A court-ready electronic hearing bundle is an accurately paginated, searchable PDF with a useful index and bookmarks, prepared and filed in the format the court directs. Start by checking the applicable order and current court guide: rules differ by jurisdiction and case type. The specific deadlines and page limits below are England-and-Wales examples, not universal requirements.
Check the court’s requirements before building the PDF
Confirm the jurisdiction, court, case type and hearing date, then identify who is responsible for preparing, filing and serving the bundle. Check the current case order and court guide for the required contents, page limit, deadline, filing route, and whether paper copies are needed. The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary’s general e-bundle guidance is subject to specific court guidance and directions in individual cases: general Judiciary e-bundle guidance.
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For family proceedings in England and Wales, Practice Direction 27A applies to the Family Division and family court, subject to case-specific directions and related practice directions. The Judiciary says its current family litigant-in-person guide came into force on 2 March 2026 and supersedes earlier family e-bundle guidance; the general November 2021 guidance no longer applies in family proceedings. Check the current family litigant-in-person guide alongside the relevant order.
Choose and arrange the documents
Include material the judge needs to read or that will actually be referred to at the hearing. In family proceedings, Practice Direction 27A lists documents normally to exclude unless the court directs otherwise. Avoid treating a bundle as a complete archive of the case: follow the applicable rules about what belongs in it.
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Some cases call for a separate authorities bundle rather than mixing authorities into the hearing bundle; use the court’s directions to decide. In family proceedings, the prescribed structure and pagination differ between financial-remedy cases and other family proceedings, so identify the applicable case type before numbering pages.
Create a navigable, correctly paginated PDF
Use matching computer-generated page numbers
Number every page sequentially from the first page to the last, using computer-generated numbering rather than handwriting. The displayed page numbers must match the PDF page numbering. The Judiciary’s general guidance states: “All pages in an e-bundle must be numbered by computer-generated numbering, not by hand.” Family proceedings have additional pagination provisions depending on case type.
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Add an index, bookmarks and searchable text
Make index entries clickable links to the relevant documents. Bookmark each significant document and section, using concise labels that include the page number. Where pages are scans of typed documents, apply optical character recognition (OCR) so text can be searched; where possible, make the bundle searchable. Check that links and bookmarks still point to the right pages after final pagination.
Check orientation, display and file size
- Keep landscape pages in landscape and ensure no page is sideways or upside down.
- Set the PDF’s default view to 100%.
- For the general Judiciary guidance, keep image resolution at or below 300 dpi.
- Optimize the PDF so it is no larger than necessary, while keeping its contents legible.
If the court requires a printed copy, make sure it corresponds to the final electronic version.
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Use the right filename and filing route
The Judiciary’s general guidance calls for a filename containing the case reference, short case name and bundle type. For family proceedings, include the hearing date as well. Follow the court’s stated filing and service method rather than assuming email, a particular portal or a paper submission is acceptable. In family cases, use an HMCTS portal where available; email or the Document Upload Centre may be options under specified conditions and arrangements.
Family proceedings in England and Wales: default limits and timetable
These are defaults under Practice Direction 27A, not rules to apply automatically to other jurisdictions or cases. A case-specific direction can alter them.
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| Requirement | Default under Practice Direction 27A |
|---|---|
| Electronic bundle size | 350 A4 pages; exceeding the limit requires court permission. |
| Agree bundle contents | Seek agreement seven working days before the hearing. |
| File and serve the bundle | Five working days before the hearing. |
| Outstanding preliminary documents | File by 11 a.m. on the working day before the hearing. |
The applicant normally prepares the family bundle, or the earlier applicant in cross-applications, subject to court directions. If the applicant is a litigant in person and the respondent is represented, the represented respondent is responsible.
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An e-bundle is generally expected in family proceedings, but a paper bundle is also required if the court directs one for the judge, a witness or a litigant in person who cannot access the electronic bundle, or if there is a realistic possibility of an in-person witness. Where a paper family bundle is required, it is kept in one A4 ring binder or lever arch file, subject to the direction’s exceptions. That physical file is not a requirement for creating an electronic PDF.
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Make corrections or additions through the court’s process
Do not silently replace a filed bundle. For cases covered by the general Judiciary guidance, add later pages at the end, ask the court how to provide them, and, subject to directions, provide both the new section and a revised bundle. In family proceedings, a bundle filed and served before a hearing must not be amended before that hearing without prior court agreement. Follow the applicable rule before making any change.
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