Mon–Fri 9–5 EST · Nationwide
New Hampshire has not adopted the UIDDA — you can't submit a foreign subpoena to a New Hampshire clerk. New Hampshire still uses the older Uniform Foreign Depositions Law under RSA 517-A:1 (effective 1998), supplemented by RSA 517:18 and RSA 517:15. A commission, writ, or letters rogatory from the foreign court is required, and a New Hampshire justice of the peace, notary public, or court officer issues the NH subpoena. Served 123 LLC provides the New Hampshire counsel on every New Hampshire order — across all 10 New Hampshire counties, from Manchester and Nashua to Portsmouth, Concord, and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock corridor in the Upper Valley.
Out-of-state attorneys routinely assume UIDDA will work in NH and file directly with an NH court — the filing is rejected. New Hampshire requires a commission, writ, or letters rogatory from the foreign (originating) court as a condition precedent. That foreign-court document is then presented to a NH justice of the peace, notary, or court officer who issues the NH subpoena. Served 123 LLC provides the NH counsel on every order.
As of 2026, New Hampshire has not adopted the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act. New Hampshire is one of a small handful of U.S. jurisdictions — along with Connecticut (adopted UIDDA 2022 but NH still lags), Massachusetts, Missouri, Texas, and Wyoming — that continues to require the older, more formal process for out-of-state subpoenas. Under RSA 517-A:1 (the Uniform Foreign Depositions Law), witnesses in New Hampshire may be compelled to appear and testify only when a court of record in another state issues a mandate, writ, commission, or letters rogatory directing that the testimony be taken. That foreign-court document is then presented to a New Hampshire justice of the peace (for any subpoena type), a New Hampshire notary public (for depositions only per Rule 17), or a New Hampshire court officer for issuance of the New Hampshire subpoena. New Hampshire practitioners strongly recommend engaging New Hampshire counsel to handle the commission workflow and be positioned to bring enforcement proceedings if the witness objects. Served 123 LLC provides the New Hampshire counsel as part of every New Hampshire order — you get the NH-issued subpoena and service in a single unified workflow.
New Hampshire operates the NH eCourt electronic filing system for its Superior Courts and Circuit Courts. Unlike UIDDA states, most NH foreign-subpoena work does not involve a court filing at all — the NH subpoena is issued by a justice of the peace or notary under RSA 517-A:1 and served directly. eCourt filing becomes relevant only when Superior Court enforcement, a motion to quash, or a RSA 517:15 commissioner appointment is required. Our NH counsel files through NH eCourt when needed and advances any required filing fees.
Because New Hampshire has not adopted the UIDDA, the streamlined clerk-submission path available in most states is unavailable here. New Hampshire continues to rely on the Uniform Foreign Depositions Law codified at RSA 517-A:1, effective January 1, 1998 (Laws 1997, 17:1). The statute provides that whenever a court of record in another state issues a mandate, writ, or commission, or whenever notice or agreement requires the taking of testimony in New Hampshire, witnesses may be compelled to appear in the same manner as for proceedings pending in New Hampshire.
The mechanics require coordination on both sides. First, counsel obtains a commission, writ, mandate, or letters rogatory from the foreign (originating) court. Second, that foreign-court document is presented to an authorized New Hampshire issuing officer — a justice of the peace (any subpoena type), a notary public (depositions only, per NH Rule 17), a judge, or a court clerk — who drafts and issues the New Hampshire subpoena in compliance with the NH Rules of Civil Procedure. Third, the NH subpoena is served in accordance with New Hampshire law, typically by a county sheriff or a private process server. Under RSA 517:18, a commissioner appointed by the foreign court has the same power in New Hampshire as an NH justice of the peace for deposition purposes.
New Hampshire has 10 counties. The New Hampshire Superior Court is the general-jurisdiction trial court and the proper forum for enforcement, motions to quash, or motions to compel once the NH subpoena has issued. Under RSA 517:15 (amended 2022, effective January 1, 2023), the NH Superior Court may appoint a commissioner to take depositions outside New Hampshire — and now expressly acknowledges UIDDA / UFDL states for out-of-NH discovery, though New Hampshire itself remains non-UIDDA for inbound work.
Properly issued subpoena from the originating state, signed by the issuing court
Commission, writ, or letters rogatory from the originating court authorizing NH deposition/production — we prepare the language
Caption and case number of originating matter, all counsel of record, witness details, and target service date
NH justice of the peace / notary / court issuance fee + reasonable witness tender (no fixed statutory civil rate post-2019)
New Hampshire's largest county and corporate core. BAE Systems (Nashua — major U.S. defense contractor), Fidelity Investments (Merrimack operations center, one of Fidelity's largest sites), Anthem Blue Cross NH, Elliot Hospital, Catholic Medical Center, Southern New Hampshire University. Heavy defense, financial-services, and healthcare discovery.
