Service of Process in Illinois

Service of process is the formal, court-ordered delivery of legal papers — most commonly a lawsuit — to a business entity. Illinois law directs that delivery to your registered agent, not to you personally.

Documents That Count as Service of Process

• Summons and complaint — the papers that open a civil lawsuit
• Subpoenas — demands to produce records or testify
• Garnishment and citation notices — court orders connected to a debt or judgment
• Other formal court papers Illinois law requires to be served on a registered entity

Regular correspondence, sales pitches, and invoices from vendors are not service of process, even when they land at the same registered office.

Why Illinois Routes It Through Your Agent

Illinois's Limited Liability Company Act and Business Corporation Act (805 ILCS 180 and 805 ILCS 5) require every registered entity to name an agent with a real Illinois street address so process servers and courts always have a dependable place to deliver legal papers. Let your agent lapse and Illinois courts can permit alternative methods of service — including a default judgment entered against you without your knowledge.

What Happens After We Receive It

1. A process server or sheriff's deputy delivers the papers to our Illinois office during business hours.
2. We scan the full document set that same business day.
3. You get an email the moment the scan lands in your secure portal.
4. You (or your attorney) review it and respond before the court's deadline.

We're not your legal counsel and don't weigh in on the underlying case — our job is getting the papers into your hands fast enough that the deadline clock doesn't beat you.

The Clock Starts the Day It's Served

Response windows in Illinois litigation run short. Same-day scanning exists precisely so a slow mail day or a missed in-person delivery never eats into the time you have to act.

This Isn't a Mail-Forwarding Service

Handling service of process is a different job from handling everyday mail. Our Illinois address exists to receive legal and state-required paperwork for your entity, which we scan and deliver digitally — we're not a mailbox provider. Government correspondence that shows up at our address is scanned free for your first three pieces in a calendar year; beyond that, or for physical forwarding of any item, there's a per-piece charge.

Get Started — $99/year

Want more detail? See what an Illinois registered agent does or check the FAQ.