Hong Kong · civil procedure
What period applies to district court defence deadline?
28 days after the later of the two anchors. Serve every other party affected by the defence. The later anchor controls; no High Court August omission may be imported.
- Period
- 28 days after the later of the two anchors
- Trigger
- Both acknowledgment-period expiry and statement-of-claim service
- Rule
- Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 18, rule 2(1)
Official verified English consolidated chapter 336H, version March 28,2025. 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 defence deadline?
28 days after the later of the two anchors. Serve every other party affected by the defence. The later anchor controls; no High Court August omission may be imported.
Responsible actor. Defendant giving notice of intention to defend.
Both acknowledgment-period expiry and statement-of-claim service
28 days after the later of the two anchors
Defendant giving notice of intention to defend. Both anchors established; Notice of intention to defend; No summary-judgment leave branch; No jurisdiction-application branch; No different Court period. Order 18 rule 2(2) and (3) substitute actual leave or unsuccessful jurisdiction-determination events.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 18, rule 2(1)How does this provision count time?
- Serve every other party affected by the defence
- Defendant giving notice of intention to defend uses the established both acknowledgment-period expiry and statement-of-claim service. 28 days after the later of the two anchors. Exclude the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. District Court Order3 has no High Court pleading summer-omission rule. Do not transfer the August omission merely because the procedures have similar names.
- Serve every other party affected by the defence. 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 later anchor controls; no High Court August omission may be imported.
- The later anchor controls; no High Court August omission may be imported.
Defendant giving notice of intention to defend uses the established both acknowledgment-period expiry and statement-of-claim service. 28 days after the later of the two anchors. Exclude the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. District Court Order3 has no High Court pleading summer-omission rule. Do not transfer the August omission merely because the procedures have similar names.
Serve every other party affected by the defence. 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 later anchor controls; no High Court August omission may be imported.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 18, rule 2(1)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Defendant giving notice of intention to defend. Both acknowledgment-period expiry and statement-of-claim service occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. Acknowledgment Period Expiry Friday, October 9, 2026. Statement Of Claim Served Monday, October 12, 2026.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | Defendant giving notice of intention to defend. Both acknowledgment-period expiry and statement-of-claim service occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. Acknowledgment Period Expiry Friday, October 9, 2026. Statement Of Claim Served Monday, October 12, 2026. 28 days after the later of the two anchors. The later anchor controls; no High Court August omission may be imported. | Monday, November 9, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Defendant giving notice of intention to defend. Both acknowledgment-period expiry and statement-of-claim service occurs on Monday, September 21, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. Acknowledgment Period Expiry Monday, September 21, 2026. Statement Of Claim Served Thursday, September 24, 2026. 28 days after the later of the two anchors. The later anchor controls; no High Court August omission may be imported. | Thursday, October 22, 2026 |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | Defendant giving notice of intention to defend. Both acknowledgment-period expiry and statement-of-claim service occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The complete eligibility and procedural facts are not established. Acknowledgment Period Expiry not established. Statement Of Claim Served not established. This actual branch must be established independently before any ordinary endpoint can be used. Both anchors established | Order 18 rule 2(2) and (3) substitute actual leave or unsuccessful jurisdiction-determination events. |
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?
- Both anchors established
- Both anchors established
- Notice of intention to defend
- Notice of intention to defend
- No summary-judgment leave branch
- No summary-judgment leave branch
- No jurisdiction-application branch
- No jurisdiction-application branch
- No different Court period
- No different Court period
- Correct source counting and completion route
- Defendant giving notice of intention to defend uses the established both acknowledgment-period expiry and statement-of-claim service. 28 days after the later of the two anchors. Exclude the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. District Court Order3 has no High Court pleading summer-omission rule. Do not transfer the August omission merely because the procedures have similar names. Serve every other party affected by the defence. 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 later anchor controls; no High Court August omission may be imported.
- Defendant giving notice of intention to defend. Both anchors established; Notice of intention to defend; No summary-judgment leave branch; No jurisdiction-application branch; No different Court period. Order 18 rule 2(2) and (3) substitute actual leave or unsuccessful jurisdiction-determination events.
- Order 18 rule 2(2) and (3) substitute actual leave or unsuccessful jurisdiction-determination events.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
What period applies to district court defence deadline?
Can the District Court defence use only claim service?
No. Rule 2(1) compares claim service with expiry of the time limited for acknowledgment.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 18, rule 2(1)Does actual early acknowledgment become the first anchor?
The text uses the time limited for acknowledgment.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 18, rule 2(1)What changes after summary-judgment leave?
Paragraph (2) uses the order giving leave to defend, or its different specified period.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 18, rule 2(1)What changes after a failed jurisdiction application?
Paragraph (3) uses its final determination or the Court’s specified period.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 18, rule 2(1)Does the High Court summer-vacation suspension apply here?
No. Retained Cap. 336H Order 3 contains no equivalent pleading-vacation provision.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 18, rule 2(1)Who must receive the defence?
Every other party who may be affected by it, not just the plaintiff by assumption.
Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 18, rule 2(1)Official sources and review
Provisions used (4)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Rules of the District Court (Cap. 336H), Order 18, rule 2(1) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Rules of the District Court (Cap.336H), Order3 rules1,2,4 and5 | 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 |