The certificate of service is a one-page form used in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. On it, the person who served documents certifies that on a stated date a copy of those documents was served on the people listed, by one of four delivery methods printed on the form. The signature block is labeled Pro Se, and the form carries the case caption with Plaintiff, Defendant and C.A. No. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the court publishes the original on its Delaware Courts forms site.
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What is CA COS?
The Certificate of Service is a Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware form on which the person who served documents certifies the date of service, the documents served, the delivery method used and the people who received them.
The form opens with the court caption, "IN THE COURT OF CHANCERY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE", followed by the Plaintiff, the Defendant and the case number (C.A. No.). The body reads: "I, ____, hereby certify that on the below date I served a copy of the following documents." You then list the documents and select one method from four printed options:
- Certified mail
- Federal Express
- Delivery
- Registered Process Service
Under "to the following Person(s) (list names and addresses)" you write each recipient in the TO: block. The form ends with a date and a signature block labeled Pro Se (signature), followed by a printed name, address and phone number.
The certificate is not a pleading or a motion. It records how and when other documents in the case were served. The Delaware Courts publish it on their forms page among the Court Of Chancery forms.
Who needs to file CA COS?
The form is built for a party to a Court of Chancery case who served documents on someone else and signs for themself. Its signature line is labeled Pro Se (signature), which is the term for a person acting without a lawyer.
You also need an existing case: the form asks for the Plaintiff, the Defendant and the C.A. No., so it is completed after a case has been numbered.
The form lists the people who were served in a TO: block, so anyone who served documents on more than one person records each name and address there.
Choose only the method you actually used. The form says "select one" among Certified mail, Federal Express, Delivery and Registered Process Service.
The form itself does not say who is required to file it, and it has no separate signature block for an attorney or another representative. For questions about whether a certificate of service is needed for a particular document, check the Court of Chancery's rules or ask the court.
When to file CA COS
You complete the Certificate of Service after you have served the documents, because the form certifies that "on the below date I served a copy of the following documents." The date you enter is the date of service, so it should match the day the documents were actually sent or delivered by the method you selected.
No due date is printed on the form. Whether and when it must be filed with a given document depends on the Court of Chancery's rules or the court's instructions in your case, so check those before you serve.
Documents you need
- The documents you served: the form asks you to identify them after "a copy of the following documents," so have each one ready to list.
How to fill out CA COS
Enter the Plaintiff and Defendant
In the caption under "IN THE COURT OF CHANCERY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE," enter the name of the Plaintiff and the name of the Defendant as they appear in your case.
Enter the case number
Write your case number on the line after C.A. No.: exactly as the court assigned it.
Write your name in the certification
In the sentence beginning "I," enter the name of the person who served the documents and is making the certification.
List the documents you served
After "a copy of the following documents," identify each document you served so the certificate shows exactly what was delivered.
Select the delivery method
Under By (select one), choose one option: Certified mail, Federal Express, Delivery or Registered Process Service. Select the method you actually used.
List each person served
In the TO: block, write the name and address of each person you served, under "to the following Person(s) (list names and addresses)."
Enter the date of service
Fill in the Date: field with the date on which you served the documents.
Sign and add your contact details
Sign on the Pro Se (signature) line, then print your name and enter your address and phone number in the lines below it.
Review and download the completed PDF
Check that the case number, recipients, method and date are correct, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and file or serve it as the court requires.
How to submit CA COS
The form prints no filing address, portal or in-person instruction, so follow the Court of Chancery's own filing channels for your case. What the form does require is a record of how service was made.
- Service method: select one of Certified mail, Federal Express, Delivery or Registered Process Service.
- Recipients: list the name and address of each person served in the TO: block.
- Signature: sign on the Pro Se (signature) line and enter your printed name, address and phone number.
For the court's filing channels and any filing requirements for your case, use the Court of Chancery section of the Delaware Courts forms page at courts.delaware.gov or contact the court. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels the court uses.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Selecting more than one delivery method, or none, when the form says to select one of Certified mail, Federal Express, Delivery or Registered Process Service.
- Listing a recipient's name without an address; the form asks you to list names and addresses under the TO: block.
- Leaving out the C.A. No. or the Plaintiff and Defendant names in the caption.
- Entering a date that is not the date you actually served the documents, since the certificate states that service occurred on the date below.
- Leaving the Pro Se (signature) line unsigned, or omitting the printed name, address and phone number beneath it.
- Describing the documents served too vaguely to identify them, when the form certifies service of "the following documents".
Frequently asked questions
What is a certificate of service in the Delaware Court of Chancery?
It is a form on which you certify that on a stated date you served copies of listed documents on named people by one of the printed methods. The Court of Chancery form carries the case caption, the C.A. No., a TO: block for recipients and a signature block.
What delivery methods does the Certificate of Service list?
Four: Certified mail, Federal Express, Delivery and Registered Process Service. The form says to select one, so choose the method you actually used to serve the documents.
Who signs the Court of Chancery Certificate of Service?
The signature line is labeled Pro Se (signature), so the form is set up for a party acting without a lawyer. Below it you print your name and enter your address and phone number.
What do I put in the TO: section?
List the name and address of each person you served. The form asks for "names and addresses" of the person(s) served, so include a complete address for every recipient, not just the name.
What date do I enter on the Certificate of Service?
Enter the date you served the documents. The form certifies that "on the below date" you served a copy of the listed documents, so the date should match the day service was actually made.
Can I fill out the Certificate of Service online?
Yes. You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not serve or file the certificate; the court receives it only through the channels it sets.
Where do I find the official Certificate of Service form?
The Delaware Courts publish it on their forms site at https://courts.delaware.gov/forms/download.aspx?id=121878, among the Court Of Chancery forms. The forms list at courts.delaware.gov/forms/list.aspx can be filtered by court.
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