USPTO procedure guide
What is the official website to file a federal trademark?
There is exactly one government website for federal trademark applications: USPTO.gov. Here is how filing there works today: the account, the identity check, the Trademark Center, the fees, and how to avoid sites that only look official.
By Bill, Business Growth Expert · Verified and checked on October 20, 2026
Short answer
The official site is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at USPTO.gov. New applications are filed in its Trademark Center, which replaced the old TEAS application forms on January 18, 2025. You need a USPTO.gov account with verified identity, and the government fee is $350 per class. Any other website is a private company, including filing services like ours, even if it looks official.
How do you file on the official USPTO website?
Step 1
Create a USPTO.gov account
Sign up at USPTO.gov. You need an account to use any trademark system.
Step 2
Verify your identity
Online through ID.me (usually under 15 minutes) or with a notarized paper form (about two to three weeks).
Step 3
Open Trademark Center
Start a new application, enter the owner details and your mark, then choose goods or services from the ID Manual.
Step 4
Pay and submit
Pay $350 per class on USPTO.gov. You receive a serial number straight away.
Step 5
Track it in TSDR
Follow status and read every official letter in TSDR using your serial number.
Identity verification has been required since August 6, 2022. If a U.S.-licensed attorney files for you, they verify instead. Owners domiciled outside the U.S. must use a U.S. attorney.
What does the USPTO charge?
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Base application fee | $350 per class |
| Insufficient information surcharge | +$100 per class |
| Free-form description instead of ID Manual wording | +$200 per class |
| Each additional 1,000 characters of description | +$200 per class |
| Statement of Use (intent-to-use filings) | $150 per class |
| Extension to file a Statement of Use | $125 per class |
The old $250 TEAS Plus and $350 TEAS Standard options no longer exist. The surcharges replaced them, so the cheapest route is a complete application using ID Manual wording. Our trademark cost breakdown works through real examples.
How can you tell the real USPTO site from a lookalike?
Official
- Web addresses ending in .gov: USPTO.gov and my.USPTO.gov
- Emails from @uspto.gov
- Fees that match the USPTO fee schedule
Not the USPTO
- .com or .org sites using “official”, “federal” or “USPTO” in their names
- Copies of USPTO pages asking for card or login details
- Totals that don’t show the $350-per-class government fee separately
For the scams that target new filers, see how to spot fake USPTO calls, emails and invoices.
Should you file yourself or use a filing service?
Filing directly on USPTO.gov is the lowest-cost route, and many owners with a simple word mark do it themselves. People turn to a filing service, such as Secure Mark USA, for help choosing the class and ID Manual wording, preparing a specimen that will be accepted, and tracking deadlines. Those are the steps where self-filed applications most often stumble.
A filing service is a private company. It is not the USPTO and not a law firm, and the USPTO's $350 per class is still paid on top of its fee. For legal advice or a disputed refusal, you need a licensed attorney. See does a small business need a trademark attorney?.
Want help with the class, description and specimen?
See what each package includesQuestions about filing on USPTO.gov
What is the official website to file a trademark in the U.S.?
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at USPTO.gov. New applications are filed in the USPTO’s Trademark Center using a verified USPTO.gov account.
Is TEAS still used to file trademark applications?
Not for new applications. Since January 18, 2025, initial applications are filed in Trademark Center, and the TEAS Plus and TEAS Standard options were replaced by a $350 base fee with surcharges.
Do I need to verify my identity to file a trademark?
Yes. You need a USPTO.gov account with verified identity, done online through ID.me or with a notarized paper form. If a U.S.-licensed attorney files for you, they complete verification instead.
How much does it cost to file on the official USPTO site?
$350 per class, plus surcharges if the application is missing information or uses a free-form description. Intent-to-use filers pay $150 per class later for the Statement of Use.
Is a trademark filing service the same as the USPTO?
No. Filing services are private companies. They charge their own fee in addition to the USPTO’s government fee and cannot speak for the USPTO.
Disclaimer: This guide is general information, not legal advice. Secure Mark USA is a private trademark filing service. It is not affiliated with the USPTO or any government agency, and it is not a law firm. Fees and procedures are taken from USPTO sources on the date shown.
Sources
- USPTO: Apply online (Trademark Center), checked October 20, 2026
- USPTO: Identity verification for trademark filers
- USPTO: Summary of 2025 trademark fee changes
- USPTO: Fee schedule
- USPTO: Caution about misleading notices and trademark scams
Verified and checked on October 20, 2026.