Process Serving & Private Investigations

1. Quick Definitions

A process server has the responsibility of delivering many types of documents to a person/party. On the QLD licence, a process server is called a Field Agent. 

This licence allows a field agent to:

• serve documents (process serving).
• find and recover goods (repossession)
• collect debts face-to-face

Not all States and Territories in Australia require process servers to be licenced.

Extracted from Queensland Government website  

2. Experience

Firstly, you should carry out a basic (and easy) licence number check as it is necessary to have one in QLD. You can do that here:

QLD Gov. licence number check:  https://www.qld.gov.au/law/laws-regulated-industries-and-accountability/queensland-laws-and-regulations/check-a-licence-association-charity-or-register/check-a-licence  

Tip: If you don’t want to ask the process server/private investigator for their licence number. All you need is there first and last name to complete a basic check at the link above. Also, there are no qualifications needed to become a process server in QLD, just a Cert 3 to become a private investigator (information extracted from QLD gov website).  

It’s one of those industries that life experience can be the best asset for the process server/private investigator. Every day is different. Every job is different. Every person is different and every experience can be unpredictable. That’s where the life experience can make all the difference. So it can’t hurt to ask how long the process server has been doing the job?  

3. Credibility

ARE THEY WILLING TO APPEAR IN COURT TO BACK UP THEIR REPORTS, IF REQUIRED. 

Yes, there are some process servers and private investigators out there who are willing to write you reports and Affidavits but when questioned about their credibility, honestly and accuracy in what they are reporting, some are not willing to back their own reports in a Court of Law. We have seen this happen.