This article will provide guidance on How To Serve legal papers in St. Lucia St. Lucia is an island nation in the eastern Caribbean Sea, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, located in the West Indies. In terms of population, Castries was St. Lucia’s capital, while Soufrière was the island’s first French colonial capital. Click here for How the Hague Convention Simplifies International Process Service.
When Europeans arrived on the island, the French were first to set up shop. It was in 1660 that they formed a pact with the Island Caribs. Between 1663 to 1667, England was in charge of the island. It went to war with France fourteen times in the following years, and the island’s rulers changed regularly. The British gained full control of the island in 1814. Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions About Process Servers!
The island was a member of the West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962. As a Commonwealth country, St. Lucia joined the Commonwealth of Nations on February 22, 1979. In other words, the legal system in St. Lucia is a hybrid of civil and English common law. It was the Quebec Civil Code of 1866 that served as the basis for St. Lucia’s Civil Code of 1867, which was later augmented with laws based on English common law. It is also a part of the Francophonie International Organization.
HOW TO SERVE LEGAL PAPERS IN ST. LUCIA
The usual St. Lucia Process Service norm is that the claim form must be served with the claimant’s statement of claim. The claim form may be served without the statement of claim. St. Lucia Process Service of the claim form requires that the statement of claim, a copy of any order that may have been made, and a copy of any order or application made must be served with the claim form unless the St. Lucia Process Service claim form contains the statement of claim. Click here for information on How Rush Process Service Can Expedite Your Case.
The personal service of a claim form is accomplished by giving it to or leaving it with the person to be served. A St. Lucia Process Service claim form must be served in the jurisdiction of St. Lucia.
Personal St. Lucia Process Service of the claim form is established by the server swearing an affidavit indicating [A.]the date and hour of St. Lucia Process Service; [B.] the particular location or address at which it was served; [C.] the precise manner in which the claimant’s identity was determined; and [D.] the precise manner in which the claimant’s identity was determined.
If another person recognized the person served, that person must also submit an affidavit — establishing the person served’s identity and detailing how the maker of the affidavit was able to identify the person served. If the server identified the person to be served through a photograph or description, an affidavit must also be filed – verifying the description or photograph as being of the person intended to be served and stating how the maker of the affidavit is able to verify the description or photograph as being of the person intended to be served.
St. Lucia Process Service may be conducted on a limited liability corporation by leaving the claim form at the company’s registered office or sending the claim form via telex, FAX, or prepaid post or cable addressed to the company’s registered office. St. Lucia Process Service may also be done by personally serving the claim form on an officer or manager of the company at any place of business with a real connection to the claim.
St. Lucia Process Service on a body corporate (other than a limited company) may be accomplished by sending the claim form via prepaid post to the body corporate’s principal office or by personally serving the claim form on any corporate’s principal officer. The term ‘primary officer’ under this regulation refers to the mayor, chairman, or president of the body, as well as the town clerk, chief executive officer, clerk, secretary, treasurer, or other similar officials.
ALTERNATE MEANS OF PROCESS SERVICE IN ST. LUCIA
St. Lucia Process Service by mail is established by the person responsible for mailing the claim form to the person to be served by signing an affidavit of service. The affidavit must include a copy of the claim form and specify the recipient’s address, as well as the date and time of the St. Lucia Process Service mailing. Click here for information on How Service of Process Ensures A Solid Foundation.
St. Lucia Process Service by electronic means is established by the person responsible for submitting the claim form to the person to be served to swear an affidavit of service. The affidavit must include a copy of the document served, any cover sheet or email associated with the document, the transmission record and proof of electronic service of the document, as well as the electronic means by which the document was served. Additionally, it is important to include the e-mail address or FAX number to which the document was transmitted and the date and time of transmission. Electronic confirmation of delivery may be evidence of St. Lucia Process Service for an electronic document and may include a written e-mail response, a read receipt, a successful FAX transmission message, or an automated response indicating that a document was uploaded to an online shared drive.
