Short answer. With leave of court, service may be made outside the Philippines through personal service coursed via the foreign country's courts with Department of Foreign Affairs assistance, by publication with registered mail to the last known address, by facsimile, by electronic means, or by any other method the court directs.
What the law says
If the foreign private juridical entity is not registered in the Philippines, or has no resident agent but has transacted or is doing business in it, as defined by law, such service may, with leave of court, be effected outside of the Philippines through any of the following means: (a) By personal service coursed through the appropriate court in the foreign country with the assistance of the [D]epartment of [F]oreign [A]ffairs; (b) By publication once in a newspaper of general circulation in the country where the defendant may be found and by serving a copy of the summons and the court order by registered mail at the last known address of the defendant; (c) By facsimile; (d) By electronic means with the prescribed proof of service; or (e) By such other means as the court, in its discretion, may direct.
Rule 14, Section 14 — Service upon foreign private juridical entit[ies]. Read the full provision →
When this special mode is available
The rule's default arrangement is service on a resident agent designated for that purpose, or, absent one, on the government official designated by law, or on officers, agents, directors, or trustees found within the Philippines. This particular provision addresses the specific gap case: a foreign private juridical entity that is not registered in the Philippines, or that has no resident agent, and yet has nonetheless transacted or is genuinely doing business here.
Leave of court is required first
None of the alternative means listed in this provision can simply be used freely at the plaintiff's own initiative without any oversight. The rule conditions all five of them on obtaining leave of court beforehand — the plaintiff must first secure the court's permission before attempting service through any of the enumerated methods available outside the Philippines, and skipping that step can leave the eventual service open to challenge.
The five listed methods
Once leave is granted by the court, service may be made by personal service coursed through the appropriate foreign court with the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs; by publication once in a newspaper of general circulation where the defendant may be found, combined with registered mail of the summons and court order to the defendant's last known address; by facsimile; by electronic means accompanied by the prescribed proof of service; or by any other means the court, in its own discretion, directs as appropriate.
Why so many alternatives are offered
A foreign entity without a local resident agent can genuinely be difficult to reach reliably through any single fixed channel, so the rule deliberately offers a fairly broad menu of options rather than a single mandatory method, and it closes with a catch-all provision allowing the court to direct whatever other means it finds most appropriate to the particular defendant and the surrounding circumstances of the case.
Related provisions
- Rule 14, Section 14 — Service upon foreign private juridical entit[ies]
- Rule 14, Section 13 — Duty of counsel of record
- Rule 14, Section 15 — Service upon public corporations