Hong Kong · civil procedure
What period applies to cfi discovery lists deadline?
14 days after pairwise pleading closure. Make and serve a list of relevant documents in possession, custody or power. A list must address documents held now or previously, not only documents the party wants to rely on.
- Period
- 14 days after pairwise pleading closure
- Trigger
- Deemed closure of pleadings between that party and the recipient
- Rule
- Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 2(1)
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.
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What period applies to cfi discovery lists deadline?
14 days after pairwise pleading closure. Make and serve a list of relevant documents in possession, custody or power. A list must address documents held now or previously, not only documents the party wants to rely on.
Responsible actor. Party subject to ordinary automatic discovery.
Deemed closure of pleadings between that party and the recipient
14 days after pairwise pleading closure
Party subject to ordinary automatic discovery. Ordinary automatic discovery applies; Pairwise closure established; Not third-party proceedings; No vehicle-collision defendant or statutory-penalty exclusion; No restricted or dispensed discovery order. The Court may restrict classes or postpone or dispense with discovery. The application for restriction has its own before-expiry requirement.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 2(1)How does this provision count time?
- Make and serve a list of relevant documents in possession, custody or power
- Party subject to ordinary automatic discovery uses the established deemed closure of pleadings between that party and the recipient. 14 days after pairwise pleading closure. Exclude the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. High Court Ordinance (Cap. 4), section 31(1), omits Summer Vacation for the applicable civil procedural period not exceeding one month unless the Court directs otherwise. Order 64 rule 1 supplies August 1 through August 31. Order 3 rule 3 separately covers pleading periods.
- Make and serve a list of relevant documents in possession, custody or power. An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. A list must address documents held now or previously, not only documents the party wants to rely on.
- A list must address documents held now or previously, not only documents the party wants to rely on.
- A closed interparty or combined endpoint needs separate source qualification. An ordinary weekday calculation does not certify this boundary.
Party subject to ordinary automatic discovery uses the established deemed closure of pleadings between that party and the recipient. 14 days after pairwise pleading closure. Exclude the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. High Court Ordinance (Cap. 4), section 31(1), omits Summer Vacation for the applicable civil procedural period not exceeding one month unless the Court directs otherwise. Order 64 rule 1 supplies August 1 through August 31. Order 3 rule 3 separately covers pleading periods.
Make and serve a list of relevant documents in possession, custody or power. An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. A list must address documents held now or previously, not only documents the party wants to rely on. This closed interparty or combined filing and service boundary is withheld pending separate qualification of section71 and the applicable Court procedure. The calculator refuses that boundary.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 2(1)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Party subject to ordinary automatic discovery. Deemed closure of pleadings between that party and the recipient occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | Party subject to ordinary automatic discovery. Deemed closure of pleadings between that party and the recipient occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. 14 days after pairwise pleading closure. A list must address documents held now or previously, not only documents the party wants to rely on. | Friday, October 23, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Party subject to ordinary automatic discovery. Deemed closure of pleadings between that party and the recipient occurs on Monday, October 5, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. 14 days after pairwise pleading closure. A list must address documents held now or previously, not only documents the party wants to rely on. | A closed interparty completion requires separate Cap.1 section71 and applicable Rules qualification. No unverified service carry is inferred. |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | Party subject to ordinary automatic discovery. Deemed closure of pleadings between that party and the recipient 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. Ordinary automatic discovery applies | The Court may restrict classes or postpone or dispense with discovery. The application for restriction has its own before-expiry requirement. |
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?
- Ordinary automatic discovery applies
- Ordinary automatic discovery applies
- Pairwise closure established
- Pairwise closure established
- Not third-party proceedings
- Not third-party proceedings
- No vehicle-collision defendant or statutory-penalty exclusion
- No vehicle-collision defendant or statutory-penalty exclusion
- No restricted or dispensed discovery order
- No restricted or dispensed discovery order
- Correct source counting and completion route
- Party subject to ordinary automatic discovery uses the established deemed closure of pleadings between that party and the recipient. 14 days after pairwise pleading closure. Exclude the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. High Court Ordinance (Cap. 4), section 31(1), omits Summer Vacation for the applicable civil procedural period not exceeding one month unless the Court directs otherwise. Order 64 rule 1 supplies August 1 through August 31. Order 3 rule 3 separately covers pleading periods. Make and serve a list of relevant documents in possession, custody or power. An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. A list must address documents held now or previously, not only documents the party wants to rely on.
- Party subject to ordinary automatic discovery. Ordinary automatic discovery applies; Pairwise closure established; Not third-party proceedings; No vehicle-collision defendant or statutory-penalty exclusion; No restricted or dispensed discovery order. The Court may restrict classes or postpone or dispense with discovery. The application for restriction has its own before-expiry requirement.
- The Court may restrict classes or postpone or dispense with discovery. The application for restriction has its own before-expiry requirement.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
What period applies to cfi discovery lists deadline?
Does discovery start from the defence date?
No. Order 24 rule 2(1) starts the ordinary period from deemed closure as between the relevant parties.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 2(1)Do third-party proceedings have automatic discovery?
The rule excludes third-party and further-party proceedings. Check actual directions.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 2(1)Does the list cover only supporting documents?
No. It concerns relevant documents which are or have been in the party’s possession, custody or power.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 2(1)Does a vehicle-collision defendant automatically disclose to the plaintiff?
Not under this ordinary branch unless the Court orders otherwise. Rule 2(2) contains the exclusion.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 2(1)Can the Court dispense with discovery?
Yes. Rule 2(4) permits restriction or no discovery where appropriate.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 2(1)Does filing a list replace serving the other party?
No. Rule 2(1) expressly requires making and serving the list on the other party.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 2(1)Official sources and review
Provisions used (5)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 2(1) | 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 |