What is the filing date of a divisional application?

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.

A divisional application is entitled to the filing date of the parent application. According to MPEP 201.06, “A divisional application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date of the prior-filed application if filed as a nonprovisional application that discloses and claims only subject matter disclosed in the prior-filed (parent) application.” This means that the divisional application inherits the filing date of its parent application, provided it meets the necessary requirements.