In today’s world, it is not uncommon for people to move internationally. If your spouse or co-parent is currently abroad, you may be wondering how to start a divorce or custody proceeding. The matrimonial lawyers at Vetrano | Vetrano & Feinman LLC understand you may need to serve a party who lives outside of the United States pursuant to The Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters (hereafter “Hague Service Convention”). The Hague Service Convention is a multilateral treaty. Sixty-eight countries are a party to the Hague Service Convention which was designed to streamline the methods for the serving process internationally. The purpose of The Hague Service Convention is to ensure that defendants sued in foreign jurisdictions receive actual and timely notice of the lawsuit.
The method of service will depend upon the country which the other party is in. Under the Hague Service Convention, each member country must establish a Central Authority to receive service requests. Some countries require that the party is served through the country’s Central Authority. This process can take a few months. Other countries allow service of process by mail or judicial officer, as well as through the Central Authority. In addition, if English is not an official language of the defendant’s country, a translation of the court papers to be served may be required. If a party to your case lives internationally, you should contact a family lawyer. King of Prussia’s Vetrano | Vetrano & Feinman LLC can help you learn all of the steps necessary to proceed in your matter.
Vetrano | Vetrano & Feinman LLC is a law firm in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania that practices in the areas of family law and civil appeals. The firm’s family law practice extends throughout eastern Pennsylvania. This area includes the Philadelphia Main Line (Merion, Narberth, Gladwyne, Wynnewood, Ardmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Rosemont, Villanova, St. David’s, Radnor, Wayne, Strafford, Devon, Berwyn, and Paoli) and the communities of Newtown Square, Malvern, Valley Forge, and Phoenixville. The counties covered include Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, and Northampton—whose county seats are, respectively, in Reading, Doylestown, West Chester, Media, Lancaster, Allentown, Stroudsburg, Norristown, and Easton. To educate yourself further on how you can serve a party living abroad contact a family lawyer. The attorneys at King of Prussia’s Vetrano | Vetrano & Feinman LLC have received numerous awards and honors for their outstanding work as family law practitioners.
