Northern Ireland civil procedure
When can a Northern Ireland plaintiff seek default judgment on a liquidated civil bill?
After the defendant's 21-day notice period expires. Seek final default judgment supported by the amount-due affidavit. Default eligibility is not a 21-day filing deadline for the plaintiff. Confirm no defence notice, consent, leave or intervening order prevents default.
- Period
- After the defendant's 21-day notice period expires
- Trigger
- Actual service of the civil bill and expiry of the defence-notice period
- Rule
- County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 12, rule 1(1)
Current official revised XML accessed October 9, 2026, with retained amendment comparison. The June 2021 and February 2021 court PDFs are historical consolidation aids.
Source guide · No automated date
Check the applicable procedure
The expired defence-notice interval is an eligibility condition for the liquidated-demand procedure. It is not a twenty-one-day plaintiff filing deadline or automatic judgment date.
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When can a Northern Ireland plaintiff seek default judgment on a liquidated civil bill?
After the defendant's 21-day notice period expires. Seek final default judgment supported by the amount-due affidavit. Default eligibility is not a 21-day filing deadline for the plaintiff. Confirm no defence notice, consent, leave or intervening order prevents default.
Responsible actor. The plaintiff holding a liquidated-demand civil bill.
Actual service of the civil bill and expiry of the defence-notice period.
Default eligibility is not a 21-day filing deadline for the plaintiff. Confirm no defence notice, consent, leave or intervening order prevents default.
Default eligibility is not a 21-day filing deadline for the plaintiff. Confirm no defence notice, consent, leave or intervening order prevents default. The expired defence-notice interval is an eligibility condition for the liquidated-demand procedure. It is not a twenty-one-day plaintiff filing deadline or automatic judgment date.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 12, rule 1(1)How does this provision count time?
- Establish actual service of the civil bill and expiry of the defence-notice period.
- Seek final default judgment supported by the amount-due affidavit.
- After the defendant's 21-day notice period expires. The expired defence-notice interval is an eligibility condition for the liquidated-demand procedure. It is not a twenty-one-day plaintiff filing deadline or automatic judgment date.
- Seek final default judgment supported by the amount-due affidavit. The expired defence-notice interval is an eligibility condition for the liquidated-demand procedure. It is not a twenty-one-day plaintiff filing deadline or automatic judgment date. A court vacation, a discretionary extension or an unestablished service method cannot supply a fabricated date.
After the defendant's 21-day notice period expires. The expired defence-notice interval is an eligibility condition for the liquidated-demand procedure. It is not a twenty-one-day plaintiff filing deadline or automatic judgment date.
Seek final default judgment supported by the amount-due affidavit. The expired defence-notice interval is an eligibility condition for the liquidated-demand procedure. It is not a twenty-one-day plaintiff filing deadline or automatic judgment date. A court vacation, a discretionary extension or an unestablished service method cannot supply a fabricated date.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 12, rule 1(1)Which facts prevent one automatic date?
The expired defence-notice interval is an eligibility condition for the liquidated-demand procedure. It is not a twenty-one-day plaintiff filing deadline or automatic judgment date.
Which conditions and exceptions apply?
- Applicable event and branch
- Default eligibility is not a 21-day filing deadline for the plaintiff. Confirm no defence notice, consent, leave or intervening order prevents default.
- Counting and boundary
- After the defendant's 21-day notice period expires. The expired defence-notice interval is an eligibility condition for the liquidated-demand procedure. It is not a twenty-one-day plaintiff filing deadline or automatic judgment date.
- Required completion
- Seek final default judgment supported by the amount-due affidavit. The expired defence-notice interval is an eligibility condition for the liquidated-demand procedure. It is not a twenty-one-day plaintiff filing deadline or automatic judgment date. A court vacation, a discretionary extension or an unestablished service method cannot supply a fabricated date.
- Default eligibility is not a 21-day filing deadline for the plaintiff. Confirm no defence notice, consent, leave or intervening order prevents default. The expired defence-notice interval is an eligibility condition for the liquidated-demand procedure. It is not a twenty-one-day plaintiff filing deadline or automatic judgment date.
- This procedure concerns the plaintiff holding a liquidated-demand civil bill. Its controlling event is actual service of the civil bill and expiry of the defence-notice period. Default eligibility is not a 21-day filing deadline for the plaintiff. Confirm no defence notice, consent, leave or intervening order prevents default.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
When can a Northern Ireland plaintiff seek default judgment on a liquidated civil bill?
Is twenty-one days the plaintiff's filing deadline?
No. It defines the defendant's defence-notice window and therefore the ordinary default-eligibility condition.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 12, rule 1(1)Does silence automatically enter judgment?
No. The plaintiff must use the applicable default procedure and establish the stated grounds and evidence.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 12, rule 1(1)Is an amount-due affidavit required?
The liquidated-demand route requires the prescribed affidavit establishing the amount actually due.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 12, rule 1(1)Can a defence notice or permitted late response matter?
Yes. Establish the actual response, consent, leave and orders before relying on ordinary default eligibility.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 12, rule 1(1)Does this route apply to an unliquidated damages claim automatically?
No. Establish the qualifying liquidated-demand civil bill and the particular default procedure.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 12, rule 1(1)Can the original defence period be ignored because no response is visible?
No. Establish valid civil-bill service and actual expiry before relying on the ordinary default condition.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 12, rule 1(1)Official sources and review
Provisions used (3)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 12, rule 1(1) | 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 |