Serving documents

Sometimes a legal process will require that documents be served. This means that you must provide the document(s) to the other person in your case. Most documents can be dropped off at the person's address or sent by mail, email, or fax, but some important documents require you to have someone else physically hand it to the person. The rules depend on which court your case is with.

How to serve documents

If the other person in your case lives in BC and you have an address for them, choose either Provincial Court or Supreme Court from the options below.

Serve Provincial Court documents by ordinary or personal service

Step-by-step guide for how to serve Provincial Court documents in BC.

Serve Supreme Court documents

Step-by-step guides for how to serve Supreme Court documents in BC.

The other person lives outside BC

Serve court documents outside BC

Step-by-step guide for how to serve Provincial and Supreme Court documents if the other person lives outside BC.

You don't know where the other person is

If you don't have an address for the other person, you need to try to find them or an address for them.

If you can't find the person you need to serve or their address, or if they're trying to avoid being served, you can apply to the court for an order for alternative service.

Arrange for alternative service

Step-by-step guide for how to apply for an order for alternative (substitutional) service. Use this guide if you can't find the person you need to serve or if they're avoiding service.