How are Article 19 Amendments processed in the U.S. national stage?

This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice.

Article 19 Amendments are processed in the U.S. national stage as follows:

• The amendment is forwarded to the U.S. Designated Office by the International Bureau for inclusion in the U.S. national stage application.
• If the amendment is in English, it will replace the original English language claims of the international application.
• If the amendment is in a language other than English, the applicant must provide an English translation.

As stated in MPEP 1893.01(a)(2): “Article 19 amendments including a complete claim set in English will be entered by replacing the original English language claims of the international application with the amended claim set.”