If you file a U.S. trademark application, the form asks for a domicile address and a mailing address. A virtual office address can go in the mailing field. Under the federal trademark manual, a virtual office generally may not serve as your domicile, which is your home or company headquarters.
We read the trademark rules of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in Title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). We also read the May 2026 edition of the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP), the USPTO's manual for examining trademark applications. Each section below quotes the text first, and we label our own reading as ours.
Your trademark application asks for two different addresses
The USPTO rule on a complete application lists what each owner must give. Rule 37 CFR 2.32(a)(2) reads:
"(2) The name, domicile address, and email address of each applicant."
Most USPTO filing forms also have a mailing address field. TMEP §601.01(e) explains how the two fields differ:
"Most forms in the trademark electronic filing system allow an applicant or registrant to specify the owner's mailing address, which is publicly viewable, and a separate domicile address, which is masked or hidden from public view."
An applicant is the person or company that files. A registrant is the owner after the trademark registration issues. The table sums up what the rules and the manual say about each field.
| Field on the form | What goes there | Who can see it | Virtual office or mailbox address |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailing address | The owner address shown in the public record | "publicly viewable" (TMEP §601.01(e)) | "can be a mailing address" (TMEP §601.01(c)(i)) |
| Domicile Address | Your permanent legal residence, or your company's principal place of business (37 CFR 2.2(o)) | "masked or hidden from public view" (TMEP §601.01(e)) | "generally may not serve as domicile addresses" (TMEP §601.01(c)(i)) |
| The same address typed in both fields | One address for both jobs | "viewable by the public" (TMEP §601.01(e)) | In our reading, not an option, because the virtual office would then be your domicile |
What the USPTO means by a domicile address
The definitions section, 37 CFR 2.2(o), sets the meaning of the word:
"The term domicile as used in this part means the permanent legal place of residence of a natural person or the principal place of business of a juristic entity."
A natural person is an individual. A juristic entity is a company or another legal body, such as an LLC (limited liability company) or a corporation. For a company, 37 CFR 2.2(p) then defines principal place of business:
"The term principal place of business as used in this part means the location of a juristic entity's headquarters where the entity's senior executives or officers ordinarily direct and control the entity's activities and is usually the center from where other locations are controlled."
Put simply, a company's domicile is the office where its leaders run the business. Our guide to principal place of business shows how state filings use the term. For a trademark, rely on the USPTO wording above.
The duty continues after filing. Rule 37 CFR 2.189 reads: "An applicant or registrant must provide and keep current the address of its domicile, as defined in § 2.2(o)."
Why the USPTO generally rejects a virtual office or mailbox address as your domicile
TMEP §601.01 gives the reason in one sentence:
"An address that does not identify an actual street address or that functions as a mail forwarding address generally may not serve as a domicile address because it does not identify the location of the place the person resides and intends to be the person's principal home (for a natural person) or the location of a juristic entity's headquarters where the entity's senior executives or officers ordinarily direct and control the entity's activities (for a juristic entity)."
TMEP §601.01(c)(i) then names the address types the USPTO presumes are wrong. §601.01(c)(i) opens with two sentences:
"Addresses that do not identify an actual street address or that function as a mail forwarding address are presumptively unacceptable as domicile addresses. Such addresses include post-office (P.O.) boxes, "care of" (c/o) addresses, commercial mail receiving agency (CMRA) addresses, registered agent (RA) addresses, private mailboxes (PMB), Army Post Office (APO) addresses, Fleet Post Office (FPO) addresses, Diplomatic Post Office (DPO) addresses, and Highway Contract Route (HCR or HC) addresses."
Our post on what a CMRA is explains the mail receiving term. In general, a registered agent accepts legal papers for a business in its state, as our registered agent guide explains. The manual puts agent addresses on the same list as P.O. boxes. Other limits on agent addresses are in can I use my registered agent address as my business address.
Where the manual places a virtual office
Virtual offices come up in the very next sentence of §601.01(c)(i):
"These addresses, along with virtual office and shared workspace addresses, can be a mailing address, but generally may not serve as domicile addresses because they do not identify the location of the place the person resides and intends to be the person's principal home (for a natural person) or the location of a juristic entity's headquarters where the entity's senior executives or officers ordinarily direct and control the entity's activities (for a juristic entity)."
We counted the words ourselves. In Chapter 600 of the current TMEP, the phrase "virtual office" appears exactly once, in §601.01(c)(i). The phrase "commercial mail receiving agency" also appears once, in the same paragraph. Virtual office and shared workspace addresses sit outside the "presumptively unacceptable" list. The manual adds them in a separate sentence with the words "generally may not." In our reading, the manual treats a virtual office as generally unacceptable, a step softer than the presumptive list.
Don't read the softer wording as permission. Three parts of the rules point the other way. First, your domicile must meet the definition in 37 CFR 2.2(o), and 37 CFR 2.189 makes you keep it current. Second, under TMEP §601.01(c)(i), examiners must require a new domicile when "the examining attorney receives specific guidance that the domicile address should not be accepted." Third, 37 CFR 2.11(e) treats false information given for the U.S. attorney rule as a paper submitted "for an improper purpose," and sanctions can follow.
The manual is just as firm about coworking space. TMEP §601.01(b) lists papers that can support a company's U.S. address. One example is a commercial lease "that is not for a coworking or similar facility." The word "coworking" appears once in Chapter 600, in that sentence. The same section adds: "However, the above documentation will not support a U.S. address that is otherwise identified as an unacceptable type of domicile address."
Where a mailbox address is allowed on the application
A mailbox address belongs in the mailing address field. In TMEP §601.01(c)(i), the listed address types, "along with virtual office and shared workspace addresses, can be a mailing address" on the application. The USPTO's FAQ on personal information says the same thing in plain terms:
"Although required, you may keep your domicile address out of the public record. Our forms allow you to provide a mailing address different from your domicile address if this is accurate to your situation. The mailing address will be viewable in the public record while the domicile address will not."
The mailing address is public, so anyone who looks up your trademark can see it. The same FAQ explains why the records are open: "The public uses USPTO application and registration records to identify the owner of a trademark and their attorneys and representatives." In our reading, a founder who works from home can put a mailbox address in the mailing field. The home address then goes only in the hidden Domicile Address field.
How the domicile rule changes for individuals, U.S. companies and filers outside the United States
Individuals. Under 37 CFR 2.2(o), your domicile is your "permanent legal place of residence" as a natural person. For most people, the domicile is a home address. If the USPTO asks you to support a U.S. address, TMEP §601.01(b) lists documents for an individual:
- "a current, valid signed rental, lease, or mortgage agreement;"
- "a current, valid homeowner's, renter's, or motor vehicle insurance policy; or"
- "a computer-generated bill issued by a utility company dated no earlier than 60 days before the application or post-registration document filing date."
Our post on using your home address as your business address covers the home address on other forms.
U.S. companies. A company's domicile is the headquarters described in 37 CFR 2.2(p). Some companies have no fixed office. For a company that "does not have a fixed physical address for its principal place of business," TMEP §601.01(c)(iv)(A) lets the company respond to an Office action with this option:
"(2) the full name, title, and acceptable domicile address of a person with legal authority to bind the juristic applicant or registrant (e.g., one of the officers, if a corporation, or one of the partners, if a partnership) if the applicant or registrant does not have a fixed physical address for its principal place of business. The name, title, and domicile address may be included in the "Domicile Address" field to keep it hidden from public view."
Owners outside the United States. The domicile also decides who may file. Rule 37 CFR 2.11(a) reads:
"An applicant, registrant, or party to a proceeding whose domicile is not located within the United States or its territories must be represented by an attorney, as defined in § 11.1 of this chapter, who is qualified to practice under § 11.14 of this chapter."
Owners with a U.S. domicile have a choice. TMEP §601 says they "may represent themselves in prosecuting an application or maintaining a registration or may be represented by a qualified U.S. attorney." For joint owners, the manual adds: "if any single owner of the application or registration is domiciled in the United States, the applicants or registrants are not required to appoint a qualified U.S. attorney unless the U.S. address appears to be incorrect." Under 37 CFR 2.11(b), the USPTO may also ask for information or declarations to decide whether the attorney rule applies to you.
The USPTO explained the purpose in an August 2023 USPTO trademark alert. Domicile information "serves as confirmation that the applicant is a real or juristic person (such as a corporation) domiciled in the U.S. or with authorized, U.S.-licensed representation (as required under "the U.S. Counsel Rule")." The same alert reported, as of August 2023: "Since 2019, we've issued 258 final Orders for Sanctions for violations of the U.S. Counsel Rule that terminated 18,789 invalidly filed applications and sanctioned 3,297 registrations."
What happens if your application already lists a virtual office
TMEP §601.01(c)(i) explains when examiners act on a listed domicile:
"Examining attorneys and post-registration examiners are not required to confirm or research a listed domicile address in the initial application or maintenance filing, but they must require the applicant or registrant to provide an acceptable domicile address if:"
- "it is apparent that the address is an unacceptable type of domicile address (e.g., P.O. box, c/o, PMB, APO, FPO, DPO, HCR or HC appears in the address); or"
- "the examining attorney receives specific guidance that the domicile address should not be accepted."
Examiners must also require a domicile when an owner "fails to provide a street address entirely or provides a clearly invalid address" (TMEP §601.01(c)(i)). A maintenance filing is a later filing an owner makes to keep a registration in force. So the domicile question can come up years after the first application.
A request from an examiner arrives as an Office action, which is a formal letter about your application. If your domicile was in the hidden field, TMEP §601.01(e) says the examiner "must not list the exact address in the Office action." Here is what the manual says about the response:
- A new domicile. "the requirement may be satisfied by providing a new, acceptable domicile address." The examiner then "must conduct an internet search of the new domicile address" unless the address is clearly unacceptable or foreign (TMEP §601.01(c)(ii)).
- Arguments. "Only in rare cases may an otherwise unacceptable type of domicile address (see TMEP §601.01(c)(i)) be accepted based on the applicant's or registrant's arguments."
- An annual report. A company's annual report that lists a P.O. box or a registered agent address "does not establish that the address is the applicant's or registrant's domicile address."
