UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 

FOR THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT

717 MADISON PLACE, N.W.

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20439

PETER R. MARKSTEINER CLERK’S OFFICE

CLERK OF COURT 202-275-8000

September 24, 2020

Notice Regarding Implementation of Electronic Filing 

for Unrepresented Parties

Pursuant to Federal Circuit Rule 25(a)(1)(B), the Clerk of Court gives final notice 

that electronic filing is available to unrepresented (“pro se”) parties as of October 1, 

2020. On October 1, 2020, the Clerk’s Office will issue revisions to the Notice of 

Unrepresented Person Appearance (Form 8B), Electronic Filing Procedures, and 

Guide for Unrepresented Parties. 

The Clerk of Court is also issuing the following additional implementation 

procedures to assist unrepresented filers in transitioning to these new procedures:

1. Registration Process. The Clerk’s Office will only approve electronic 

filing registration for individual unrepresented filers upon receipt of a 

compliant and completed Notice of Unrepresented Person Appearance 

(Form 8B), as amended October 1, 2020, in that filer’s active case. 

Unrepresented parties with cases pending on October 1, 2020, who 

intend to file electronically must submit a completed revised Form 8B

by December 1, 2020.

Unrepresented parties with cases docketed on or after October 1, 2020, 

must file a completed revised Form 8B containing their filing election 

within fourteen (14) days after docketing. Fed. Cir. R. 25(a)(1)(B).

2. Filings by Email or Facsimile. Pursuant to Fed. Cir. R. 25(a)(1), 

filing by email or facsimile will be prohibited as of October 31, 2020, 

unless authorized in advance by either the court or the Clerk’s Office. 

Except as authorized below in paragraph 3, the Clerk’s Office will 

neither accept, process, nor respond to emails or facsimiles containing 

documents intended for filing after October 31, 2020. Beginning 

November 1, 2020, all non-case initiating documents must be 

submitted either in paper or through the court’s electronic filing 

system.
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This procedure replaces the Notice of Modified Filing Procedures for 

Pro Se Parties (Mar. 20, 2020) and the Notice of Modified Service 

Procedures for Pro Se Parties (Mar. 20, 2020), issued pursuant to 

Administrative Order No. 20-01 (Mar. 20, 2020), as well as the Notice 

Regarding Electronic Filing for Unrepresented Parties (July 1, 2020). 

3. New Petitions and Appeals. Unrepresented parties will not be able 

to submit new petitions for review, notices of appeal, or other caseinitiating documents through the court’s electronic filing system. 

However, the Clerk of Court is authorizing under Fed. Cir. R. 25(a)(1) 

that unrepresented filers may submit new petitions for review, notices 

of appeal, or other case-initiating filings either in paper or as an 

attached PDF document emailed to prose@cafc.uscourts.gov. 

Only case-initiating documents will be accepted by email, and only at 

this address; other documents or messages, including case documents 

submitted to other court email addresses, will neither be accepted, 

processed, nor receive a response, consistent with Fed. Cir. R. 25(a)(1). 

4. Fee Payments. Unrepresented parties who register for electronic 

filing will be able to pay the docketing fee via the court’s electronic 

filing system and Pay.gov only (1) once registration is confirmed, (2) 

the applicable case has been docketed, and (3) the court has received a 

completed and compliant Notice of Unrepresented Person Appearance 

(Form 8B). All other unrepresented parties will be required pay the 

docketing fee by mailing either a check or money order to the Clerk’s 

Office. 

Unrepresented parties will be able to pay other miscellaneous fees, 

such as records requests, through the court’s electronic filing system 

after registration is approved.

5. Consent to Electronic Service. The Clerk’s Office will continue to 

permit unrepresented filers to consent to electronic service of 

documents by email, even if they do not intend to register as electronic 

filers. These filers must still submit a completed Notice of 

Unrepresented Person Appearance (Form 8B) to the Clerk’s Office 

before they can receive service electronically. 

Unrepresented parties with cases pending on October 1, 2020, who 

have already consented to electronic service will continue to receive 

electronic service and do not need to submit an updated Form 8B.