Process server questions, answered straight

A process server delivers legal documents to the person who needs to receive them. Court documents often have to be placed in a specific person's hands, or delivered in another recognized way, and a process server takes care of that step, keeps a careful record of what happened and swears the Affidavit of Service afterward.

It depends on the document and the court. In Ontario family cases, certain documents, including an application and a motion to change, must be served by someone other than the party, and no one under 18 may serve. In other cases you may be allowed to serve yourself, but many people use a process server as a neutral third party who keeps a record of the delivery and swears the affidavit. If you are unsure what your case requires, a lawyer or paralegal can advise you; we do not give legal advice.

Statements of claim, notices of application, divorce applications and other family law documents, small claims documents, subpoenas and summonses, eviction notices, demand letters, and most other court or legal documents, in accordance with the applicable Ontario rules.

Yes. Self-represented people, landlords and businesses order the same way as law firms: upload the documents, give the address and pay by card or Interac e-Transfer. We serve the documents you have prepared; we do not draft documents, fill out forms or give legal advice.

It depends on the paper. A Small Claims claim or a Superior Court statement of claim is issued by the court first (dated, signed and sealed, with a court file number), and then served, so bring us the issued copy. Landlord and Tenant Board notices, such as an N4, are not issued by a court: the landlord gives the notice to the tenant first and files the application with the Board afterward. Not sure which applies to you? Ask us before you order. We do not give legal advice.

No. Order online and upload the documents, or email them with the recipient's address to info@rosecityprocessservers.ca. Most clients never meet in person. The sworn Affidavit of Service is emailed back to you.

No. Court filing and document retrieval are provided on your specific instructions; we do not draft documents, complete forms on your behalf, or provide legal advice. For that, consult a lawyer or licensed paralegal.

Standard personal service is $140 flat inside Windsor city limits, with all travel and mileage included. Other parts of Essex County have their own flat rates by area, shown in the price table. Up to three attempts, printing of two copies of up to 25 pages each, the mailed copy and the sworn Affidavit of Service are part of the price.

Up to three attempts at different times of day; all travel and mileage in Essex County; printing of two copies of up to 25 pages each; the mailed copy and postage when the papers are left with an adult at the home; an email after every attempt with the time, GPS location and a photo; secure document upload; and the sworn Affidavit of Service. The affidavit is never an add-on.

Windsor city limits are the base rate. Outside the city the flat rate steps up with the driving distance from downtown Windsor, because the drive is longer: most of Essex County, then the Kingsville area, then the Leamington area (see the price table). All travel and mileage is already inside each rate, and the order form shows the exact price as soon as you enter the address.

Yes. Where the court rules allow it (for example Small Claims Court Rule 8.03(2)), papers can be left with an adult at the person's home as long as another copy is mailed or sent by courier the same day or the next day. When a serve ends that way, we print the second copy, mail it the same day at a post office counter, keep the receipt and record the mailing in the affidavit. The second copy and the postage are included in the flat price. The order form asks your permission for this method, and you can untick it.

Printing of two copies of up to 25 pages each is included. Over 25 pages, each extra page is $0.25 per copy. When you upload your documents, the page count fills in automatically and any page charge shows in the price before you pay.

No. Travel and mileage anywhere in Essex County, printing of two copies of up to 25 pages each, the mailed copy and the sworn Affidavit of Service are all inside the flat price. The only page charge is $0.25 per extra page per copy over 25 pages.

Prices are shown before HST. 13% HST is added at checkout and shown as its own line. Rose City Process Servers is GST/HST registered (765781372RT0001).

Three ways.

Card: on a secure Stripe page after you review the price. Card details are never typed on this site, and we never see or store your card number. No account is needed.

Interac e-Transfer: choose it at checkout, then send the total from your bank. Your job is queued once it arrives.

Cash: by arrangement. Call or text (226) 773-4813 and we can pick up payment, and any paper documents, when we are in your area.

Work starts once payment is received, including rush and same-day timing.

Yes. Law firms, agencies and property managers can be invoiced after the job, net 15, by e-Transfer or cheque. Email info@rosecityprocessservers.ca to set up an account. One-off clients pay when they order: card, Interac e-Transfer, or cash by arrangement.

The flat price covers up to three documented attempts at the address you give us, whether or not the person is found. Once an attempt has been made the service has been provided and the flat rate is not refunded; you receive the time-stamped record of the attempts, which can support a court request for substituted service. If you cancel before we start, you get a refund less any card fees we cannot recover. If we cannot carry out your order at all, we refund it.

Standard service makes the first attempt usually within 48 hours. Rush service makes the first attempt within 24 hours. Same-day service is available when you order by 2:00 pm. Prices for each area are in the price table.

Same day must be ordered by 2:00 pm, and the order page shows live whether same day is available that day. Rush can be ordered any time; the first attempt is made within 24 hours, at a sensible hour for the person being served.

