Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/16pdf/16-254_5iel.pdf
Page Number: 6.0

Cite as:  581 U. S. ____ (2017) 

3 

Opinion of the Court 

for  service  of  documents  from  other  countries.”  Schlunk, 
supra,  at  698.    When  a  central  authority  receives  an  ap­
propriate request, it must serve the documents or arrange 
for  their  service,  Art.  5,  and  then  provide  a  certificate  of 
service, Art. 6. 

Submitting a request to a central authority is not, how­
ever, the only method of service approved by the Conven­
tion.  For  example,  Article  8  permits  service  through
diplomatic  and  consular  agents;  Article  11  provides  that 
any  two  states  can  agree  to  methods  of  service  not  other­
wise  specified  in  the  Convention;  and  Article  19  clarifies
that the Convention does not preempt any internal laws of 
its  signatories  that  permit  service  from  abroad  via  meth­
ods not otherwise allowed by the Convention. 

At issue in this case is Article 10 of the Convention, the 

English text of which reads as follows: 

“Provided  the  State  of  destination  does  not  object, 

the present Convention shall not interfere with— 

“(a)  the  freedom  to  send  judicial  documents,  by

postal channels, directly to persons abroad,

“(b) the freedom of judicial officers, officials or other
competent persons of the State of  origin to effect ser­
vice of judicial documents directly through the judicial 
officers,  officials  or  other  competent  persons  of  the 
State of destination, 

“(c)  the  freedom  of  any  person  interested  in  a  judi­
cial  proceeding  to  effect  service  of  judicial  documents 
directly through the judicial officers, officials or other 
competent  persons  of  the  State  of  destination.”    20 
U. S. T., at 363. 

Articles  10(b)  and  10(c),  by  their  plain  terms,  address 
additional  methods  of  service  that  are  permitted  by  the
Convention  (unless  the  receiving  state  objects).  By  con­
trast,  Article  10(a)  does  not  expressly  refer  to  “service.”
The  question  in  this  case  is  whether,  despite  this  textual