Germans pilot the largest economy in Europe, thanks in part to its many large companies, including Adidas, Audi, BMW, Bayer, and Volkswagen. In order to properly serve those companies, or any other defendant located in Germany, litigants must submit a Hague Service Request to the relevant German Central Authority. Alternate methods of service are unavailable pursuant to Germany’s declarations to the Hague Service Convention.
Germany, in particular, rigidly regards service of process as purely a State function and only German court officials are authorized to serve. Indeed, it is a criminal offense to serve process in Germany.
A quaint home in Schuby, Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. Image courtesy of Nicole Hohlweg.