San Marino Process Server

Overview

Process Server in San Marino: How Service of Process Works

San Marino has objected to Article 8 and to Article 10 in its entirety, so postal service and private agent service are not valid — the Central Authority is the only route. Uniquely among jurisdictions covered on this site, San Marino's Central Authority is the same body as its sole national court: the Single Court of the Republic of San Marino (Tribunale Unico della Repubblica di San Marino), a reflection of San Marino's status as the world's oldest surviving republic and one of its smallest, with a unified judicial system rather than a tiered court hierarchy.

Who serves process

Who Can Serve Legal Documents in San Marino

San Marino is a civil-law country. The Central Authority is the Tribunale Unico (Single Court) of the Republic of San Marino, and formal service under Article 5(1) is the only method it permits.

Every Article 10 alternative is objected to by San Marino, which leaves the Central Authority as the only valid route to San Marino and beyond. All documents must be in Italian or come with a legalized, sworn Italian translation. A €50 fee per request must be paid in advance, and service usually takes two to three weeks plus shipping time.

For defendants in San Marino or elsewhere in San Marino, the usual starting point is an atto di citazione (writ of summons); orders, notices and enforcement papers follow later in a case. Defendants may be anywhere from San Marino to Fiorentino, Montegiardino & Faetano, and we cover the whole country.

Treaties

Hague Service Convention and San Marino

San Marino is a party to the Hague Service Convention, so documents can be sent to its Central Authority, which arranges service and returns a Certificate of Service. San Marino has made a declaration on Article 10, which limits service by post or by private agents, so we confirm which methods are open before choosing one.

San Marino is not a party to the Hague Evidence Convention, so requests for witness testimony or documents go through letters rogatory.