How to Become a Georgia Process Server
A server first must be appointed by a judge in the case to serve. Some selected court have made "permanent" appointments, usually for a one year term.
The Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts has posted Rules and Regulations for the Process Server Certification Program for becoming a process server in Georgia. The Certification is made by the county sheriff, and limits the server to serve process in the county of certification. See the full text of the regulation here: Certified Process Server Rules and Regulations
In summary, it requires:
- Certification as a Process Server
- $25,000 surety bond
- Fingerprint-based background check
A. General Requirements
1. To be a certified process server in Georgia, an individual must:
a. Be at least 18 years of age;
b. Be a citizen of the United States or a repatriated or naturalized citizen of the United States as of the date employment commences as evidenced by a certified copy of applicant’s birth certificate.
c. Not have:
1. Been convicted of or entered a plea of nolo contendere to a felony or of impersonating a peace officer or other public employee under O.C.G.A. § 16-10-23;
2. An outstanding warrant for arrest; or
3. A pending criminal charge in the following areas: felony, domestic violence, or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude.
B. Application; Review
1. A person seeking certification must file with the Sheriff of any county in Georgia a completed, sworn GCPS application packet.
2. For an application packet to be complete, it must contain the following:
a. A complete GCPS application as required by the packet;
b. A certified copy of applicant’s birth certificate;
c. Results of a fingerprint-based criminal background check conducted in accordance with Article 7 of these Rules;
d. A certificate of successful completion of pre-certification training, given to the applicant by the approved training provider, as detailed in Article 5.D. of these Rules;
e. A certificate of successful completion of the GCPS Exam as detailed in Article 6 of these Rules;
f. An insurance binder demonstrating that applicant has obtained, and maintains a commercial surety bond or policy of commercial insurance in the amount of $25,000 or greater as required by O.C.G.A. § 9-11-4.1 (b)(1)(D) to protect members of the public and persons employing the certified process server against any damage arising from any actionable misconduct, error, or omission on the part of the applicant while acting as a certified process server;
g. An $80 application fee in the form of money order or cashier’s check made payable to the Sheriff’s office that receives the application; and
h. Other fees that the Council may establish from time to time.
3. Sheriffs shall not accept incomplete application packets.
Special thank you to Paul Tamaroff for clarifying the Georgia process serving requirements.
The Georgia Association of Professional Process Servers offer member discounts of $100 for a surety bond for Certification as a process server. They also conduct 12 hour pre-certification classes and testing.