NYC process agency bonds.
$1,000 flat.
The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) conditions a Process Serving Agency License on a $100,000 surety bond naming the City of New York. Ours is $1,000 flat — set by our carrier rate book for this bond, identical for every agency. A quick soft credit check may apply; the bond is issued when you pay.
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How much does an NYC process agency bond cost?
$1,000 at the $100,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps to licensed.
Your DCWP license is waiting on this bond. Here is the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, effective date. That is the application — the only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
E-sign & file with DCWP
Pay online and receive the executed bond, naming the City of New York, ready to file with your agency license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever DCWP insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the agency bond actually guarantees
You need a Process Serving Agency License from the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) if you or your business assigns, distributes, or delivers process to another for actual service. DCWP conditions the license on a $100,000 surety bond. The bond is a consumer-and-public-protection guarantee: it stands behind the agency following NYC process-service law.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the City of New York (the obligee), with the public and the courts as protected parties. If the agency violates process-service rules and someone is harmed, a valid claim can be recovered against the bond. The bond must name the City of New York, and the business name and address must match your license application.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Agencies that follow DCWP rules and keep proper records treat the bond as a license formality, not a risk.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $100,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
E-sign & file with DCWP. Pay online and receive the executed bond, naming the City of New York, ready to file with your agency license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever DCWP insists.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $1,000 at the $100,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond, naming the City of New York, is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other New York bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
DCWP is waiting on one document.
$1,000 flat, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.