Serving documents (service) — getting your papers to the other side properly
REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-08-28
Why service matters
The court can't act on documents the other side hasn't properly received. If service is wrong, hearings get adjourned and orders can be challenged. Family procedure rules set exactly how each document must be served.
The rules in practice
- Who serves what: HMCTS serves the application (C100 etc.) on the respondent for you in most family cases; you serve most other documents (statements, position statements, applications you make later) on the other party yourself
- How: by email (if the other side has agreed or used email), post to their address, or personal service; for the divorce/dissolution application there's a specific process
- When: documents for a hearing must normally be served by the deadline in the court's directions (often 14 days before, but follow YOUR order)
- Proof: keep proof of everything — dated emails with attachments confirmed, certificates of service where required, postage receipts
If they refuse to accept or evade service
- Email service counts once delivered/read in most family routes; keep the delivery receipt
- Courts can order alternative service (email to a solicitor, social media message, or service on a relative) where normal service is being evaded — apply to the court
- Never serve sensitive documents in a way that exposes them to an abusive ex's monitoring — and never hand-deliver in a dangerous situation
Special cases
- Respondent abroad: extra rules and time limits apply (and abduction cases run under the 1980 Hague Convention — see our passports/abroad page)
- Respondent in prison: serve via the prison governor
Official links
- Family procedure rules on service: https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/family
- https://www.gov.uk/looking-after-children-divorce
This page is general information, not legal advice. YourFamilyCase.co.uk is an independent information directory and is not affiliated with HMCTS or gov.uk.
Content verified against the official HMCTS court directory, gov.uk forms and fees pages, and the professional body registers (SRA, FMC, Bar Council). Last reviewed September 2026.