Hong Kong · civil procedure
What period applies to district court as of right appeal?
28 days after the qualifying order. Serve Court of Appeal notice under RHC Order 59 rule 3(5). Do not label every District Court judgment an as-of-right appeal.
- Period
- 28 days after the qualifying order
- Trigger
- Actual making of the qualifying order
- Rule
- Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 59, rule 4(4)(b); District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336), section 63(3)
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 district court as of right appeal?
28 days after the qualifying order. Serve Court of Appeal notice under RHC Order 59 rule 3(5). Do not label every District Court judgment an as-of-right appeal.
Responsible actor. Appellant in a specified District Court as-of-right order branch.
Actual making of the qualifying order
28 days after the qualifying order
Appellant in a specified District Court as-of-right order branch. Cap 336 section 63(3) order or specified imprisonment order; Actual qualifying order; Not general required-leave branch. Ordinary District Court appeals can require leave and then use seven days after grant. This twenty-eight-day branch is narrower.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 59, rule 4(4)(b); District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336), section 63(3)How does this provision count time?
- Serve Court of Appeal notice under RHC Order 59 rule 3(5)
- Appellant in a specified District Court as-of-right order branch uses the established actual making of the qualifying order. 28 days after the qualifying order. 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.
- Serve Court of Appeal notice under RHC Order 59 rule 3(5). An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. Do not label every District Court judgment an as-of-right appeal.
- Do not label every District Court judgment an as-of-right appeal.
- A closed interparty or combined endpoint needs separate source qualification. An ordinary weekday calculation does not certify this boundary.
Appellant in a specified District Court as-of-right order branch uses the established actual making of the qualifying order. 28 days after the qualifying order. 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.
Serve Court of Appeal notice under RHC Order 59 rule 3(5). An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. Do not label every District Court judgment an as-of-right appeal. 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 59, rule 4(4)(b); District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336), section 63(3)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Appellant in a specified District Court as-of-right order branch. Actual making of the qualifying order occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | Appellant in a specified District Court as-of-right order branch. Actual making of the qualifying order occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. 28 days after the qualifying order. Do not label every District Court judgment an as-of-right appeal. | Friday, November 6, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Appellant in a specified District Court as-of-right order branch. Actual making of the qualifying order occurs on Monday, September 21, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. 28 days after the qualifying order. Do not label every District Court judgment an as-of-right appeal. | A closed interparty completion requires separate Cap.1 section71 and applicable Rules qualification. No unverified service carry is inferred. |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | Appellant in a specified District Court as-of-right order branch. Actual making of the qualifying order 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. Cap 336 section 63(3) order or specified imprisonment order | Ordinary District Court appeals can require leave and then use seven days after grant. This twenty-eight-day branch is narrower. |
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?
- Cap 336 section 63(3) order or specified imprisonment order
- Cap 336 section 63(3) order or specified imprisonment order
- Actual qualifying order
- Actual qualifying order
- Not general required-leave branch
- Not general required-leave branch
- Correct source counting and completion route
- Appellant in a specified District Court as-of-right order branch uses the established actual making of the qualifying order. 28 days after the qualifying order. 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. Serve Court of Appeal notice under RHC Order 59 rule 3(5). An office calendar does not automatically change this service, deemed-event, minimum-interval or status boundary. The source and the actual completion route control. Do not label every District Court judgment an as-of-right appeal.
- Appellant in a specified District Court as-of-right order branch. Cap 336 section 63(3) order or specified imprisonment order; Actual qualifying order; Not general required-leave branch. Ordinary District Court appeals can require leave and then use seven days after grant. This twenty-eight-day branch is narrower.
- Ordinary District Court appeals can require leave and then use seven days after grant. This twenty-eight-day branch is narrower.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
What period applies to district court as of right appeal?
Do all District Court appeals have twenty-eight days?
No. RHC Order 59 rule 4(4)(b) applies to the specified section 63(3) or imprisonment orders.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 59, rule 4(4)(b); District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336), section 63(3)What if section 63 requires leave?
Rule 4(4)(a) supplies the separate seven-day period after actual leave grant.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 59, rule 4(4)(b); District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336), section 63(3)What starts this twenty-eight-day period?
The date the qualifying order is made.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 59, rule 4(4)(b); District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336), section 63(3)Does the District Court rule alone govern notice timing?
The appeal notice is governed by Rules of the High Court Order 59’s District Court branch.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 59, rule 4(4)(b); District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336), section 63(3)Does serving the notice set down the appeal?
No. The subsequent setting-down documents and notice are separate steps.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 59, rule 4(4)(b); District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336), section 63(3)Can the calculator determine appeal eligibility from the date?
No. Retain the actual order type and enabling statutory branch.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 59, rule 4(4)(b); District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336), section 63(3)Official sources and review
Provisions used (5)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 59, rule 4(4)(b); District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336), section 63(3) | 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 |
| District Court Ordinance (Cap.336), sections63 and63A | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |