A surety corporation may provide a surety bond under section 9304 of this title in a judicial district outside the State, the District of Columbia, or a territory or possession of the United States under whose laws it was incorporated and in which its principal office is located only if the corporation has a resident agent for service of process for that district. The resident agent—

(1) may be an official of the State, the District of Columbia, the territory or possession in which the court sits who is authorized or appointed under the law of the State, District, territory or possession to receive service of process on the corporation; or

(2) may be an individual who resides in the jurisdiction of the district court for the district in which a surety bond is to be provided and who is appointed by the corporation as provided in subsection (b) [1]

If the surety corporation meets the requirement of subsection (a) by appointing an individual under subsection (a)(2), the surety corporation shall file a certified copy of the power of attorney with the clerk of the district court for the district in which a surety bond is to be given at each place the court sits. A copy of the power of attorney may be used as evidence in a civil action under section 9307 of this title.

Until an appointment is made under paragraph (1) of this subsection or during an absence of an agent from the district in which the surety bond is given, service of process may be made on the clerk of the court in which a civil action against the corporation is brought. The official serving process on the clerk of the court—

(1) If a resident agent is removed, resigns, dies, or becomes disabled, the surety corporation shall appoint another agent as described in this section.

Until an appointment is made under paragraph (1) of this subsection or during an absence of an agent from the district in which the surety bond is given, service of process may be made on the clerk of the court in which a civil action against the corporation is brought. The official serving process on the clerk of the court—

(A) immediately shall mail a copy of the process to the corporation; and

(B) shall state in the official’s return that the official served the process on the clerk of the court.

(3) A judgment or order of a court entered or made after service of process under this section is as valid as if the corporation were served in the judicial district of the court.

(Pub. L. 97–258, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 1048; Pub. L. 106–113, div. B, § 1000(a)(9) [title V, § 5007], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1536, 1501A–594.)