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In Washington State, you must always try to have the other party personally served at the start of the case. If you absolutely cannot have them served this way, you can ask court permission to serve them by mail or publication.

The Notice can be served only by (1) a person over the age of 18 who is competent to be a witness and is not a party to the action, or (2) the sheriff or a deputy of the county in which the court is located. Instead of personal service, the Notice can be sent to the defendant by registered or certified mail.

Under Washington law, you are responsible for serving the defendant, but the law does not require a particular person or entity. Anyone over the age of 18 can serve legal documents?a friend or family member, for example. Basically, anyone old enough can be your own process server.

When filing a parenting plan, you must pay a filing fee and a photocopying fee. You may also need to pay a fee to have the other spouse served with the paperwork. While the filing fee can cost anywhere from $200 to $350, you can file a special form to avoid the fee if you cannot afford to pay it.

? You do not need a special court order to serve the State by certified mail. Do not serve or mail the papers yourself. Have a friend or relative who is age 18 or older do it. That person should bring your copy of the papers too.

You will need to file a Petition for Visits to start a court case, and you need to provide written statements from people who feel you should have visitation. This will be presented to the judge, who will read the paperwork. If the judge is likely to grant visits, they will schedule a hearing.