It is difficult to predict how long it will take for an application to mature into a registration, because there are so many factors that can affect the process. Generally, an applicant will receive a filing receipt approximately six months after filing. The filing receipt will include the serial number of the application. All future correspondence with the PTO must include this serial number. You should receive a response from the Office within six to seven months from filing the application. However, the total time for an application to be processed may be anywhere from almost a year to several years, depending on the basis for filing, and the legal issues which may arise in the examination of the application. Current status information on trademark applications and registrations may be obtained through the Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval (TARR) database on the Office's World Wide Web site at http://tarr.uspto.gov/. If you do not have access to the Internet, you can call the Trademark Assistance Center at 1-800-786-9199 (or 571-272-9250 if you live in Northern Virginia) to request a status check.