When a party chooses an alternative method of St. Lucia Process Service, and the court is asked to take any action based on the claim form being served, the party who served the claim form must file evidence on an affidavit demonstrating that the method of service was sufficient to enable the defendant to ascertain the claim form’s contents.
Affidavits must exhibit a copy of the St. Lucia Process Service documents served, detail the method of service used, and demonstrate that the person intended to be served was able to ascertain the contents of the documents or it is likely that they would have been able to do so. Furthermore, the affidavit must state the time at which the person served was or was likely to have been in a position to ascertain the contents of the St. Lucia Process Service documents.
The court office must promptly submit any affidavit filed to a judge, master, or registrar, who must evaluate the evidence and certify it if it adequately establishes service. The court has the authority to issue an order for serving through a particular St. Lucia Process Service means.
The court may determine that a claim form served in accordance with the court’s order is regarded to have been properly served. Without St. Lucia Process Service notice, an application for an order to serve by a specified method may be made but must be accompanied by affidavit evidence specifying the method of St. Lucia Process Service proposed and demonstrating that the proposed method of St. Lucia Process Service is likely to enable the person to be served to ascertain the contents of the claim form and statement of claim.
St. Lucia Process Service is established by an affidavit signed by the person who served the document attesting to the fact that the conditions of the order were followed. A claim form containing a claim under a contract may be served in any manner authorized under the terms of the contract. If the claim form is served in line with the contract within the jurisdiction, St. Lucia Process Service is deemed to have been served on the defendant.
If the claim form is served outside the jurisdiction in line with the contract, St. Lucia Process Service is not considered served on the defendant unless St. Lucia Process Service beyond the jurisdiction is authorized.
The court may not make an order unless it is satisfied that the agent’s authority had not been terminated at the time of the application or the agent is still in business relations with the defendant and the contract to which the claim relates was entered into within the jurisdiction with or through the defendant’s agent. Without notice, an application may be made but must be accompanied by affidavit proof.
HOW TO SERVE LEGAL PAPERS INTERNATIONALLY IN ST. LUCIA
St. Lucia ratified the Hague Convention on the Elimination of the Legalization Requirement for Foreign Public Documents in 2001, and the Convention took effect on July 31, 2002. As a result, no diplomatic authentication or consular legalization of St. Lucian papers is required for effective legal contact with other Convention member nations. To be legitimate in the state of destination, St. Lucia Process Service papers must only be authenticated by an apostille certificate bearing the originating state’s authorities’ ‘apostille’ stamp. Click here for information on How Process Servers Protect Your Rights: Myths Debunked
The apostille is a rectangular-shaped stamp. It should be completed in the issuing authority’s official language. The apostille’s legitimacy is contingent upon the presence of the heading ‘Apostille (Convention de la Haye du 5 octobre 1961)’ in French.
Apostille certification is available for any public St. Lucia Process Service papers written in English and issued by the government of St. Lucia. Legalizing public papers in St. Lucia entails confirming the document’s provenance and the authority of the authorities who signed, sealed, or stamped it. After such verification, the public document or its certified duplicate is stamped with a special stamp known as the apostille. Typically, the apostille is appended to the back of the underlying public document or on a separate page.
The apostille may only be provided in conjunction with the original document. As a result, the accompanying documentation must be in excellent shape, with all stamps and signatures legible and legible. Additionally, St. Lucia Process Service should be free of alien marks or labeling.
For governments that are not signatories to the Hague Service Convention, legal St. Lucia Process Service papers are normally served via diplomatic channels. St. Lucia Process Service is generally accomplished through a letter rogatory, which is a formal request from a court where proceedings are pending to a court in another state for the issuance of a judicial order. Generally, this process entails the submission of the document to be served from the original court to the state’s foreign ministry. The St. Lucia Process Service request is sent by the foreign ministry in the state of origin to the foreign ministry in the destination state. After that, the foreign ministry forwards the documents to the appropriate court. After that, the local court issues an order authorizing the St. Lucia Process Service. Once St. Lucia Process Service is provided, a certificate of service is issued using the same channels. Courts may occasionally bypass one or more phases by simply forwarding service requests to the foreign government or court.
