Service of Process

The cost of Service of Process depends on the service deadline and the location of the service address. The location can be an individuals home (e.g. apartment, single family home, condo unit, townhome), an individuals work address, an entities business address or a government agency address. A corporate entity can also be served at a home address if the registered agent lists their home as the company's official address for service of process.

Service Terms and Pricing

Each order or service includes 3x attempts of service at each service address. The 3x service attempts are billed per address. It's possible we deliver the court document on the 1st attempt. It's also possible we verify the service address is a bad address on the 1st attempt. Remaining attempts do not transfer to another address. That means if the process server or courier verify on the 1st attempt that the service address given to us is a bad address or is a vacant property then we do not use the remaining 2x attempts at a different address. If a new address is found then we charge a new routine service fee and a new round of 3x attempts applied to that new address. Should an attempt be unsuccessful due to reasons like recipient unavailability, partial refunds are also not provided. Please understand that service is not guaranteed and that you are not entitled to a refund if this results in a non-service or bad address.

If you need someone served within 10x days of submission or less then the service is automatically treated and billed as a Rush Service. If your service deadline is over 10x days from the date of submission then it is treated and billed as a Routine Service. If the service deadline is 3x days or under from the date of assignment it is treated and billed as a Same Day Rush Service.

Rush Services are more expensive than Routine Services. Local services in DC, Maryland, and Virginia cost less than National services. National services include any service addresses outside of DC, Maryland, and Virginia. National services include the rest of the United State of America (excluding Hawaii and Alaska as they have their own custom pricing).

If a service address is located in DC, Maryland, and Virginia then it is treated and billed as a Local service. If a service address is located outside of DC, Maryland, and Virginia then it is treated as a National service.

A Local Routine Service costs $85 per address. A Local Rush Service costs $125. A Local Same Day Rush Service costs $150 per address. If you need to serve more than one party (e.g. individual or business entity) at the same address for a Local Service then we charge an additional $50 for each extra party being served at the same address.

A National Routine Service costs $165 per address. A National Rush Service costs $250 per address. A National Same Day Rush Service costs $385 per address. If you need to serve more than one party (e.g. individual or business entity) at the same address for a National Service then we charge an additional $125 for each extra party being served at the same address.

Please note we also charge a printing fee for the printing of the court documents.

*What about postings?

Postings are charged the same rates as above; however, the service legal agreement (SLA) is different. There are two main differences: Routine postings are completed within 10x days of the assignment date. And the Rush postings are completed within 5x days of the assignment. There are no differences between the Same Day posting service and the Service of Process Same Day Rush service.

International Service of Process

Can ALMA serve court documents internationally?

Yes, ALMA has effectuated process services with 182 countries worldwide, including those countries covered by the Hague Service Convention. We have excellent strategies in place, including assistance in getting court signatures, as well as gathering supporting information and documentation.

We are one of the worldwide leaders in process service with an experienced international process server in every country and major city around the world. Our team of international process servers are fully trained and reliable to complete your assignment without excuses.

How much does it cost to serve court documents internationally?

There are two basic methods of international service in most countries:

1) formal service by treaty (e.g. The Hague Service Convention) or Letters Rogatory, and

2) informal service by private process server.* We can serve by international process server or appropriate treaty.

Each process server has been fully trained and understands the laws of their country.

Formal services typically cost less, but take a much longer time to complete.

Informal services typically cost more, but have a much shorter turnaround.

The average informal service costs $1395 per party (e.g. individual/entity) per address. If there are two parties being served at same location it is $1395 each. If there is one party being served at two different addresses then its $1395 per address. Most informal services take 30x days to complete. There are rare exceptions where an international informal service of process request can be completed in an expedited manner. This is usually double the average $1395 cost of the informal service.

The average formal service costs $1000 per party and per address. The formal service also requires an appropriate government processing fee (on average an extra $175). Each government charges a different fee to process formal requests per party. Most formal services take between 3x and 5x months to complete.

If formally serving a country that is NOT a member of the Hague Service Convention then the average cost is $1500 per party and per address plus the appropriate Embassy Fee (on average an extra $2000). These Non-Hauge formal services also on average take between 3x and 5x months to complete.