NH Seacoast and south-Salem retail corridor. Lonza Biologics (Portsmouth — major biotech/pharma contract manufacturing), Liberty Mutual regional operations, Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Exeter Hospital. UNH School of Law (Concord — but admissions administered here). Adjacent to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (federal, located across the river in Kittery, Maine).
State capital. All New Hampshire state executive agencies, NH Supreme Court, NH Legislature. Concord Hospital. UNH School of Law. Government and institutional discovery hub.
Wentworth-Douglass Hospital (Mass General Brigham affiliate), Liberty Mutual operations. University of New Hampshire (Durham, adjacent). Seacoast-metro overflow for Portsmouth and southern Maine cross-border discovery.
Dartmouth College (Hanover) and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (Lebanon) — tertiary care academic medical center and regional referral hub for the Upper Valley across NH and Vermont. Geisel School of Medicine. Substantial academic medical and research discovery.
From intake to affidavit — NH counsel engaged, foreign commission / letters rogatory workflow, NH subpoena drafted and issued, service statewide across all 10 NH counties.
Use the order form at the top of this page or email info@served123.com. Include the originating state, the New Hampshire county where the recipient is located, and your foreign subpoena PDF. Note whether you already have a commission from the foreign court, or whether our NH counsel should prepare the commission language for your originating court to sign.
Our standing New Hampshire-licensed counsel is engaged for the domestication workflow as part of your order. You do not need to retain separate NH counsel, seek pro hac vice admission, or bill separately for attorney time — the NH attorney work is included.
If not already in hand, our NH counsel prepares the commission, writ, or letters rogatory language for your originating court to execute. This is typically a motion and proposed order filed in the foreign (originating) court requesting authority for NH-based deposition or production. Some jurisdictions use a standard commission form; others require a custom letters rogatory motion.
Upon receipt of the foreign commission, our NH counsel drafts the New Hampshire subpoena in compliance with the NH Rules of Civil Procedure. The subpoena is issued by an authorized NH officer per RSA 517-A:1 and Rule 17 — an NH justice of the peace (any subpoena type), an NH notary public (depositions only), or an NH court clerk or judge. The NH subpoena becomes the operative document for service.
Most NH foreign-subpoena work does not require a court filing. Superior Court involvement arises only if enforcement is needed (motion to compel), the witness files a motion to quash, or a commissioner appointment under RSA 517:15 is required for out-of-NH discovery. Our NH counsel handles any Superior Court filing through NH eCourt and advances filing fees.
We prepare a reasonable witness fee and mileage tender — NH has no fixed statutory civil witness fee since the 2019 repeal of RSA 516:16. In practice, we benchmark to federal rates (28 U.S.C. § 1821, $40/day plus IRS mileage) or to the specific case context. Service coordinated statewide: same-day rush in the five hub counties (Hillsborough, Rockingham, Merrimack, Strafford, Grafton); scheduled field service in White Mountains and North Country counties (Coos, Carroll, Belknap, Cheshire, Sullivan).
You receive a signed affidavit of service confirming full compliance with New Hampshire's foreign subpoena procedure (RSA 517-A:1 / RSA 517:18) and the NH Rules of Civil Procedure — ready for immediate filing in your originating state court.
RSA 517-A:1, RSA 517:18, RSA 517:15, NH Rule 17, and historical RSA 516:16 (repealed 2019) governing every New Hampshire foreign-subpoena matter.
| Authority | Subject | Key Provision |
|---|---|---|
| RSA 517-A:1 | Uniform Foreign Depositions Law | Witnesses in NH compelled when foreign court issues mandate, writ, commission, or letters rogatory (eff. January 1, 1998) |
| RSA 517:18 | Foreign Commissioner Power | Commissioner appointed by foreign court has same NH powers as NH justice of the peace for taking depositions |
| RSA 517:15 | NH-Appointed Commissioner | NH Superior Court may appoint commissioner to take depositions outside NH; amended 2022 eff. Jan 1, 2023 — acknowledges UIDDA foreign jurisdictions for outbound discovery (NH itself remains non-UIDDA for inbound) |
| NH Super. Ct. R. 45 | Superior Court Subpoena | Subpoena form, service, witness fee tender, and enforcement |
| NH Rule 17 | Issuance | Subpoena for court hearings, depositions, or trials issued by clerk of any court or any justice; notary may issue for depositions only |
| RSA 516 (generally) | Subpoena Chapter | General NH subpoena provisions |
| RSA 516:16 (REPEALED) | Former Civil Witness Fee | Formerly set $12/half-day + $0.17/mile — REPEALED 2019; HB697 (2025) to reinstate did not pass |
| 28 U.S.C. § 1821 (federal) | Reference Witness Fee | Federal benchmark often used in NH practice absent state statute — $40/day attendance + IRS mileage |
*NH issuance fees vary by issuing officer (justice of the peace, notary, or court). All 10 New Hampshire counties covered. Same-day rush service available in five hub counties: Hillsborough (Manchester/Nashua), Rockingham (Portsmouth/Salem), Merrimack (Concord), Strafford (Dover), Grafton (Lebanon/Hanover). New Hampshire counsel provided on every order.
End-to-end New Hampshire foreign-subpoena handling across all 10 counties — NH counsel engaged, commission / letters rogatory workflow, NH subpoena drafted and issued, reasonable witness fee tender, statewide service, and signed affidavit.
Our standing New Hampshire-licensed attorney is engaged on every NH order — no separate retainer, no pro hac vice, no parallel billing. The single biggest differentiator versus UIDDA states.
Our NH counsel prepares commission / letters rogatory language for your originating court to execute, or works with your existing commission to issue the NH subpoena.
NH subpoena drafted per NH Rules of Civil Procedure and issued by NH justice of the peace, notary (depositions), judge, or court clerk per RSA 517-A:1. 5–7 business days typical from commission receipt.
Superior Court filing via NH eCourt where enforcement, motion to quash, or commissioner appointment under RSA 517:15 is required. Filing fees advanced.
Witness fee and mileage tender prepared based on federal 28 U.S.C. § 1821 benchmark or case context — NH has no fixed statutory civil rate since 2019 repeal of RSA 516:16.
Signed affidavit confirming full NH compliance — RSA 517-A:1, RSA 517:18, and the NH Rules of Civil Procedure.
All major subpoena types under New Hampshire's commission/letters rogatory regime — with NH counsel included on every order and statewide service across all 10 counties.
Commands personal testimony at deposition. Our NH counsel handles the commission/letters rogatory process and arranges issuance by NH justice of the peace or notary per RSA 517-A:1 / RSA 517:18. Service per NH Rules.
Compels production of documents, records, or ESI. Particularly common for NH Fortune corporate targets — Fidelity Investments (Merrimack operations), BAE Systems (Nashua), Liberty Mutual (Dover/Portsmouth), Lonza Biologics (Portsmouth), Anthem BCBS NH (Manchester).
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (Lebanon) is the Upper Valley's tertiary care academic medical center serving NH and Vermont. Medical-records subpoenas directed at DHMC often return data from patients seen across the Upper Valley. Our NH counsel handles DHMC-specific medical records workflow.
BAE Systems in Nashua is a major U.S. defense contractor (electronic warfare, precision guidance, mission systems). Defense product-liability, security-clearance, employment, and government-contractor discovery routes through Hillsborough County.
From Manchester and Nashua to Portsmouth, Concord, Dover, and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Upper Valley — Served 123 LLC handles foreign-subpoena domestication across all 10 New Hampshire counties with NH counsel, commission workflow handling, and reasonable witness fee tender built into every order.
Out-of-state attorneys needing NH discovery without retaining separate NH counsel. Our New Hampshire attorney is engaged on every order — the single-vendor path that UIDDA-only providers can't offer in NH.
Counsel targeting Fidelity Investments (Merrimack operations center), Liberty Mutual (Dover/Portsmouth), Anthem Blue Cross NH (Manchester). Broker-dealer, insurance, benefits, and ERISA discovery.
Counsel targeting BAE Systems (Nashua) and related NH defense contractors. Defense product liability, security-clearance, and employment discovery for the nation's defense-industrial base in southern NH.
Counsel needing records from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (Upper Valley tertiary care academic), Concord Hospital, Elliot Hospital and Catholic Medical Center (Manchester), Wentworth-Douglass (Mass General Brigham, Dover), and NH's regional hospital network. All 10 counties covered.
Counsel targeting Lonza Biologics (Portsmouth — major biotech/pharma contract manufacturer) and NH's expanding life-sciences cluster. Product liability, patent, FDA compliance, and commercial discovery.
Legal support firms outsourcing NH work precisely because NH is not a UIDDA state — we handle NH counsel, commission / letters rogatory workflow, NH subpoena issuance, eCourt filing when needed, and statewide service.
The most common questions about out-of-state subpoenas in New Hampshire — including why NH is not a UIDDA state, RSA 517-A:1, the foreign commission process, the NH counsel requirement, and the 2019 witness-fee statute repeal.