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Documents can be faxed at (800) 296-0115, emailed ps@undisputedlegal.com, or uploaded to our website. We do require prepayment 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.; All documents will be received by our receptionist.
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New York: (212) 203-8001 – 590 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10022
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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 – 2200 Pennsylvania Avenue, 4 Fl East, Washington DC 20037
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1. St. Lucia has also been nicknamed the ‘Helen of the West,’ after the Greek legendary princess Helen of Troy, because of its many transitions between British and French administration.
2. Or, if the Rules so require, an affidavit or other document.
3. A claim form that would normally be served on a minor who is not also a patient must be served on – one of the minor’s parents or guardians (including, in St. Lucia, the curator appointed under the Civil Code (Cap 242)); or the person with whom the minor resides or who is responsible for the minor, if there is no parent or guardian.
- If a person is authorized by any applicable statute to undertake the procedure in the patient’s name or on the patient’s behalf, that person must be served with a claim form.
- If no such person exists, a claim form must be served on the person with whom the patient lives or who is responsible for his or her care.
- The court may enter an order authorizing service of the claim form on the juvenile or patient or on a person other than those indicated.
- The court may direct that, notwithstanding the failure to comply with paragraphs (2) to (4), the claim form be deemed as duly served.
- An application for an order may be made without notice but must be accompanied by affidavit proof.
4. The attorney is authorized to accept service of the claim form on behalf of a party and has informed the claimant in writing of such authority; the claim form must be served on that legal practitioner.
5. Service on a firm or partnership may be accomplished in one of the following ways: personally serving the claim form on a manager of the firm at any place of business of the firm or partnership that has a genuine connection with the claim; personally serving the claim form on any partner of the firm, or in any other manner permitted by law.
Suppose the claimant is aware that the partnership has been dissolved at the time the claim is filed. In that case, the claim form must be physically served on each individual within the jurisdiction whom the claimant wishes to hold accountable.
6. by personally serving the claim form on any director, officer, receiver, receiver-manager, or liquidator of the company
7. Or in any other manner permitted by any enactment
8. If the court is not satisfied that the mode of service adopted enabled the defendant to discern the contents of the claim form, the court office shall schedule a day, time, and location for considering issuing an order under rule 5.14 and provide at least seven days notice to the claimant.
9. If the circumstances set out in paragraph (2) are met, the court may allow the service of a claim form pertaining to a contract on the agent of a defendant.
10. An order issued according to this regulation shall include the time limits for the defendant to submit an acknowledgment of service and defense.
When the court issues an order according to this rule, the claimant must serve the agent with the – claim form, order, and statement of claim and simultaneously mail a copy of each document to the defendant at the defendant’s out-of-jurisdiction address.
11.U.S. Embassy Bridgetown
Wildey Business Park
Wildey
St. Michael BB 14006
Barbados, W.I.
Telephone: +(246) 227-4399
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +(246) 227-4000
Fax: +(246) 431-0179
Email: BridgetownACS@state.gov
12. The following organizations are responsible for issuing the apostille: Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs and his deputy; Permanent Secretary of Finance and his deputy; Registrar General for corporate entities and copyright; Registrar General of the Supreme Court; and Solicitor General.
13. Apostilles may be used to authenticate the following documents:
Civil status certificates (certificates of birth, death, marriage, and divorce)
Educational materials (school reports, certificates, diplomas)
extraits du registre commercial
Court rulings
Copies of papers that have been notarially certified
Notarized translations
Additional notarial papers (authorizations, last will, declarations)
Commercial papers that have been legalized by a state-registered entity (articles of incorporation, registration certificates, tax registrations, etc.)