Up to three attempts at different times of day are included. Serve attempts are made at sensible hours for the person being served, not in the middle of the night. If the first 3 attempts don't reach the person, we call you with options and a price before any more trips. Nothing extra is charged without your OK.

Yes. We make attempts at different times of day, including evenings and weekends, to catch people at home. Orders are taken 24/7 online.

Calls, texts and online orders are taken 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Serve attempts are made at sensible hours for the person being served, and same-day service needs an order by 2:00 pm.

After every attempt you get an email with the time, the GPS location and a photo. When the serve is done, the sworn Affidavit of Service is emailed to you, ready to file.

An Affidavit of Service is a written statement, sworn by the person who delivered the documents, describing what was served, who it was served on, and when and where. The person who made the serve swears it before a commissioner, in the form your court uses (Form 16B in Superior Court, Form 6B in family court, Form 8A in Small Claims Court). It is included with every serve.

For every serve we complete an affidavit of service: Form 8A for Small Claims Court, Form 16B for the Superior Court of Justice. It says who was served, when, where and how, and which documents. It is sworn or affirmed before a commissioner for taking affidavits, in person or by video as the forms allow. The rules say an affidavit from the person who served is a proper way to prove service. We cannot guarantee how a judge or clerk will rule, and the court can ask for more.

When the serve is done, the sworn Affidavit of Service is emailed to you, ready to file with the court.

Yes. Court filing at the Windsor courthouse is a separate flat service ($79, plus any court fees at cost) for documents you have already prepared and signed, including the affidavit. We do not draft documents or give legal advice.

All of Windsor and Essex County: Windsor, LaSalle, Tecumseh, Amherstburg, Lakeshore, Essex, Kingsville and Leamington, and the communities inside them. Addresses inside Windsor city limits are $140, and the rest of Essex County has its own flat rates by area (see the price table). Pelee Island is quoted by phone or email. The order form shows the exact price as soon as you enter the address.

There is no online price for addresses outside Essex County. Send us the details through the order page, by text or by email and we will contact you by phone or email right away with a price. You are not charged anything until you approve it.

We serve at a known address, which can be a last-known address. Locating people (skip tracing) is a licensed private investigator activity in Ontario and is not offered.

Every standard serve includes 3 attempts at different times of day. If personal service isn't possible, the time-stamped attempt notes support a court application for substituted service. Once granted, the documents are served by the court-approved alternate method.

Sometimes, where the court rules allow it. If we try to serve someone at home and cannot, the rules let us leave a copy in a sealed envelope with an adult member of the household and mail another copy the same or next day. That is treated as served on the fifth day after mailing, and the mailed copy is included in our price. If the person cannot be reached at all, you can ask the court for an order for substituted service. We follow the method you choose and the rules allow.

Yes. For a corporation, the rules allow leaving the documents with an officer, a director or another person authorized to act for it, or with a person at its place of business who appears to be in control or management. A municipality is served through its mayor, clerk or a municipal lawyer. Service on the Province or the federal Crown follows special rules, so please confirm the right recipient with your lawyer, paralegal or the court. We serve where the rules say, at the address and person you confirm.

Yes. We serve in Windsor and Essex County, Ontario, for US cases. Canada has declared no opposition to Article 10 of the Hague Service Convention, which covers service directly through competent persons in Canada, such as a process server. On request we complete your court's proof of service form (for example California POS-010) alongside our sworn Affidavit of Service. Prices are the same flat rates, set in Canadian dollars. Pay by card online, charged in Canadian dollars. Firms with a Canadian bank account can also use Interac e-Transfer. See serving process in Canada for US attorneys.

We serve in Windsor and Essex County only. We do not serve in Michigan or anywhere else in the United States. We can serve papers from US cases on people here: Canada has declared no opposition to service by private agents or other competent persons under Article 10 of the Hague Service Convention. Whether your US court accepts that service is for the court, so check with your lawyer. More: serving process in Canada for US attorneys.

We can attempt service at a workplace address you give us. Check with your lawyer if your case has special requirements.

Yes. N4, N5, N12, N13 and other LTB notices can be served for landlords and property managers, including as a recurring monthly package with volume pricing for repeat clients.

Uploaded files are stored in private storage with no public web address, access is limited to RCPS and protected by a password, and file contents are not written to our routine logs. Documents are used only to carry out your order, kept for 7 years after your booking is paid and then deleted; uploads never used in a booking are deleted after 3 days. You can ask us to delete them sooner. Payments are handled by Stripe and we never see your card number. Details are in our Privacy Policy.

Rose City Process Servers is a registered Ontario business based in Windsor, owned and run by Trevor Byrne. Right now Trevor handles files himself, from the first call to the sworn affidavit, which is why you get a straight answer when you call. The work is not subcontracted from out of town.