Hong Kong · civil procedure
What period applies to sanctioned offer trial threshold?
Offer made not less than 28 days before trial. Classify whether the offer has the ordinary twenty-eight-day acceptance terms. The threshold classifies offer terms; it does not ban offers made within twenty-eight days of trial.
- Period
- Offer made not less than 28 days before trial
- Trigger
- Actual commencement date of trial and offer-making event
- Rule
- Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 5(7)
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 sanctioned offer trial threshold?
Offer made not less than 28 days before trial. Classify whether the offer has the ordinary twenty-eight-day acceptance terms. The threshold classifies offer terms; it does not ban offers made within twenty-eight days of trial.
Responsible actor. Party making a sanctioned offer.
Actual commencement date of trial and offer-making event
Offer made not less than 28 days before trial
Party making a sanctioned offer. Actual trial date; Actual sanctioned offer terms; Making event established. Offers may be made closer to trial. Rule 5(8) then requires terms addressing costs agreement or Court leave for acceptance.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 5(7)How does this provision count time?
- Classify whether the offer has the ordinary twenty-eight-day acceptance terms
- Party making a sanctioned offer uses the established actual commencement date of trial and offer-making event. Offer made not less than 28 days before trial. Count backward from the actual appointment. Keep the stated before-hearing interval; this source does not convert it into clear days. 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.
- Classify whether the offer has the ordinary twenty-eight-day acceptance terms. An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. The threshold classifies offer terms; it does not ban offers made within twenty-eight days of trial.
- The threshold classifies offer terms; it does not ban offers made within twenty-eight days of trial.
Party making a sanctioned offer uses the established actual commencement date of trial and offer-making event. Offer made not less than 28 days before trial. Count backward from the actual appointment. Keep the stated before-hearing interval; this source does not convert it into clear days. 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.
Classify whether the offer has the ordinary twenty-eight-day acceptance terms. An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. The threshold classifies offer terms; it does not ban offers made within twenty-eight days of trial.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 5(7)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Party making a sanctioned offer. Actual commencement date of trial and offer-making event occurs on Friday, October 30, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | Party making a sanctioned offer. Actual commencement date of trial and offer-making event occurs on Friday, October 30, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. Offer made not less than 28 days before trial. The threshold classifies offer terms; it does not ban offers made within twenty-eight days of trial. | Friday, October 2, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Party making a sanctioned offer. Actual commencement date of trial and offer-making event occurs on Thursday, October 29, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. Offer made not less than 28 days before trial. The threshold classifies offer terms; it does not ban offers made within twenty-eight days of trial. | Thursday, October 1, 2026 |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | Party making a sanctioned offer. Actual commencement date of trial and offer-making event occurs on Friday, October 30, 2026. The complete eligibility and procedural facts are not established. This actual branch must be established independently before any ordinary endpoint can be used. Actual trial date | Offers may be made closer to trial. Rule 5(8) then requires terms addressing costs agreement or Court leave for acceptance. |
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?
- Actual trial date
- Actual trial date
- Actual sanctioned offer terms
- Actual sanctioned offer terms
- Making event established
- Making event established
- Correct source counting and completion route
- Party making a sanctioned offer uses the established actual commencement date of trial and offer-making event. Offer made not less than 28 days before trial. Count backward from the actual appointment. Keep the stated before-hearing interval; this source does not convert it into clear days. 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. Classify whether the offer has the ordinary twenty-eight-day acceptance terms. An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. The threshold classifies offer terms; it does not ban offers made within twenty-eight days of trial.
- Party making a sanctioned offer. Actual trial date; Actual sanctioned offer terms; Making event established. Offers may be made closer to trial. Rule 5(8) then requires terms addressing costs agreement or Court leave for acceptance.
- Offers may be made closer to trial. Rule 5(8) then requires terms addressing costs agreement or Court leave for acceptance.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
What period applies to sanctioned offer trial threshold?
Is twenty-eight days before trial a final deadline to make an offer?
No. Order 22 rule 5(6) permits a sanctioned offer after proceedings begin.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 5(7)What does rule 5(7) control?
The terms of an offer made at least twenty-eight days before trial, including the ordinary acceptance window.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 5(7)Can an offer made close to trial still be valid?
Rule 5(8) provides the closer-to-trial acceptance terms. Do not treat the threshold as a prohibition.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 5(7)Does the date the trial is listed prove actual commencement?
Retain the operative trial date and any adjournment affecting the applicable offer terms.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 5(7)Does crossing the threshold automatically accept the offer?
No. Acceptance is a separate filed-and-served act under rule 15 or 16.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 5(7)Why show this separately from acceptance time?
The trial threshold and post-offer acceptance interval answer different procedural questions and require different anchors.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 5(7)Official sources and review
Provisions used (5)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 5(7) | 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 |