Limited Recognition

Only U.S. citizens or permanent residents can be registered to practice law in patent matters before the Office. 37 CFR §§ 11.6(a) and (b). It has been the long standing practice of the Office to grant limited recognition under 37 CFR § 11.9(b) to nonimmigrant aliens who demonstrate that they are authorized to be employed or trained by a specific employer in the capacity of preparing and prosecuting patent applications.

You may hold yourself out to the public only as having been granted limited recognition to practice in patent matters before the Office. For example, any published biographical information regarding your ability to practice before the Office in patent matters must include an indication of your limited recognition status and shall not reference that you are registered to practice in patent matters before the Office. You are not authorized to hold yourself out as being registered to practice in patent matters before the Office. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in the revocation of your grant of limited recognition to practice in patent matters before the Office. You may apply for registration if your immigration status changes to United States permanent residence or citizenship.

Please visit the forms page (http://www.uspto.gov/ip/boards/oed/practitioner/changeinfo.jsp) for relevant forms