Sheriff Services

How much does it cost to have a Sheriff serve my court document?

Every Sheriff's office fees will vary. We typically charge $225 for routine sheriff's service plus the cost of processing your request via the local sheriffs department. The sheriffs fees on average cost $100 per document and they typically complete services within 30x days of the assignment date or date of delivery.

If you need to serve more than one party (e.g. individual or business entity) at the same address for a Sheriff's Service then we charge an additional $125 for each extra party being served at the same address.

Most sheriffs will require the physical document to be mailed to their office and almost none of the sheriffs offices in the United States offer a way to expedite service of process. Our relationships with Sheriffs offices across the US will help streamline this process for you.

You can ask our team for a resource guide for Sheriffs by emailing service@almaprocess.io or you can interact with our online map for more information.

Electronic Document Delivery and Digital Service of Process

Is it possible to electronically deliver a document or digitally serve a court document?

Yes, we can assist you with the electronic delivery of a court document. Electronic service of process, also known as digital service of process, is pretty straightforward.

You will first want to email a scanned PDF copy of your court documents to service@almaprocess.io. We'll then take care of the rest of the process and then provide you with a digital affidavit of service once the intended recipient opens and downloads their court documents.

The cost of digital service of process is $75 per request. If you want to send multiple documents at the same time to the intended recipient you will need to zip the files.

The electronic service of process features live on our strategic partners online portal. These features allow you to send a notification of service documents, see when the notification is viewed, when physical service is waived, and when service documents are downloaded from within the shared online service platform. This offers a "better than email" alternative for digital service that is also legally compliant.

In the past parties of a court case would agree to email documents but there would be no audit trail verifying receipt of the court documents. There is no way to know when or if they opened the email, if the attachment was downloaded, no guarantee that it’s the actual recipient receiving the papers, and basically no accountability. This can allow the intended recipient to claim they have no proof of receiving the documents by email.

Our electronic service channel allows you to send a private tokenized link to the recipient’s email address along with a custom message. This secure email will prompt them to click the link which will bring them to the online service portal where they can download the documents to be served. The recipient will have to digitally sign their name and waive their right to physical service before they can download the documents.

Upon clicking that link, the portal will record the date and time the link was clicked, the IP address of the recipient’s computer, as well as the computer’s browser type and operating system.

The recipient will also have access to the job’s case information. Before they can download the documents, the recipient must type out their name to digitally sign to waive their right to physical service. Once signed, your service request page will again update to show the recipient’s signed full name and the date/time of signing, along with an updated status on the job screen.

After signing and accepting digital service, the recipient can now download the documents to be served. The screen will display the document title along with the file name and size. Upon downloading, the page will once again update showing a successful download of the files along with a date/time of when the documents were downloaded. The system will then send a receipt email to the recipient as well as to ALMA's process server or team member that initiated the electronic service. The detailed log of delivery and downloading of documents can then be applied to the affidavit.

Once all of these steps have been completed we will generate a special digital service affidavit that is modified to include the audit trail information of the email receipt status, the waiver status, and the document download status.

Important Note: You do have the option of allowing the intended recipient to download the documents without signing a notice and acknowledgment. This option is recommended for Court Ordered Alternative Service of Process.

Document Delivery and Courier Services

We can assist you with any document deliveries and/or courier service requests. Local courier services cost between $85 and $150 per address. Please note that we charge for both the pickup address AND the delivery address if a pickup is required. National courier services cost between $165 and $385 per address. The price ultimately depends on your service deadline. While the courier service fees match our Service of Process fees, the courier services are approached differently. Courier services often require just 1x delivery attempt but the average delivery deadline is much shorter. Courier services often include a pickup address and clients often request scanned copies of select documents being picked up prior to delivery.

There are three tiers: Routine Courier Service is completed within 5x days of assignment and costs $85 per address, the Rush Courier Service is completed in 24-48 hours of assignment and costs $125 per address, and the Immediate Courier Service is completed on the same day of assignment and costs $150 per address. The National Courier Services are respectively charged $165 for Routine, $250 for Rush, and $385 for Immediate.