- No fixed address. Explaining that you have "no fixed physical address" is "not considered sufficient to satisfy the requirement for an acceptable domicile address."
- A waiver petition. An owner "may file a petition to the Director to waive the domicile address requirement because of an extraordinary situation." The manual adds that filing the petition "is not considered a response to an Office action." You still must respond to avoid abandonment.
Watch the deadline. For an application under section 1 or section 44 of the Lanham Act (the federal trademark law), unless the Office action says otherwise, 37 CFR 2.62 gives three months from the issue date to respond. You can extend once by three months, to a maximum of six months from the issue date, if you ask on time and pay a fee.
How to keep your address current after you file
Rule 37 CFR 2.189 requires you to "provide and keep current" your domicile. If your home or headquarters moves, update the record. TMEP §601.01(d) names the form: "An applicant or registrant can update its domicile address with the USPTO by using the trademark electronic filing system's Change Address or Representation form."
A federal appeals court upheld the requirement. The TMEP cites In re Chestek PLLC, a 2024 Federal Circuit decision, with the note "(domicile address requirement affirmed)."
Which of your trademark addresses the public can see
The hidden field only works if you use it as the USPTO describes. TMEP §601.01(e) warns:
"If the applicant or registrant provides the same address as its mailing address and domicile address, the address will be viewable by the public. To hide the applicant's or registrant's domicile address from public view, the applicant or registrant must provide a mailing address that differs from its domicile address and enter the domicile address into the dedicated "Domicile Address" fields on the Owner Information page within most electronic forms."
TMEP §803.05(a) adds: "Only address information entered in the "Domicile Address" field on the form is hidden from public view." The USPTO FAQ makes two more points:
"Although the public can't view the address you provide in the "domicile address" field, USPTO employees will have access to it. In addition, providing the domicile address in any other part of a form will make that address publicly viewable."
The public record also lasts. In the FAQ's words, "Each application and registration record remains publicly viewable, even after an application abandons or a registration cancels or expires." State business filings raise a similar question, which we cover in which LLC address goes in which public record slot.
This post explains the text of USPTO rules, the TMEP and a USPTO FAQ. The post isn't legal advice. Confirm how the rules apply to you with a trademark attorney.
How an Auteur address fits the mailing address field
We sell virtual mailboxes, so this is the seller's view. Auteur is in pre-launch, and your exact street address is assigned the day your city opens. The TMEP says CMRA and virtual office addresses can be a mailing address. Even so, we don't say the USPTO will accept any particular address. Our address can go only in the mailing address field. Our address can't be your domicile, which stays your home or your company's headquarters.
The Virtual Business Address receives mail in a business or trade name. Choose it if your application names an LLC, a corporation or a DBA (doing business as) name as the owner. The Virtual Mailing Address is for personal mail, in individual names only. Choose it only if you file in your own name.
Both plans photograph the envelope of every piece as it arrives, and we open and scan only when you ask, for one flat fee per piece. Henry, our AI assistant, explains each letter you ask us to open. USPS Form 1583 is required before any provider can receive mail for you. Pricing comes by email with the next steps, and our fees and limits are in our fair use policy.
If your application names a business as the owner, get your Virtual Business Address. Ordering is free, there's no card, and nothing is charged today. If you file in your own name only, the Virtual Mailing Address is the plan to choose.
FAQ
Can I use a PO box as my trademark domicile address?
Generally, no. TMEP §601.01(c)(i) lists P.O. boxes among addresses that are "presumptively unacceptable as domicile addresses." When "P.O. box" appears in the address, examiners must require an acceptable domicile. A P.O. box can still be a mailing address. Rules differ by form, as our post on using a P.O. box as a business address shows.
Can my LLC use its registered agent's address as its domicile?
Generally, no. The same TMEP list names "registered agent (RA) addresses" as presumptively unacceptable. An annual report that lists an agent address "does not establish that the address is the applicant's or registrant's domicile address." The IRS uses different fields and rules, which we cover in can I use my registered agent address for an EIN.
Do I need a U.S. attorney if I live outside the United States?
If your domicile is outside the United States and its territories, yes. Under 37 CFR 2.11(a), you "must be represented by an attorney" qualified to practice before the USPTO. For joint owners, one owner domiciled in the United States removes the requirement, unless the U.S. address appears to be incorrect.
Can I use a coworking space as my domicile?
Generally, no. TMEP §601.01(c)(i) says shared workspace addresses "generally may not serve as domicile addresses" because they don't show where a person lives or where a company's leaders run it. TMEP §601.01(b) also says a commercial lease supports a company's address only if it is "not for a coworking or similar facility." A coworking address can still be a mailing address.
Bottom line
A U.S. trademark application asks for a domicile address and a mailing address. Under 37 CFR 2.2(o), the domicile is your permanent home or your company's headquarters. Under TMEP §601.01(c)(i), a virtual office "can be a mailing address, but generally may not serve as domicile addresses" for a trademark owner. Put a mailbox address in the public mailing field and your real domicile in the hidden Domicile Address field. Keep the domicile current, and if you live outside the United States, hire a qualified U.S. attorney.
