Service Out of Jurisdiction

The process of serving court proceedings or documents on a party located outside England and Wales. Permission from the court is generally required unless the case falls within a gateway set out in Practice Direction 6B to the Civil Procedure Rules, or service is permitted under a convention or regulation.

In practice

Service out of jurisdiction is often necessary when pursuing a foreign debtor with assets in England or when commencing fresh proceedings to enforce a foreign judgement at common law. The applicant must show that there is a serious issue to be tried, that a gateway in PD6B applies, and that England is the proper forum. Methods of service vary by country and may require use of the Hague Service Convention or letters rogatory.