How it works
How we serve your documents
What happens after you order, how service works under Ontario’s Rules of Civil Procedure, and what you receive at the end.
The process
From order to affidavit
Place your order online
Tell us who to serve and where, upload your documents as PDFs or photos, choose a turnaround and pay securely. You see the full price, including HST, before you pay.
A process server is assigned
Your job goes to a process server who covers that area. You can follow every status change in your portal or with the private tracking link we email you.
Every attempt is recorded
We make up to 3 attempts at different times of day. Each one is logged on the spot with the time, GPS location, photos and notes.
You receive a sworn affidavit
For every person served, the process server swears an Affidavit of Service (Form 16B) before a commissioner. You download it from your portal, ready to file.
Ontario rules
Personal service and its alternatives
Documents that start a proceeding, like a statement of claim or notice of application, generally have to be served personally (Rule 16.02) or by an alternative to personal service (Rule 16.03). Our process servers record which method was used, and the affidavit says so.
Personal service on an individual
Rule 16.02(1)(a)
The process server leaves a copy of the document with the person named. They don’t have to accept it or sign anything: once the person has been identified and the document left with them, service is made.
Personal service on a corporation
Rule 16.02(1)(c)
The document is left with an officer, director or agent of the corporation, or with a person at any of its places of business who appears to be in control or management of that place of business.
Alternative: at the place of residence
Rule 16.03(5)
If an attempt at personal service at the person’s home fails, a copy can be left in a sealed envelope with someone who appears to be an adult member of the same household, and another copy mailed to the person at that address the same or the next day. Service is effective on the fifth day after mailing.
Other alternatives
Rules 16.03(2)–(4)
A lawyer can accept service on a client’s behalf, and some documents can be served by mail with an acknowledgment of receipt card (Form 16A). These don’t need a process server, but we can still help with personal service if they fall through.
The Affidavit of Service (Form 16B)
Before a court acts on a document, it needs proof that the document was served. Under Rule 16.09, that proof is usually an Affidavit of Service in Form 16B: a sworn statement by the person who served the document, describing who was served, when, where and by which method.
Our process server completes the affidavit from the record made at the time of service and swears it before a commissioner for taking affidavits. You receive one affidavit for each person served, ready to file with your other court documents.
If someone can’t be served
We make up to 3 attempts at different times of day. If the person has moved, the address is wrong or they can’t be found, we tell you promptly. The attempt record (dates, times, GPS locations, photos and notes) is the kind of evidence a court looks for on a motion under Rule 16.04 for substituted service or to dispense with service.
Family and Small Claims Court
The Family Law Rules and the Rules of the Small Claims Court have their own service rules and forms. If your matter is in one of those courts, tell us which court and form you need in your order notes so the affidavit is prepared accordingly.
Ready to have your documents served?
Order online in a few minutes. You see the full price, including HST, before you pay.