Sri Lanka Process Server

Overview

Process Server in Sri Lanka: How Service of Process Works

Sri Lanka is a Hague Service Convention signatory with an unusual mix of declarations: it objected to Article 8, 10(a), and 10(c), but lodged no objection to Article 10(b), meaning direct service through Sri Lankan District Court Judges acting as competent persons is valid, alongside the formal Central Authority route through the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice in Colombo. Sri Lanka accepts requests in English, Sinhala, or Tamil, and charges no government fee. Sri Lankan authorities have also invoked Article 13 to reject a Hague request on sovereignty grounds in a high-profile case involving the country's own president.

Who serves process

Who Can Serve Legal Documents in Sri Lanka

A mixed legal system applies in Sri Lanka, but procedure in Colombo's courts follows common-law lines. The Central Authority is the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice in Colombo, who sends requests to the District Court for service under Section 50 of the Civil Procedure Code.

Sri Lanka objects to postal service under Article 10(a) and to service by interested persons under 10(c), but not to service through competent judicial officers under 10(b); its Hague listing names District Court Judges. Documents may be in English, Sinhala or Tamil. Sri Lanka charges no fee, and the Hague Conference lists two to four months.

For defendants in Colombo or elsewhere in Sri Lanka, the usual starting point is a claim form or writ of summons with the statement of claim; orders, notices and enforcement papers follow later in a case. Defendants may be anywhere from Colombo to the North Western, North Central & Uva Provinces, and we cover the whole country.

Treaties

Hague Service Convention and Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka 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. On Article 10: Postal service is not allowed, but service through competent Sri Lankan judicial officers is.

Sri Lanka is also a party to the Hague Evidence Convention, so witness testimony and documents can be requested with a Letter of Request.