Botswana Process Service

Botswana Process service, also known as "service of process,” is the procedure employed to give appropriate notice of initial legal action to another party (such as a defendant), court, or administrative body in an effort to exercise jurisdiction over that person to enable that person to respond to the proceeding before the court, body, or other tribunals. Notice is furnished by delivering a set of court documents (called "process") to the person to be served; a process server performs Botswana process service.  Click here for information on the Code of Civil Procedure in Botswana.

Botswana PROCESS SERVERs

Botswana process servers serve civil and commercial matters pursuant to the Hague Service Convention, a multilateral treaty adopted in Hague, Netherlands, on November 15, 1965, by member states of the Hague Conference on Private International Law.  It came into existence to give litigants a reliable and efficient means of serving the documents on parties living, operating, or based in another country. The convention's provisions apply to the service of process in civil and commercial matters but not criminal matters. Also, the Convention shall not apply if the address of the person served with the document is unknown. Click here for information on How The Central Authority Works in Botswana.

Method of Service

Formal Service (Art. 5(1)(a))

Service is effected in matters before the High Court (which is competent in respect of claims exceeding P.2000.00 and in matters involving status) by the Deputy Sheriff (who is a court official) and in matters before the Magistrates Courts in the various districts of Botswana (Gaborone, Lobatse, Mahalapye, Serowe, Selibe-Phikwe, Francistown and Maun) by the Bailiff (who is also a court official).

This is so both in case of proceedings by action, instituted by summons (in which pleadings are filed, and witnesses give oral evidence), and of proceedings by application or petition (on Notice of Motion, based on affidavits). In the latter case, however, and in the case of processes by action other than the initiating process, service may also be affected by attorneys or their clerks.

The following methods of service are employed:

i. Upon an individual By personal service on the defendant or, under certain circumstances, on his agents or members of his family.
If service cannot be effected by the usual means, the court may order “substituted service,” usually by publication in a nominated newspaper.  Suppose the Botswana court has jurisdiction to try the matter, but the defendant is not a resident within the jurisdiction. In that case, service is affected by edictal citation according to the High Court's directions in each case.

ii. Upon legal persons By service on the director or the secretary, or at the company's registered office or other juristic person.

iii. Upon universities, churches, clubs, etc. By delivery to the person named for that purpose in the Constitution of the Universitas. Otherwise, the court will direct the form of service, for example, by publishing a rule nisi in a nominated newspaper.  In Magistrates Courts, registered posts can also affect service under certain circumstances.  Click here for a video on International Process Service.

Translation Requirements

The authorities designated will require all documents forwarded to them for service under the provisions of the Convention to be in duplicate and pursuant to Art. 5(3) of the Convention will require the documents to be written in or translated into English.

Procedure

The Hague Service Convention established a simpler means for parties to effect service in other contracting states. Under the convention, each contracting state must designate a central authority to accept incoming requests for service. A judicial officer competent to serve process in the state of origin is permitted to send a request for service directly to the central authority of the state where service is to be made. Upon receiving the request, the central authority in the receiving state arranges for service in a manner permitted within the receiving state, typically through a local court. Once service is effected, the central authority sends a certificate of service to the judicial officer who made the request.

Service by Mail

Service by mail is possible only in states that have not objected to that method under Article 10(a) of the convention and if the jurisdiction where the court case takes place allows it under its applicable law.

Our Process

Documents can be faxed at (800)-296-0115, emailed to ps@undisputedlegal.com, mailed to 590 Madison Avenue, 21 Floor, New York, New York 10022, or dropped off at any of our locations. We do require pre-payment and accept all major credit and debit cards. Once payment is processed, your sales receipt is immediately emailed for your records.

Drop-offs must call and make an appointment first to be added to building security to permit access to our office. Documents for service must be in a sealed envelope with payment in the form of a money order or attorney check (WE DO NOT ACCEPT CASH) payable to UNDISPUTED LEGAL INC.  Our receptionist receives all the documents.

DOMESTIC COVERAGE AREAS:

Alaska | Alabama | Arkansas | Arizona | California | Colorado | Connecticut | District of Columbia | Delaware| Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Iowa | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland | Massachusetts | Maine | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | North Carolina | North Dakota | Nebraska | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | Nevada | New York | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Virginia| Vermont | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming

INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE AREAS:

Albania | Andorra | Anguilla | Antigua | Argentina | Armenia | Australia | Austria | Azerbaijan | Bahamas | Barbados | Belarus | Belgium | Belize | Bermuda | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Botswana | Brazil | British Honduras | British Virgin Islands | Bulgaria | Canada | Cayman Islands | Central and Southern Line Islands | Chile|China (Macao) | China People's Republic | Colombia | Costa Rica | Country of Georgia | Croatia | Cyprus | Czech Republic | Denmark | Dominican Republic | Ecuador | Egypt | Estonia | Falkland Islands and Dependences | Fiji | Finland | France | Germany | Gibraltar | Gilbert and Ellice Islands | Greece | Guernsey | Hong Kong | Hungary | Iceland | India | Ireland | Isle of Man | Israel | Italy | Jamaica | Japan | Jersey Channel Islands | Jordan | Kazakhstan | Korea | Kuwait | Latvia | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Malawi | Malaysia | Malta | Mauritius | Mexico| MonacoMontenegro | Montserrat | Morocco | Namibia | Netherlands | New Zealand |Nicaragua | Norway | Pakistan | Panama | Paraguay | Peru | Philippines | Pitcairn |Poland | Portugal | Republic of Moldova | Republic of North Macedonia | Romania |Russian Federation | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | San Marino | Saudi Arabia | Serbia | Seychelles | Singapore| Slovakia | Slovenia | South Africa | Spain | Sri Lanka | St. Helena and Dependencies | St. Lucia | Sweden | Switzerland | Taiwan | Thailand | Tunisia | Turkey | Turks and Caicos Islands| UkraineUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Uruguay | US Virgin Islands | Uzbekistan | Venezuela | Vietnam

OFFICE LOCATIONS

New York: (212) 203-8001 – 590 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10022
Brooklyn: (347) 983-5436 – 300 Cadman Plaza West, 12th Floor, Brooklyn, New York 11201
Queens: (646) 357-3005 – 118-35 Queens Blvd, Suite 400, Forest Hills, New York 11375
Long Island: (516) 208-4577 – 626 RXR Plaza, 6th Floor, Uniondale, New York 11556
Westchester: (914) 414-0877 – 50 Main Street, 10th Floor, White Plains, New York 10606
Connecticut: (203) 489-2940 – 500 West Putnam Avenue, Suite 400, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830
New Jersey: (201) 630-0114 – 101 Hudson Street, 21 Floor, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302
Washington DC: (202) 655-4450 – 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 300, Washington DC 20004

for assistance serving legal papers in Botswana

Pick up the phone and call (212) 203-8001, or click the service you want to purchase.   Our dedicated team of professionals is ready to assist you. We can handle all your Botswana process service needs; no job is too small or too large!

Contact us for more information about our process-serving agency. We are ready to provide New York City service of process to all our clients globally from our offices in New York, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C.

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