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For defendants in Mexico, Central and South America, the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory and its Additional Protocol give U.S. litigants a treaty route that runs between Central Authorities instead of embassies. We prepare the Protocol forms and translations, send the request, and return the completed certificate for filing.
Choose the country where the defendant is.
Country not here? Costa Rica, Honduras and Spain belong to the Convention but have no treaty relationship with the U.S. under it. Check any other country.
The U.S. applies the Convention only together with its Protocol, and only with countries that have ratified both.
Sets the legal basis: a court in one member state may ask a court in another to serve judicial documents, such as a summons, complaint or subpoena, in civil and commercial matters. It says what may be requested and on what terms, but leaves the mechanics open.
Supplies the mechanics. Each country names a Central Authority, requests pass directly between those authorities, and three standard forms are used for the request, the notice to the defendant and the proof of service.
The Convention covers service of documents only. Requests to take evidence abroad need a separate route.
Seven partners also belong to the Hague Service Convention. For the other seven, this is the only treaty route to formal service from the U.S.
| Country | Inter-American (U.S. partner) | Hague Service Convention | Translation into |
|---|
Treaty status from the OAS and HCCH status tables, checked September 2026. Where a country belongs to both conventions, either route may be used; we compare current Central Authority timing for that country before recommending one.
Formal service, without the diplomatic channel.
A traditional letter rogatory travels through the State Department and a foreign ministry before it reaches a court, collecting consular fees and months of delay on the way. Under the Protocol, the request goes from the U.S. Central Authority straight to its counterpart abroad, which hands it to a local court for service.
The result carries the same weight as a letter rogatory: service by the foreign court under its own law, which matters if you may later need to enforce a judgment in that country.
Most rejections come from these forms: a missing seal, an untranslated field, or Form B left out of the package. We prepare and check all three before anything is sent.
The request itself, identifying the court, the parties and the person to be served. It is signed and sealed by the U.S. court clerk and accompanied by the documents to be served.
A plain summary for the person served: what the case is about, what is being claimed, and the time they have to respond. It is served along with the summons and complaint.
Completed by the foreign authority once service is carried out, stating when, where and on whom. This is the proof of service you file.
For Latin American defendants the choice is usually between three formal channels.
| Feature | Inter-American Convention | Hague Service Convention | Letters Rogatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it applies | The 14 U.S. treaty partners | Hague members, including 7 of the 14 | Any country, typically where no treaty applies |
| Channel | Central Authority to Central Authority | Direct to the foreign Central Authority | State Department and diplomatic channels |
| Embassy or consular fees | None | None | Yes |
| Typical timing | Several months, varies by country | Several months, varies by country | Often a year or more |
| Translation | Spanish or Portuguese | Usually required | Required |
| Proof returned | Form C certificate | Article 6 certificate | The foreign court's return |
You send the documents; we handle the forms, translation and follow-up.
We confirm the country is a treaty partner and whether Hague is also available and faster.
Forms A, B and C, certified Spanish or Portuguese translations, and the clerk's signature and seal.
We send the request to the U.S. Central Authority and follow it abroad until service is done.
You receive the completed Form C, ready to file with your court.
Tell us the country and your deadline and we'll confirm which route fits.
Start a service requestNo. U.S. courts have treated it as one available method rather than the only one, so service by another method permitted under the Federal Rules can remain valid. The Hague Convention, by contrast, must be used where it applies.
Either is available. The decision usually comes down to how quickly each Central Authority is currently processing requests and which proof your court prefers. We compare the two for that country before recommending one.
Not for U.S. cases. Those countries belong to the Convention but have no treaty relationship with the U.S. under it. Spain and Costa Rica are Hague members, so that route applies; Honduras needs Letters Rogatory or another method your court allows.
The Convention itself only provides for service through the Central Authorities. Whether mail or a local agent is also acceptable depends on the country's law, its Hague position if it is a member, and your court's rules.
The forms and the documents being served, into Spanish, or Portuguese for Brazil. We provide certified legal translations as part of the request.
Commonly several months, depending on the country and how busy its courts are. That is usually faster than a traditional letter rogatory, which often runs a year or longer. A complete, correctly translated request is the part we can control.
General information about service under the Inter-American Convention, not legal advice. Treaty positions and Central Authority practice change; confirm the current position for your case.
Send the documents and case details, or call 888-671-6643.
