPLOYEES UNDER 37 CFR § 11.7(d) .................................................................................................................... -2- III. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO THE EXAMINATION...................................................................................................................................... -3- IV. INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLYING FOR ADMISSION TO THE EXAMINATION ............................ -9- V. FILING DEADLINE .......................................................................................................................... -15- VI. MAILING INSTRUCTIONS AND CONFIRMATION OF RECEIPT BY OED ................................. -15- VII. THE PROCESS FOLLOWING APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION TO THE EXAMINATION ...... -16- VIII. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS ........................................................................................ -18- IX. THE EXAMINATION ...................................................................................................................... -19- X.TEST ADMINISTRATION ................................................................................................................ -20- XI. REAPPLYING FOR THE EXAMINATION ..................................................................................... -23- XII. REFUNDS OF USPTO FEES....................................................................................................... -24- XIII. WAIVERS OF REGULATIONS REGARDING THE EXAMINATION .......................................... -25- XIV. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE EXAMINATION ........................................................... -25- XV. FINDING OED INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET .................................................................. -25- CERTIFICATE OF MAILING UNDER 37 CFR 1.8 ............................................................................. -26- OED PRIVACY ACT ADVISORY STATEMENT ................................................................................. -27- Issued July 2020 This is a revision of the General Requirements Bulletin issued November 2019 GENERAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION I. RECOGNITION OF ATTORNEYS AND AGENTS The regulations governing the recognition of individuals to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) in patent cases are set forth in 37 CFR §§ 11.5 (Register of attorneys and agents in patent matters), 11.6 (Registration of attorneys and agents), 11.7 (Requirements for registration), 11.8 (Oath and registration fee), 11.9 (Limited recognition in patent matters), and 11.16 (Law School Clinic Certification Program) . The USPTO Director is given statutory authority to require a showing by patent practitioners that they are “possessed of the necessary qualifications to render to applicants or other persons valuable service, advice, and assistance in the presentation or prosecution of their applications or other bus

FAQs

What is the purpose of the OED General Requirements Bulletin?

It provides clarity on existing USPTO and legal/agency requirements for admission to the examination for registration to practice in patent cases before the USPTO.

How can former USPTO employees request a waiver of the examination?

The bulletin includes a section describing the request process for a waiver of the examination for former USPTO employees under 37 CFR § 11.7(d).

What topics are covered for the examination process after applying?

It covers filing and mailing instructions, the post-application process, reasonable accommodations, examination and test administration, reapplication, refunds, regulation waivers, and requirements for successful completion.

Sep 4, 2026

Upload by Adam