Service

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FRCP 4(a)

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Summons
(a) Contents; Amendments.
   (1) Contents. A summons must:
      (A) name the court and the parties;
      (B) be directed to the defendant;
      (C) state the name and address of the plaintiff's attorney or--if unrepresented--of the plaintiff;
      (D) state the time within which the defendant must appear and defend;
      (E) notify the defendant that a failure to appear and defend will result in a default judgment against the defendant for the relief demanded in the complaint;
      (F) be signed by the clerk; and
      (G) bear the court's seal.
   (2) Amendments. The court may permit a summons to be amended.

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FRCP 4(b)-(c)

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(b) Issuance. On or after filing the complaint, the plaintiff may present a summons to the clerk for signature and seal. If the summons is properly completed, the clerk must sign, seal, and issue it to the plaintiff for service on the defendant. A summons--or a copy of a summons that is addressed to multiple defendants--must be issued for each defendant to be served.
 
(c) Service.
   (1) In General. A summons must be served with a copy of the complaint. The plaintiff is responsible for having the summons and complaint served within the time allowed by Rule 4(m) and must furnish the necessary copies to the person who makes service.
   (2) By Whom. Any person who is at least 18 years old and not a party may serve a summons and complaint.
   (3) By a Marshal or Someone Specially Appointed. At the plaintiff's request, the court may order that service be made by a United States marshal or deputy marshal or by a person specially appointed by the court. The court must so order if the plaintiff is authorized to proceed in forma pauperis under 28 U.S.C. § 1915 or as a seaman under 28 U.S.C. § 1916.

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FRCP 4(d)

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Waiver of Service
(d) Waiving Service.
   (1) Requesting a Waiver. An individual, corporation, or association that is subject to service under Rule 4(e), (f), or (h) has a duty to avoid unnecessary expenses of serving the summons. The plaintiff may notify such a defendant that an action has been commenced and request that the defendant waive service of a summons. The notice and request must:
      (A) be in writing and be addressed:
         (i) to the individual defendant; or
         (ii) for a defendant subject to service under Rule 4(h), to an officer, a managing or general agent, or any other agent authorized by appointment or by law to receive service of process;
      (B) name the court where the complaint was filed;
      (C) be accompanied by a copy of the complaint, two copies of a waiver form, and a prepaid means for returning the form;
      (D) inform the defendant, using text prescribed in Form 5, of the consequences of waiving and not waiving service;
      (E) state the date when the request is sent;
      (F) give the defendant a reasonable time of at least 30 days after the request was sent--or at least 60 days if sent to the defendant outside any judicial district of the United States--to return the waiver; and
      (G) be sent by first-class mail or other reliable means.
   (2) Failure to Waive. If a defendant located within the United States fails, without good cause, to sign and return a waiver requested by a plaintiff located within the United States, the court must impose on the defendant:
      (A) the expenses later incurred in making service; and
      (B) the reasonable expenses, including attorney's fees, of any motion required to collect those service expenses.
   (3) Time to Answer After a Waiver. A defendant who, before being served with process, timely returns a waiver need not serve an answer to the complaint until 60 days after the request was sent--or until 90 days after it was sent to the defendant outside any judicial district of the United States.
   (4) Results of Filing a Waiver. When the plaintiff files a waiver, proof of service is not required and these rules apply as if a summons and complaint had been served at the time of filing the waiver.
   (5) Jurisdiction and Venue Not Waived. Waiving service of a summons does not waive any objection to personal jurisdiction or to venue.

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FRCP 4(e)

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(e) Serving an Individual Within a Judicial District of the United States. Unless federal law provides otherwise, an individual--other than a minor, an incompetent person, or a person whose waiver has been filed--may be served in a judicial district of the United States by:
   (1) following state law for serving a summons in an action brought in courts of general jurisdiction in the state where the district court is located or where service is made; or
   (2) doing any of the following:
      (A) delivering a copy of the summons and of the complaint to the individual personally;
      (B) leaving a copy of each at the individual's dwelling or usual place of abode with someone of suitable age and discretion who resides there; or
      (C) delivering a copy of each to an agent authorized by appointment or by law to receive service of process.

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FRCP 4(g)-(h)

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(g) Serving a Minor or an Incompetent Person. A minor or an incompetent person in a judicial district of the United States must be served by following state law for serving a summons or like process on such a defendant in an action brought in the courts of general jurisdiction of the state where service is made. A minor or an incompetent person who is not within any judicial district of the United States must be served in the manner prescribed by Rule 4(f)(2)(A), (f)(2)(B), or (f)(3).
 
(h) Serving a Corporation, Partnership, or Association. Unless federal law provides otherwise or the defendant's waiver has been filed, a domestic or foreign corporation, or a partnership or other unincorporated association that is subject to suit under a common name, must be served:
   (1) in a judicial district of the United States:
      (A) in the manner prescribed by Rule 4(e)(1) for serving an individual; or
      (B) by delivering a copy of the summons and of the complaint to an officer, a managing or general agent, or any other agent authorized by appointment or by law to receive service of process and--if the agent is one authorized by statute and the statute so requires--by also mailing a copy of each to the defendant; or
   (2) at a place not within any judicial district of the United States, in any manner prescribed by Rule 4(f) for serving an individual, except personal delivery under (f)(2)(C)(i).

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FRCP 4(k)

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(k) Territorial Limits of Effective Service.
   (1) In General. Serving a summons or filing a waiver of service establishes personal jurisdiction over a defendant:
      (A) who is subject to the jurisdiction of a court of general jurisdiction in the state where the district court is located;
      (B) who is a party joined under Rule 14 or 19 and is served within a judicial district of the United States and not more than 100 miles from where the summons was issued; or
      (C) when authorized by a federal statute.
   (2) Federal Claim Outside State-Court Jurisdiction. For a claim that arises under federal law, serving a summons or filing a waiver of service establishes personal jurisdiction over a defendant if:
      (A) the defendant is not subject to jurisdiction in any state's courts of general jurisdiction; and
      (B) exercising jurisdiction is consistent with the United States Constitution and laws.

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FRCP 4(l)

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(l) Proving Service.
   (1) Affidavit Required. Unless service is waived, proof of service must be made to the court. Except for service by a United States marshal or deputy marshal, proof must be by the server's affidavit.
   (2) Service Outside the United States. Service not within any judicial district of the United States must be proved as follows:
      (A) if made under Rule 4(f)(1), as provided in the applicable treaty or convention; or
      (B) if made under Rule 4(f)(2) or (f)(3), by a receipt signed by the addressee, or by other evidence satisfying the court that the summons and complaint were delivered to the addressee.
   (3) Validity of Service; Amending Proof. Failure to prove service does not affect the validity of service. The court may permit proof of service to be amended.

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FRCP 4(m)

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(m) Time Limit for Service.
If a defendant is not served within 120 days after the complaint is filed, the court--on motion or on its own after notice to the plaintiff--must dismiss the action without prejudice against that defendant or order that service be made within a specified time. But if the plaintiff shows good cause for the failure, the court must extend the time for service for an appropriate period. This subdivision (m) does not apply to service in a foreign country under Rule 4(f) or 4(j)(1).