England and Wales · Family, criminal and employment
What period and facts govern file and serve the family bundle in England and Wales?
Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available. Preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided.
- Period
- Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available
- Trigger
- The actual hearing date
- Rule
- Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 13
The retained Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 13 supports serve all other parties and file the hearing bundle using the prescribed delivery route. Its complete-body snapshot and operative extract preserve the source edition, while preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided. PD 27A came into force March 2, 2026; this file and serve the family bundle step is read under that direction rather than a former bundle timetable.
Source guide · No automated date
Check the applicable procedure
Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 13. Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available. Preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided. This source guide provides no computed date or paid record.
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What period and facts govern file and serve the family bundle in England and Wales?
Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available. Preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided.
Responsible actor. The person responsible for preparing the family hearing bundle.
The actual hearing date
Preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided.
The person responsible for preparing the family hearing bundle. Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available. Preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided.
Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 13How does this provision count time?
- Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available
- Serve all other parties and file the hearing bundle using the prescribed delivery route.
- Preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided.
Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available; use PD 27A’s express working-day requirements for this bundle step, retaining the separate preliminary-document time and the actual hearing.
The bundle must be filed and served using the provided portal or authorized route. Preliminary documents not yet available retain their separate preceding-working-day 11 a.m. delivery requirement.
Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 13Which facts prevent one automatic date?
Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 13. Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available. Preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided. This source guide provides no computed date or paid record.
The person responsible for preparing the family hearing bundle has records of the actual hearing date. Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available. Serve all other parties and file the hearing bundle using the prescribed delivery route. Preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided. Establish this procedure’s complete source facts before choosing an endpoint.
The proposed file and serve the family bundle step meets a disputed communication, closed receiving office or uncertain hearing event. Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available; use PD 27A’s express working-day requirements for this bundle step, retaining the separate preliminary-document time and the actual hearing. The bundle must be filed and served using the provided portal or authorized route. Preliminary documents not yet available retain their separate preceding-working-day 11 a.m. delivery requirement. Verify the legally completed file and serve the family bundle act and actual applicable calendar. No assumed closure extension or substitute date is computed.
Preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided. The actual hearing date. Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available. Serve all other parties and file the hearing bundle using the prescribed delivery route. Resolve this source-specific qualification before relying on a result.
Which conditions and exceptions apply?
- Actor and completed file and serve the family bundle act
- The person responsible for preparing the family hearing bundle. Serve all other parties and file the hearing bundle using the prescribed delivery route.
- Actual file and serve the family bundle event and branch
- The actual hearing date. Preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided.
- Counting and completion of file and serve the family bundle
- Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available; use PD 27A’s express working-day requirements for this bundle step, retaining the separate preliminary-document time and the actual hearing. The bundle must be filed and served using the provided portal or authorized route. Preliminary documents not yet available retain their separate preceding-working-day 11 a.m. delivery requirement.
- The person responsible for preparing the family hearing bundle. Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available. Preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided.
- File and serve the family bundle concerns serve all other parties and file the hearing bundle using the prescribed delivery route. Its actual source event is the actual hearing date.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
What period and facts govern file and serve the family bundle in England and Wales?
What period governs file and serve the family bundle?
Serve and file the bundle at least five working days before the hearing, except preliminary documents not yet available. Preliminary documents have the separate 11 a.m. preceding-working-day requirement. Use the court portal where provided.
Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 13Which event controls file and serve the family bundle?
The actual hearing date. Keep evidence of that actual source event.
Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 13What completes file and serve the family bundle?
Serve all other parties and file the hearing bundle using the prescribed delivery route. The person responsible for preparing the family hearing bundle must establish that completed step.
Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 13Must preliminary documents always accompany the five-day bundle?
Paragraph 13.2 excepts those not yet available and establishes their separate later delivery requirement.
Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 13Does delivery to the court replace service on the other parties?
Paragraph 13.2 requires both service and filing. Retain each delivery record.
Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 13May the preparer choose email when the court provides a portal?
Paragraph 14 requires the court portal where provided. Otherwise use the prescribed electronic delivery and court guidance.
Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 14Official sources and review
Provisions used (3)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 13 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 6 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Practice Direction 27A, current family bundles paragraph 14 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |