Summary

When solving civil disputes, Estonian courts often have to serve documents abroad. In such cases, a judge has to determine under which legal act and on which conditions such service can be executed. The purpose of the article is to explain the relationship between various legal instruments which deal with the international service of documents in Estonian courts – Estonian broad legal assistance treaties, the Hague 1965 Service Convention, European Service Regulation (EC) 1393/2007 and Estonian national Code of Civil Procedure. The article highlights the main methods of service that these instruments provide and explains the practical operation of these instruments in Estonian courts.