Commonly referred to as “in hand service,” serving a Respondent by personally handing him/her the Court’s Citation/Order to Show Cause is always a permissible way to effectuate service and is, perhaps, the preferred way to serve a Respondent with process. Note that if the Respondent to be served lives anywhere in New York State, service by personal delivery is the only permissible way to effectuate service on the Respondent. When personally serving a Respondent with process, it is always best to use the services of a professional process server to avoid any potentially unpleasant encounter. If serving a Respondent who resides in New York State by personally delivery, the Respondent must be handed a copy of the Court’s Citation/Order to Show Cause no less than 10 days before the return date/hearing date specified in the Citation/Order to Show Cause.