How Much Does Process Serving Cost?
Posted on 13th March 2025 at 18:46
When you need to file legal documents, such as court summons, complaints, eviction notices, divorce papers or subpoenas, you often need the services of a process server to deliver these documents to the intended recipient. But one of the first questions people tend to ask is, "How much does process serving cost?". The answer can vary based on a range of factors, including location, urgency, number of attempts, and extra services needed. Here we break down the main costs involved to help you better understand the price range you can expect.
What is Process Serving?
Before diving into the costs, let’s quickly go over what process serving is. Process serving is the legal procedure of delivering court documents to a defendant or other involved parties in a legal matter. The documents could be anything from court summons to non-molestation orders, and the service must be carried out in accordance with specific legal rules and what the court will deem acceptable service.
Factors Affecting the Cost of Process Serving
Several factors can influence the cost of process serving. Here are some of the most significant ones.
1. Location
The geographic location plays a big role in determining the cost. Process serving prices vary across the UK, and our international serving costs will vary depending on the country. For the UK, more remote or isolated areas, the prices can be higher, such as Scotland, Wales and the South West of England. If our process server has to travel a long distance, this may add additional fees to the total cost. We will always confirm the costs with you beforehand.
2. Type of Service
Not all process serving jobs are the same, and the complexity of the service can impact the price. Here are some common types of services and how they can affect the cost:
Standard Service: This is the most common form of process serving and typically costs less. Standard service means our process server will attempt to personally serve the documents at a reasonable time (or time specified by you) and they will make 2-3 attempts at the address for you.
Rush or Expedited Service: If you need the documents served quickly, you may need to opt for our urgent service, which comes at a higher price.
Multiple Attempts: If the recipient is difficult to serve, or is not home, or refuses to accept the documents, additional attempts may be required, if substituted service is not allowed. Each additional instruction would incur a fee.
Skip Tracing: If the recipient is not at the address we attend, we can offer our tracing service, a process of locating someone who has intentionally avoided service. This would incur a fee to locate the individual.
4. Number of Documents
The more documents you need to have served, the higher the cost can be. Here at CCS, we charge a flat fee for process serving, which will include up to 10 pages printing. Anything over 10 ages, will incur a printing charge, so the total amount will depend on how many documents you’re having served at once.
5. Additional Servies
Some cases may require specialised services, such as surveillance and wait times (waiting to serve an elusive subject). It may require two process servers to attend as a witness is needed. Other factors include affidavit preparation, and notarised proof of service can increase the fee. All of which we would confirm the cost of beforehand.
Average Cost of UK Process Serving
Here at CCS this is what you can expect to pay on average for UK process serving:
Standard Service:
Our fee for this service would be £120+VAT, which includes a certificate of service and 2-3 attempts made at one address, with the first attempt being within 7 days of instruction. This includes up to 10 pages printing.
* This fee does not apply for addresses in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales or South West England.
Rush or Expedited Service:
If it is urgent, the fee for service is £170+VAT, which also includes a certificate of service and the first attempt within 48 hours of instruction. We have agents available for same day service and next day if needed. This includes up to 10 pages printing.
* This fee does not apply for addresses in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales or South West England.
Multiple Attempts:
Depending on how many extra visits are required we can provide a further quote for you.
Here is a note of our UK trace prices below for you:
Premium Normal (5-10 days) - £60 + VAT (No Find, No Fee)
Premium Express (2-3 days) - £90 + VAT (No Find, No Fee)
Premium Flash (24 hours) - £120 + VAT (No Find, No Fee)
For these we need the FULL name and either a FULL DOB or a FULL previous address.
If you don t have this, we can still assist, we would just need to review the information and provide a quote.
Legal Aid Process Serving
We accept Legal Aid cases for Process Serving and civil and criminal enquiries, complying with the rate structure that is set out by the Legal Aid Agency.
International Process Serving
We have a network of leading international investigators who are capable of undertaking your worldwide process serving requests.
We provide a complete international process serving package for an agreed flat fee which will include a Certificate of service and/or an Affidavit where required. Our Process Servers have local offices in every country to assist you.
Tips for Reducing Process Serving Costs
1. Use Local Process Servers: Here at CCS, we have a network of over 700 agents in the UK, so we will always have a process server located near the required serving. This helps us reduce travel costs and time and provide competitive rates.
2. Consolidate Documents: If you have several documents to serve, try to consolidate them and have them all ready to be served in one go with your initial instruction.
3. Plan Ahead: If you know the case will require expedited service, plan ahead to avoid urgent service fees, if possible.
If you require any assistance with Process Serving, contact us now with any questions!
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