Hong Kong · civil procedure
What period applies to discovery inspection appointment?
Inspection time within 7 specified-day-excluded days after list service. Serve inspection notice with the list and allow inspection within the stated interval. Inspection includes permission to take copies of producible documents.
- Period
- Inspection time within 7 specified-day-excluded days after list service
- Trigger
- Effective service of the list and contemporaneous inspection notice
- Rule
- Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 9
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 discovery inspection appointment?
Inspection time within 7 specified-day-excluded days after list service. Serve inspection notice with the list and allow inspection within the stated interval. Inspection includes permission to take copies of producible documents.
Responsible actor. Party serving a discovery list.
Effective service of the list and contemporaneous inspection notice
Inspection time within 7 specified-day-excluded days after list service
Party serving a discovery list. List actually served; Inspection notice served with list; Nonobjected documents; Actual inspection place and time. The notice itself is due with the list. Seven days limits the inspection appointment, not a later notice-service deadline.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 9How does this provision count time?
- Serve inspection notice with the list and allow inspection within the stated interval
- Party serving a discovery list uses the established effective service of the list and contemporaneous inspection notice. Inspection time within 7 specified-day-excluded days after list service. Exclude the effective event day. Order3 rule2(5)–(6) omits the specified Saturdays, general holidays, gale-warning days and black-rainstorm-warning days. Actual other Court-office closure matters where the act is required there. 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.
- Serve inspection notice with the list and allow inspection within the stated interval. An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. Inspection includes permission to take copies of producible documents.
- Inspection includes permission to take copies of producible documents.
Party serving a discovery list uses the established effective service of the list and contemporaneous inspection notice. Inspection time within 7 specified-day-excluded days after list service. Exclude the effective event day. Order3 rule2(5)–(6) omits the specified Saturdays, general holidays, gale-warning days and black-rainstorm-warning days. Actual other Court-office closure matters where the act is required there. 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.
Serve inspection notice with the list and allow inspection within the stated interval. An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. Inspection includes permission to take copies of producible documents.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 9What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Party serving a discovery list. Effective service of the list and contemporaneous inspection notice 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 serving a discovery list. Effective service of the list and contemporaneous inspection notice occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. Inspection time within 7 specified-day-excluded days after list service. Inspection includes permission to take copies of producible documents. | Wednesday, October 21, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Party serving a discovery list. Effective service of the list and contemporaneous inspection notice occurs on Thursday, October 15, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. Inspection time within 7 specified-day-excluded days after list service. Inspection includes permission to take copies of producible documents. | Tuesday, October 27, 2026 |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | Party serving a discovery list. Effective service of the list and contemporaneous inspection notice 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. List actually served | The notice itself is due with the list. Seven days limits the inspection appointment, not a later notice-service deadline. |
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?
- List actually served
- List actually served
- Inspection notice served with list
- Inspection notice served with list
- Nonobjected documents
- Nonobjected documents
- Actual inspection place and time
- Actual inspection place and time
- Correct source counting and completion route
- Party serving a discovery list uses the established effective service of the list and contemporaneous inspection notice. Inspection time within 7 specified-day-excluded days after list service. Exclude the effective event day. Order3 rule2(5)–(6) omits the specified Saturdays, general holidays, gale-warning days and black-rainstorm-warning days. Actual other Court-office closure matters where the act is required there. 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. Serve inspection notice with the list and allow inspection within the stated interval. An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. Inspection includes permission to take copies of producible documents.
- Party serving a discovery list. List actually served; Inspection notice served with list; Nonobjected documents; Actual inspection place and time. The notice itself is due with the list. Seven days limits the inspection appointment, not a later notice-service deadline.
- The notice itself is due with the list. Seven days limits the inspection appointment, not a later notice-service deadline.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
What period applies to discovery inspection appointment?
Can inspection notice wait seven days after the list?
No. Order 24 rule 9 requires the inspection notice when the list is served.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 9What does the seven-day period limit?
The time stated for inspection after list service, not the time to send the inspection notice.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 9Must the notice specify a place?
Yes. It must state the time and place for inspection.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 9Must objected documents be produced automatically?
The rule excludes documents the party objects to produce. The objection may require separate resolution.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 9Can the inspecting party take copies?
Yes. Rule 9 requires allowing inspection and copies of the relevant documents.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 9Do all seven calendar days count?
The Rules’ seven-or-less specified-day exclusion applies to the inspection interval unless a controlling direction changes it.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 9Official sources and review
Provisions used (5)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 24, rule 9 | 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 |