How do I file a US patent application from outside the US?
Reviewed by
Dominic Davies, patent attorney (20+ years)
· Last reviewed
September 7, 2026
Foreign applicants file with the USPTO the same way domestic applicants do, either directly, via the Paris Convention within 12 months of a home-country filing, or through PCT national phase entry. US patent agents or attorneys are generally required to represent foreign applicants before the USPTO.
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