Certificate of service – in many jurisdictions this legal term refers to a document stating the date and manner in which the parties were served (given) a document. For example where a claim is entered by the claimant, the court may oblige the claimant to file a certificate of service within seven days of service of the claim form otherwise the claimant may not obtain judgment. In some legal systems, notaries public issue a certificate of service (i.e. a protocol for service) in which they state the date, the way of serving and the personal details of the person who has been served with the documents.