How to Serve Someone Out of State?

While most court cases here in Michigan are between residents of our state, there are times when the defendant or witness named in a case doesn’t live in Michigan. This is especially true for many auto accidents that occur on our state’s highways and interstates. So how does a plaintiff in Michigan have a process served on a defendant or witness who does not reside in Michigan?

No Big Differences

Luckily, there aren’t any real differences in how Michigan residents and nonresidents are served process for Michigan court cases, according to Michigan’s Rules for Civil Procedure. For individuals, the process must be served in person or via USPS Registered or Certified mail with a return receipt requested and delivery restricted to the addressee only. When the addressee accepts the process in person or acknowledges receipt of the mail by signature, the service is considered complete. This is exactly the same process as the serving process for someone who resides in Michigan, so no big differences here.

Substituted Service

If the nonresident individual to be served cannot be located and their last address is not known, but they have a registered agent in Michigan, that registered agent may be served in their stead under the substituted service rules. This is especially useful for serving people doing business in Michigan that do not actually live here, since most businesses must list a registered agent for these types of communications when starting up.

Who Can Serve the Process in Another State?

If you intend to serve a nonresident in person anywhere outside of Michigan, then the laws and rules for the state where the service is being made must be followed. This means that if the state where the service is being made requires process servers to be certified, you must use a certified process server in that state for the service to be valid. Proof of service rules still applies even if service is made outside of Michigan.

Detroit’s Top Process Service Agency

No matter where the defendant(s) in your case are located, Accurate Serve knows how to get them served quickly and properly. We take all state and local laws into consideration when attempting to serve any process recipient, so your case won’t be delayed or dismissed due to improper service. To get started with us today, give us a call at (313) 385-3703 or send us a work request online.