How to Track a Trademark Application's Status in USPTO TSDR

Use the USPTO Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR) system to check your trademark application, read correspondence, and track deadlines. A status label is a summary; the documents and notices in the record control what action you need to take.

Stage 1: Filing and the wait for examination

After filing, keep the application serial number. Enter it in the USPTO TSDR system and check both Status and Documents. A newly filed case may take time to display every document. Record the date checked and save the status page; do not infer an approval just because no examining action has appeared.

Stage 2: Examination

An examining attorney reviews the application and may approve it for publication or issue an office action requesting information or refusing registration. The response deadline depends on the action and filing basis. For many applications, the ordinary deadline is three months, with a possible paid extension, but exceptions exist—including certain Madrid Protocol filings. Always rely on the specific action notice and its deadline, and calendar it immediately.

Open the Documents tab to read the actual office action.
Confirm whether an extension is available for that application.
Failure to respond within the applicable deadline may cause abandonment.

Stage 3: Publication and opposition

When approved, a mark generally appears in the Trademark Official Gazette for a 30-day opposition period. Watch the recorded publication date and later events in TSDR. An opposition or extension of time to oppose can alter the expected path, so never assume the filing will register exactly 30 days after publication.

Stage 4: Registration — or a Statement of Use

For an application based on existing use, the mark can proceed to registration after the relevant publication stage if no obstacle remains. An intent-to-use application typically receives a notice of allowance and requires an acceptable statement of use, with applicable timing and extension rules, before registration. Review the actual application record to identify the filing basis and next deadline.

Stage 5: Maintenance after registration

Registration requires continuing attention. For many U.S. registrations, proof of continued use or excusable nonuse is due during the fifth-to-sixth-year window, and renewal-related filings occur in ten-year cycles; applicable grace periods and special rules may apply. Use the Maintenance tab in TSDR to identify the next required filing and verify it against current USPTO guidance. A Section 15 filing concerns incontestability and is not itself a substitute for required maintenance.

Tracking it all in TSDR

Visit tsdr.uspto.gov, enter the serial or registration number, and review the Status, Documents and—when relevant—Maintenance tabs. Save a dated status copy, read new documents, and enter the actual filing response deadlines into a calendar. The USPTO recommends checking pending applications at least every three to four months, but check more frequently when a specific deadline is approaching; do not rely on a general interval in place of a deadline reminder.