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Manual of Patent Examining Procedure - MPEP600 Parts, Form, and Content of Application604.04(a) Consul - Omission of CertificateWhere the oath is taken before an officer in a foreign country other than a diplomatic or consular officer of the United States and whose authority is not authenticated or accompanied with an apostille certifying the notary's authority (see MPEP § 602.04(a)), the application is nevertheless accepted for purposes of examination. The examiner, in the first Office action, should note this informality and require a new properly authenticated oath by an appropriate diplomatic or consular officer, the filing of proper apostille, or a declaration ( 37 CFR 1.68). The Office no longer returns improperly authenticated oaths for proper authentication. Form paragraph 6.08 may be used to notify applicant. ¶ 6.08 Consul-Omission of CertificateThe oath is objected to as being informal. It lacks authentication by a diplomatic or consular officer of the United States; 37 CFR 1.66(a). This informality can be overcome by filing either a declaration under 37 CFR 1.68, or a new properly authenticated oath under 37 CFR 1.66. The new oath or declaration must properly identify the application of which it is to form a part, preferably by application number and filing date in the body of the oath or declaration. See MPEP §§ 602.01 and 602.02. |