Northern Ireland civil procedure
When must a respondent serve notice in a general Northern Ireland appeal?
Within 21 days after appeal-notice service. Serve the respondent's notice on the appellant and directly affected parties. This branch excludes an interlocutory appeal. The respondent states the relief and grounds sought. Furnishing two Central Office copies has its own two-day period.
- Period
- Within 21 days after appeal-notice service
- Trigger
- Actual service of the appeal notice on that respondent
- Rule
- Rules of the Court of Judicature (NI) 1980, Sch 1, Order 59, rule 6(3)(b)
Current official revised XML accessed October 9, 2026, with retained amendment comparison. The June 2021 and February 2021 court PDFs are historical consolidation aids.
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
When must a respondent serve notice in a general Northern Ireland appeal?
Within 21 days after appeal-notice service. Serve the respondent's notice on the appellant and directly affected parties. This branch excludes an interlocutory appeal. The respondent states the relief and grounds sought. Furnishing two Central Office copies has its own two-day period.
Responsible actor. The respondent seeking variation, alternative grounds or cross-appeal in another appeal.
Actual service of the appeal notice on that respondent.
This branch excludes an interlocutory appeal. The respondent states the relief and grounds sought. Furnishing two Central Office copies has its own two-day period.
This branch excludes an interlocutory appeal. The respondent states the relief and grounds sought. Furnishing two Central Office copies has its own two-day period. The result must identify respondent notice service for the respondent seeking variation, alternative grounds or cross-appeal in another appeal. Confirm every actual event and completion before selecting the ordinary branch.
Rules of the Court of Judicature (NI) 1980, Sch 1, Order 59, rule 6(3)(b)How does this provision count time?
- Establish actual service of the appeal notice on that respondent.
- Serve the respondent's notice on the appellant and directly affected parties.
- Within 21 days after appeal-notice service. Exclude the controlling event day under Order 3 rule 2(2). Count 21 following days. Intermediate weekends remain because this interval exceeds seven days.
- Serve the respondent's notice on the appellant and directly affected parties. Order 3 rule 4 addresses acts prevented at a court office. It does not automatically postpone this service, disclosure, validity or deemed-event boundary. Unproved nonworking endpoints remain outside numeric qualification.
Within 21 days after appeal-notice service. Exclude the controlling event day under Order 3 rule 2(2). Count 21 following days. Intermediate weekends remain because this interval exceeds seven days.
Serve the respondent's notice on the appellant and directly affected parties. Order 3 rule 4 addresses acts prevented at a court office. It does not automatically postpone this service, disclosure, validity or deemed-event boundary. Unproved nonworking endpoints remain outside numeric qualification.
Rules of the Court of Judicature (NI) 1980, Sch 1, Order 59, rule 6(3)(b)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Fictitious established event on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Within 21 days after appeal-notice service. This branch excludes an interlocutory appeal. The respondent states the relief and grounds sought. Furnishing two Central Office copies has its own two-day period.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | Fictitious established event on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Within 21 days after appeal-notice service. This branch excludes an interlocutory appeal. The respondent states the relief and grounds sought. Furnishing two Central Office copies has its own two-day period. Within 21 days after appeal-notice service. Exclude the controlling event day under Order 3 rule 2(2). Count 21 following days. Intermediate weekends remain because this interval exceeds seven days. The independent ordinary endpoint is Tuesday, February 3, 2026 for respondent-notice-service, not a different filing, service or entitlement date. | Tuesday, February 3, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Fictitious boundary event on Friday, March 13, 2026. The source-specific completion is serve the respondent's notice on the appellant and directly affected parties. Serve the respondent's notice on the appellant and directly affected parties. Order 3 rule 4 addresses acts prevented at a court office. It does not automatically postpone this service, disclosure, validity or deemed-event boundary. Unproved nonworking endpoints remain outside numeric qualification. | The ordinary respondent-notice-service endpoint is Good Friday, April 3, 2026. RCJ Office closure cannot postpone this actual act merely because it prevents a different registry filing. Establish lawful completion on the controlling day or an actual variation. |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | Actual service of the appeal notice on that respondent is not established. This branch excludes an interlocutory appeal. The respondent states the relief and grounds sought. Furnishing two Central Office copies has its own two-day period. The selected period cannot replace that missing source fact. This branch excludes an interlocutory appeal. The respondent states the relief and grounds sought. Furnishing two Central Office copies has its own two-day period. | Actual service of the appeal notice on that respondent is not established. This branch excludes an interlocutory appeal. The respondent states the relief and grounds sought. Furnishing two Central Office copies has its own two-day period. 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
- This branch excludes an interlocutory appeal. The respondent states the relief and grounds sought. Furnishing two Central Office copies has its own two-day period.
- Counting and boundary
- Within 21 days after appeal-notice service. Exclude the controlling event day under Order 3 rule 2(2). Count 21 following days. Intermediate weekends remain because this interval exceeds seven days.
- Required completion
- Serve the respondent's notice on the appellant and directly affected parties. Order 3 rule 4 addresses acts prevented at a court office. It does not automatically postpone this service, disclosure, validity or deemed-event boundary. Unproved nonworking endpoints remain outside numeric qualification.
- This branch excludes an interlocutory appeal. The respondent states the relief and grounds sought. Furnishing two Central Office copies has its own two-day period. The result must identify respondent notice service for the respondent seeking variation, alternative grounds or cross-appeal in another appeal. Confirm every actual event and completion before selecting the ordinary branch.
- This procedure concerns the respondent seeking variation, alternative grounds or cross-appeal in another appeal. Its controlling event is actual service of the appeal notice on that respondent. This branch excludes an interlocutory appeal. The respondent states the relief and grounds sought. Furnishing two Central Office copies has its own two-day period.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
When must a respondent serve notice in a general Northern Ireland appeal?
Does the interlocutory seven-day period apply here?
No. The ordinary other-appeal respondent branch uses twenty-one days after service of the appeal notice.
Rules of the Court of Judicature (NI) 1980, Sch 1, Order 59, rule 6(3)(b)Can the original judgment date replace appeal-notice service?
No. The respondent's ordinary anchor is actual service of the appellant's notice.
Rules of the Court of Judicature (NI) 1980, Sch 1, Order 59, rule 6(3)(b)Is lodging the Central Office copy a separate act?
Yes. Apply the provision's separate copy obligation after the relevant notice service.
Rules of the Court of Judicature (NI) 1980, Sch 1, Order 59, rule 6(3)(b)Does the respondent notice guarantee additional relief?
No. The court decides the grounds and relief. A timing calculation does not decide the appeal.
Rules of the Court of Judicature (NI) 1980, Sch 1, Order 59, rule 6(3)(b)Does filing the original judgment start respondent time?
No. The ordinary respondent notice follows actual appeal-notice service on the respondent.
Rules of the Court of Judicature (NI) 1980, Sch 1, Order 59, rule 6(3)(b)What must a respondent proposing additional grounds do?
Serve the prescribed respondent notice and complete its separate Central Office copy requirement.
Rules of the Court of Judicature (NI) 1980, Sch 1, Order 59, rule 6(3)(b)Official sources and review
Provisions used (3)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Rules of the Court of Judicature (NI) 1980, Sch 1, Order 59, rule 6(3)(b) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Rules of the Court of Judicature (Northern Ireland) 1980, Order 3 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Rules of the Court of Judicature (Northern Ireland) 1980, Order 64 rule 7 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |