Finland Process Service

Findland 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 Finland process service.  Click Here for information on the Code of Civil Procedure in Finland!

Finland PROCESS SERVERs

Finland 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 a video on International Process Service.

Method of Service

Article 5(1)(a) Service

The national provisions for the service of documents can be found in the Code of Judicial Procedure (Oikeudenkäymiskaari, 4/1734), Chapter 11.

When the court takes responsibility for service in a legal dispute, service occurs primarily by post. The letter may arrive either with the advice of receipt to the post office or directly to the home, in which case the certificate of receipt in the envelope must be returned to the court. If it is likely that service of a writ of summons by post will not be successful, or if responsibility for service is given to a party, service will be performed by a bailiff.

The service of a trial document other than a writ of summons may also be carried out by sending the document as a normal letter to the postal address or another address notified to the court by the interested party. This means that, for example, invitations, exhortations, and notices may be served on a party to civil proceedings electronically if the party in question has indicated such an address - an e-mail address or a fax number - to the court as the address for service.

A process server performs services of documents other than trial documents at the request of an authority or a private individual.

In cross-border cases, foreign authorities' requests for service of documents based on the Hague Convention are forwarded from the Central Authority to the Finnish district court where the addressee has his/her/its place of residence. The District Court’s process server performs the service. The practical procedure is usually that a process server personally serves the documents to the addressee. Click here for information on How The Central Authority Works in Finland.

Service of Notices

The Court sees that the parties and the witnesses receive the summonses to hearings and the other notices appropriately and on time.

Service of notices is usually done by post. The letter may be sent either to the post office, to be signed for as received, or directly to the recipient, in which event the certificate of receipt contained in the envelope must be returned to the District Court. With the recipient’s consent, the service of notices may also be effected electronically. In that case, the recipient is notified that the document can be retrieved on a server indicated by the district court.

If it is likely that service by post will not be successful, the District Court’s process servers deliver the notice to the recipient in person. In criminal cases, the notice is even, in general, delivered by process servers. In connection with undisputed claims, the service of summons may also be effected via telephone.

Other documents that require verifiable service (e.g., statements of the opposing party, summons to a preparatory hearing and main hearing, summaries drawn up by the court, etc.) can be sent directly to the postal address or e-mail address given by the party.

In addition to notices in court cases, the District Court’s process servers also have other official duties relating to the service of notices.

Translation Requirements

A translation is not required; however, if the addressee does not accept a document in a foreign language, service can only be effected if the document is translated into one of the official languages of Finland, i.e. Finnish or Swedish, or if the addressee must be deemed to understand the foreign language. Companies with international business relations must be deemed to understand English, German, or French.

Timeline for Execution

The average time for the service of documents in Finland is about four weeks.

Procedure

The Hague Service Convention established a simpler means for parties to affect 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. Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions About Process Servers!

Alternate Methods of Service

The Hague Convention provides various modes of process service of documents, such as by postal channel or by diplomatic/consular agents, judicial officers, officials, or other competent persons. These provisions are covered under Articles 8 to 10 and may or not be allowed by member countries as a valid mode of serving the documents in their territory. The method of serving the documents through the Central Agency (Article 5) is not optional but is binding on all the member countries. The services done by the Central Agency usually take a long time: 4 to 12 months. The convention relieves the litigants if they have not received a certificate of service or delivery from the Central Agency even after waiting for six months. In such cases, the Court may give its judgment if it considers that a reasonable time has elapsed. Also, the court may issue a provisional order or protective measure in case of urgency, even before the six-month waiting period.

Finland process 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 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, Suite 300, Washington DC 20004

for assistance serving legal papers in Finland

Pick up the phone and call Toll-Free (800) 774-6922 or click the service you want to purchase. Our dedicated team of professionals is ready to assist you. We can handle all your Finland 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 Finland process service 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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