Hong Kong · civil procedure
What period applies to cfi acknowledgment deadline?
14 days including the service day. Acknowledge service within the applicable period. The acknowledgment clock is distinct from the later defence clock.
- Period
- 14 days including the service day
- Trigger
- Legally effective service of that writ
- Rule
- Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 12, rule 5(a)
Official verified English consolidated chapter 4A, version October 1,2025. Acquired October 9, 2026, with the official current register and immutable verified PDF. Current verified official English consolidated chapter PDFs acquired October 9, 2026. Version dates retained per chapter register. No claim that a calendar proves future gale, black-rainstorm or emergency office closures.
Free calculator · No account needed
Calculate your deadline
Loading calculator…
What lawyers say
5.0“The platform is really easy to use.”
Michael B.Employment litigation attorney · California
“The Evidence Record saved us time with our insurance on bankruptcy matters.”
MariaBankruptcy and commercial attorney · London, UK
“The most up-to-date service we could find.”
Li ChenArbitration practitioner · Singapore
What period applies to cfi acknowledgment deadline?
14 days including the service day. Acknowledge service within the applicable period. The acknowledgment clock is distinct from the later defence clock.
Responsible actor. Defendant served with a writ within Hong Kong.
Legally effective service of that writ
14 days including the service day
Defendant served with a writ within Hong Kong. Writ served within jurisdiction; Actual effective service date; No granted extension; Writ indorsed with statement of claim for section 31(1) appearance proviso; otherwise separately reviewed summer branch. Out-of-jurisdiction service uses Order 10 or Order 11’s applicable period, not this fourteen-day model. High Court Ordinance section 31(1) has a separate appearance proviso for an indorsed statement of claim; the endorsement fact cannot be omitted.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 12, rule 5(a)How does this provision count time?
- Acknowledge service within the applicable period
- Defendant served with a writ within Hong Kong uses the established legally effective service of that writ. 14 days including the service day. Include the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them.
- Acknowledge service within the applicable period. An applicable Court-office completion may move under the exact final-day source only when the act cannot be done there. Establish the actual office route, closure and any different effective electronic route. The acknowledgment clock is distinct from the later defence clock.
- The acknowledgment clock is distinct from the later defence clock.
Defendant served with a writ within Hong Kong uses the established legally effective service of that writ. 14 days including the service day. Include the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them.
Acknowledge service within the applicable period. An applicable Court-office completion may move under the exact final-day source only when the act cannot be done there. Establish the actual office route, closure and any different effective electronic route. The acknowledgment clock is distinct from the later defence clock.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 12, rule 5(a)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Defendant served with a writ within Hong Kong. Legally effective service of that writ occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | Defendant served with a writ within Hong Kong. Legally effective service of that writ occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. 14 days including the service day. The acknowledgment clock is distinct from the later defence clock. | Thursday, October 22, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Defendant served with a writ within Hong Kong. Legally effective service of that writ occurs on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. 14 days including the service day. The acknowledgment clock is distinct from the later defence clock. | Tuesday, October 20, 2026 |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | Defendant served with a writ within Hong Kong. Legally effective service of that writ occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The complete eligibility and procedural facts are not established. This actual branch must be established independently before any ordinary endpoint can be used. Writ served within jurisdiction | Out-of-jurisdiction service uses Order 10 or Order 11’s applicable period, not this fourteen-day model. High Court Ordinance section 31(1) has a separate appearance proviso for an indorsed statement of claim; the endorsement fact cannot be omitted. |
Fictitious established facts. These examples do not establish eligibility, effective service, relief or a direction.
Try these dates in the calculatorWhich conditions and exceptions apply?
- Writ served within jurisdiction
- Writ served within jurisdiction
- Actual effective service date
- Actual effective service date
- No granted extension
- No granted extension
- Writ indorsed with statement of claim for section 31(1) appearance proviso; otherwise separately reviewed summer branch
- Writ indorsed with statement of claim for section 31(1) appearance proviso; otherwise separately reviewed summer branch
- Correct source counting and completion route
- Defendant served with a writ within Hong Kong uses the established legally effective service of that writ. 14 days including the service day. Include the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. Acknowledge service within the applicable period. An applicable Court-office completion may move under the exact final-day source only when the act cannot be done there. Establish the actual office route, closure and any different effective electronic route. The acknowledgment clock is distinct from the later defence clock.
- Defendant served with a writ within Hong Kong. Writ served within jurisdiction; Actual effective service date; No granted extension; Writ indorsed with statement of claim for section 31(1) appearance proviso; otherwise separately reviewed summer branch. Out-of-jurisdiction service uses Order 10 or Order 11’s applicable period, not this fourteen-day model. High Court Ordinance section 31(1) has a separate appearance proviso for an indorsed statement of claim; the endorsement fact cannot be omitted.
- Out-of-jurisdiction service uses Order 10 or Order 11’s applicable period, not this fourteen-day model. High Court Ordinance section 31(1) has a separate appearance proviso for an indorsed statement of claim; the endorsement fact cannot be omitted.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
What period applies to cfi acknowledgment deadline?
Is writ service day day one for acknowledgment?
Yes. Order 12 rule 5(a) expressly includes the service day.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 12, rule 5(a)Does the acknowledgment period apply to overseas service?
No. Rule 5(b) refers to the applicable outside-jurisdiction periods and any actual extension.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 12, rule 5(a)Can the defendant assume postal dispatch is service?
No. Establish effective service under the actual route. Registered-post writ service has its own rebuttable seventh-day presumption.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 12, rule 5(a)Does acknowledging service file a defence?
No. A defence is a separate pleading governed by Order 18 and its controlling anchors.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 12, rule 5(a)What changes the fourteen-day period?
An extension granted by or under the Rules replaces the ordinary period. Preserve that actual extension.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 12, rule 5(a)How is an inaccessible final Registry day treated?
Order 3 rule 4 concerns an act at a Court office that cannot be completed on its specified final day. Establish actual office conditions.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 12, rule 5(a)Official sources and review
Provisions used (5)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 12, rule 5(a) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Rules of the High Court (Cap.4A), Order3 rules1–5 and Order64 rule1 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| High Court Ordinance (Cap.4), section31(1), including its endorsed-writ proviso | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (Cap.1), section71(1)–(2) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| General Holidays Ordinance (Cap.149), section3 and Schedule | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |