Dispatch desk / Coverage / Antigua and Barbuda
Service of process in Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua work divides fairly neatly: commercial and offshore matters in St John’s, and property, yacht and investment matters around English Harbour, Falmouth and Jolly Harbour. Then there is Barbuda, which is a boat trip and needs to be quoted as one.
What the Antigua and Barbuda desk handles
- Personal service of summonses, complaints, petitions and subpoenas
- Corporate service at a registered office or place of business in St John’s
- Service on directors, trustees and registered agents
- Yacht, marine and charter-related documents around English Harbour and Falmouth
- Property and investment disputes, including Jolly Harbour
- Divorce, family and probate documents
- Statutory demands and letters before action
- Trace and locate before service, where the address you hold is stale
- Attempts on Barbuda, by boat transfer
- Swearing of the Affidavit of Service before a Notary Public or attorney
If what you have is not on this list, ask. We will tell you plainly whether it can properly be served here.
Yachts, harbours and the Barbuda crossing
The marine addresses are the interesting ones, and they need a different kind of planning.
A berth at English Harbour or Falmouth is not a residence, and a vessel is not a fixed address. A serve is often still possible, but it is planned around arrivals, departures and crew movements rather than by repeat visits to an empty pontoon. If you know the vessel name, the charter company or the season, send it — that is worth more here than a postal address.
Barbuda is a separate island, thinly settled, reached by boat. An attempt there is a day, not an hour. We will tell you that plainly and price the transfer into the fixed fee before you commit, rather than presenting it later as a disbursement.
On Antigua itself, village-and-landmark addresses are common outside St John’s, and post office boxes are widely used. A box cannot be served, but it is a reasonable starting point for a trace.
For corporate service in St John’s, send the exact registered name and, if you have it, the registration number. Many entities here are held at a registered agent with no premises of their own, and a document tendered in the wrong capacity is the usual reason a serve is later challenged.
Timing, and what comes back to you
Antigua is generally days. A Barbuda attempt depends on the boat and the weather, and we will give you a realistic date up front. Marine serves depend on the vessel’s movements, and we report honestly on what we can see.
- A court-ready Affidavit or Certificate of Service, sworn locally
- A record of every attempt — date, time, address and who was spoken to
- A description of the person served and the circumstances of the handover
- Photographs of the location where lawful and practical
- Progress updates by email or WhatsApp while the matter is live
- A reasoned report if service cannot be effected, with what we established about the true address
- A single point of contact who knows your file, start to finish
Why instruct us in Antigua and Barbuda
Because we will not bill you for three attempts at a pontoon. If the address is a berth, we say so, and we plan around the boat — or we tell you the serve is not realistically achievable and what is.
And because the Barbuda crossing is quoted once, in writing, before we go.
English throughout. Ask us about the correct route before you send: the Hague Service Convention applies in Antigua and Barbuda, and we will tell you whether personal service by us is appropriate for your document or whether it should go through the central authority.