Northern Ireland civil procedure
When may an unsuccessful party seek a Northern Ireland County Court rehearing?
Ten days from knowledge, or further time allowed. Lodge the motion in the Office and serve the successful party or solicitor. The grounds include fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process. This is not a general appeal on the merits. The chief clerk's consent-based exception requires its actual conditions.
- Period
- Ten days from knowledge, or further time allowed
- Trigger
- Actual knowledge of the decree by the party or the party's solicitor
- Rule
- County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 25, rule 20(2)
Current official revised XML accessed October 9, 2026, with retained amendment comparison. The June 2021 and February 2021 court PDFs are historical consolidation aids.
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When may an unsuccessful party seek a Northern Ireland County Court rehearing?
Ten days from knowledge, or further time allowed. Lodge the motion in the Office and serve the successful party or solicitor. The grounds include fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process. This is not a general appeal on the merits. The chief clerk's consent-based exception requires its actual conditions.
Responsible actor. The unsuccessful party seeking to rescind the decree for the stated procedural grounds.
Actual knowledge of the decree by the party or the party's solicitor.
The grounds include fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process. This is not a general appeal on the merits. The chief clerk's consent-based exception requires its actual conditions.
The grounds include fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process. This is not a general appeal on the merits. The chief clerk's consent-based exception requires its actual conditions. The result must identify paired motion lodgment and service for the unsuccessful party seeking to rescind the decree for the stated procedural grounds. Confirm every actual event and completion before selecting the ordinary branch.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 25, rule 20(2)How does this provision count time?
- Establish actual knowledge of the decree by the party or the party's solicitor.
- Lodge the motion in the Office and serve the successful party or solicitor.
- Ten days from knowledge, or further time allowed. Order 43 rule 17 excludes the triggering event day for this 10-day interval. Intermediate weekends remain in periods exceeding three days.
- Lodge the motion in the Office and serve the successful party or solicitor. Order 43 rule 17 carries a final Saturday, Sunday or actual Office-closed day to the next qualifying day. Identify actual closure and satisfy every paired recipient or filing duty.
Ten days from knowledge, or further time allowed. Order 43 rule 17 excludes the triggering event day for this 10-day interval. Intermediate weekends remain in periods exceeding three days.
Lodge the motion in the Office and serve the successful party or solicitor. Order 43 rule 17 carries a final Saturday, Sunday or actual Office-closed day to the next qualifying day. Identify actual closure and satisfy every paired recipient or filing duty.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 25, rule 20(2)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Fictitious established event on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Ten days from knowledge, or further time allowed. The grounds include fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process. This is not a general appeal on the merits. The chief clerk's consent-based exception requires its actual conditions.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | Fictitious established event on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Ten days from knowledge, or further time allowed. The grounds include fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process. This is not a general appeal on the merits. The chief clerk's consent-based exception requires its actual conditions. Ten days from knowledge, or further time allowed. Order 43 rule 17 excludes the triggering event day for this 10-day interval. Intermediate weekends remain in periods exceeding three days. The independent ordinary endpoint is Friday, January 23, 2026 for paired-motion-lodgment-and-service, not a different filing, service or entitlement date. | Friday, January 23, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Fictitious boundary event on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. The source-specific completion is lodge the motion in the Office and serve the successful party or solicitor. Lodge the motion in the Office and serve the successful party or solicitor. Order 43 rule 17 carries a final Saturday, Sunday or actual Office-closed day to the next qualifying day. Identify actual closure and satisfy every paired recipient or filing duty. | Wednesday, April 8, 2026 |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | Actual knowledge of the decree by the party or the party's solicitor is not established. The grounds include fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process. This is not a general appeal on the merits. The chief clerk's consent-based exception requires its actual conditions. The selected period cannot replace that missing source fact. The grounds include fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process. This is not a general appeal on the merits. The chief clerk's consent-based exception requires its actual conditions. | Actual knowledge of the decree by the party or the party's solicitor is not established. The grounds include fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process. This is not a general appeal on the merits. The chief clerk's consent-based exception requires its actual conditions. The selected period cannot replace that missing source fact. |
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?
- Applicable event and branch
- The grounds include fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process. This is not a general appeal on the merits. The chief clerk's consent-based exception requires its actual conditions.
- Counting and boundary
- Ten days from knowledge, or further time allowed. Order 43 rule 17 excludes the triggering event day for this 10-day interval. Intermediate weekends remain in periods exceeding three days.
- Required completion
- Lodge the motion in the Office and serve the successful party or solicitor. Order 43 rule 17 carries a final Saturday, Sunday or actual Office-closed day to the next qualifying day. Identify actual closure and satisfy every paired recipient or filing duty.
- The grounds include fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process. This is not a general appeal on the merits. The chief clerk's consent-based exception requires its actual conditions. The result must identify paired motion lodgment and service for the unsuccessful party seeking to rescind the decree for the stated procedural grounds. Confirm every actual event and completion before selecting the ordinary branch.
- This procedure concerns the unsuccessful party seeking to rescind the decree for the stated procedural grounds. Its controlling event is actual knowledge of the decree by the party or the party's solicitor. The grounds include fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process. This is not a general appeal on the merits. The chief clerk's consent-based exception requires its actual conditions.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
When may an unsuccessful party seek a Northern Ireland County Court rehearing?
Does receipt by the solicitor count as knowledge?
The source uses knowledge by the party or the party's solicitor. Establish the first legally relevant knowledge event.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 25, rule 20(2)Is rehearing a general merits appeal?
No. The stated grounds concern fraud, surprise, irregularity or absence of knowledge of the initiating process.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 25, rule 20(2)Must the motion be lodged and served?
Yes. Lodge it in the Office and serve the successful party or the appropriate solicitor.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 25, rule 20(2)Can the court allow further time?
The provision permits further time. The actual decision must be established rather than assumed.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 25, rule 20(2)Does fraud or surprise need to be identified?
The motion must fit the stated grounds. A disagreement with the judgment alone does not establish the rehearing route.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 25, rule 20(2)Does a motion emailed only to the opponent complete the step?
No. The unsuccessful party must also complete the required Office lodgment.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 25, rule 20(2)Official sources and review
Provisions used (3)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 25, rule 20(2) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 43 rule 17 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954, section 39 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |