You need a UK process agent because your agreement is governed by English law and your company has no address in England or Wales for service. The counterparty, usually a lender or landlord, requires a local address where legal documents can be validly served, and the process agent clause makes that a condition of the deal.
The counterparty's problem you are solving
If a dispute arises under an English law agreement and you are incorporated overseas, the other party would normally have to serve proceedings on you abroad. Depending on the country, that can involve foreign ministries, translations and months of delay. No lender, lessor or trading partner wants to price that risk into a deal. By requiring you to appoint a process agent before completion, they guarantee themselves a fast, certain route to valid service inside the jurisdiction for the life of the agreement.
When the requirement appears
The requirement almost always arrives as a clause in the draft agreement: loan and facility agreements, ISDA Master Agreements, property purchases and mortgages by overseas buyers, commercial leases, shareholder agreements, guarantees and supply contracts all commonly include one. It is a condition precedent in many financings, meaning funds will not be released until your signed letter of appointment is delivered. That is why speed matters, and why we confirm most appointments within 24 hours of receiving your completed order form.
What happens once you have appointed
Practically, very little, which is the point. You pay a modest fixed fee, from £125 per year with Tremark Process Agents, the appointment sits quietly in the background, and if documents are ever served we notify you immediately and forward everything the same day wherever you are. For most clients the appointment is never called upon, but without it the deal cannot sign. You can get a fixed price in under a minute with our instant quote.