Process server in Quebec

In Quebec, service of court documents is carried out by a huissier de justice (bailiff). Every job in Quebec is quoted: there is no instant price.

Main cities in Quebec: Montréal, Québec City and Gatineau.

Quebec’s Code of Civil Procedure distinguishes notification from service: notification by a bailiff is called service when the law requires that method. The Code allows notification through methods other than a bailiff where permitted; it does not make a bailiff necessary for every document. Code of Civil Procedure, arts. 110 and 116.

The Code permits an appropriate notification method that provides proof of delivery, sending or publication; examples include a bailiff, mail, delivery, technology or public notice. When bailiff service is required, the Code sets out personal delivery and further steps if personal delivery is not possible. Code of Civil Procedure, arts. 110 and 116.

Technological notification to an unrepresented party requires that party’s consent or a court order. Code of Civil Procedure, art. 133.

There is no single service deadline for every Quebec civil document. In the general civil application process described by the Code, the defendant must answer within 15 days after service of the application. Code of Civil Procedure, art. 145.

Small Claims follows a distinct procedure: the clerk notifies the application and tells the defendant to choose an option within 20 days. Code of Civil Procedure, art. 546. These are response steps for the identified proceedings, not general service deadlines.

For notification of pleadings or delivery of documents, the Code generally sets permitted hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on non-holidays; it also restricts notifying a pleading in specified places, including a courtroom or place of worship. The detailed restrictions and exceptions are in the Code. Code of Civil Procedure, arts. 111 and 115.

These limits do not mean every document must be personally served by a bailiff. Code of Civil Procedure, arts. 110 and 116.

A bailiff proves service with a certificate drawn up under oath. Where a person designated by the bailiff effects service, the Code requires that person’s certificate with specified identification details and, unless refused, the recipient’s receipt. Other notification methods must also provide proof under the Code. Code of Civil Procedure, arts. 110, 119 and 120. This is general information, not legal advice; the proof depends on the method and proceeding.