Not sure which international process service method is right for your case? We put together this infographic that can help give you a general idea of what method may be best for your case.
If you’re still not sure after going through, feel free to get in touch – we’d be happy to let you know which method makes sense for your case.
Breaking down the flow chart:
Does the service need to be personal or is it a corporation headquartered in another country?
If you don’t need to serve someone personally, then there is a chance you effectuate service on another appropriate individual within the country. For example, if the subject is on vacation for two weeks abroad, you may be able to serve another member of the household which will be considered valid service.
Will you possibly need to enforce a judgment?
Whether or not you need to enforce a judgment matters when the times to actually collect. If you don’t need to collect a judgment, service via agent may work for your case. This type of service is much quicker and cheaper than Letters Rogatory or the Hague Convention.
However, if you need to enforce a judgment, the court may not consider service valid if you use service via agent. This can cause considerable issues within a case, particularly as both other methods require a considerably larger amount of time.
Is the country where you need service effectuated a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents?
Whether or not the country is a signatory to the section of the Hague Convention pertaining to service will determine whether or not you can pursue service through that method. Not all countries who are signatories to the Hague Convention are also signatories to the service section. You must be careful when determining whether or not the country is a signatory. Otherwise you may waste valuable time preparing the documents or spending money to serve through the Hague only to find out you must instead use Letters Rogatory.
Still not sure which service method is right for your case? Give a call at 973-403-1700 or email us at service@dgrlegal.com and we’ll gladly let you know which method is correct.
