Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Serving definition

What does Serving mean? In legal practice, serving means taking the steps required to effect service of a document so it is treated as given to the recipient (for example a claim form, notice, order or pleading) and time limits start to run. The term is descriptive rather than fixed; its meaning depends on the governing rule or instrument. In Ageas (UK) Ltd v Kwik‑Fit (gb) Ltd [2013] EWHC 3271 (QB) at [54], the court noted that “serving” can bear different meanings—dispatch, receipt, or a deemed date—so context and any deemed‑service provisions must be checked. Across England and Wales (CPR Part 6),...

Cross-border service under CPR: when permission is required and key gateways (CPR 6.32, 6.33), including jurisdiction clauses, consumer/employment, enactments and third‑party issues (England and Wales)

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Practice notes

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This Practice Note looks at service of documents outside England and Wales and whether the court’s permission to required

As a general position, court documents must be served within the Jurisdiction, that is, in England and Wales (CPR 6.6(1) and CPR 2.3), and this remains the starting point.

Where a Defendant is situated outside England and Wales, there is no automatic right to serve the Claim form out of the jurisdiction, and the claimant will therefore need to consider the following options:

whether service can be effected in England and Wales, for example by Serving the defendant’s solicitor, or by utilising a route available under the Companies Act 2016
whether service can be carried out outside the jurisdiction without first obtaining the court’s permission—the courts of England and Wales must have jurisdiction to determine the dispute between the parties as contemplated under either CPR 6.32 or CPR 6.33; note that CPR 6.33(1), CPR 6.33(2)(b)(i) and CPR 6.33(2A) are omitted from the rules...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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