UK · Family Procedure Rules
Family court bundles under the new PD27A
Practice Direction 27A changed on 2 March 2026. In children and other non-financial cases, the bundle is split into lettered sections and each section is paged on its own: A1, A2, then B1. The index at the front is not paginated. Financial remedy bundles are numbered 1, 2, 3 straight through, and the printed numbers must match the PDF page numbers. E-bundles are capped at 350 A4 pages unless the court allows more.
Children and other non-financial cases
The rules for these bundles are in paragraph 7.2 of the practice direction:
- Documents in each section run in date order from the front of the section (7.2(a)).
- There is an index at the beginning, and the index itself is not paginated (7.2(b)).
- The bundle is divided into the sections listed below, and blank divider pages are numbered too (7.2(c)).
- Pages are numbered using the “Bates numbering system” (7.2(d)), which paragraph 1.2 defines as a letter for each section and a number for each page in it. The first section starts at
A1, the second atB1.
Section order (paragraph 7.3)
| Section | |
|---|---|
| (a) | Preliminary documents and other case management documents. These are Section A (7.12). |
| (b) | Applications and orders |
| (c) | Statements and affidavits, dated in the top right corner of the front page |
| (d) | Care plans, where they apply |
| (e) | Experts’ reports and other reports, including the children’s guardian |
| (f) | Relevant medical records |
| (g) | Relevant police disclosure |
| (h) | In public law, for a Case Management Hearing: the child’s birth certificate or equivalent |
| (i) | Other relevant documents, divided into further sections as needed |
Only include the sections your case needs, and follow any directions the court has given about the bundle.
Financial remedy cases
- Pages are numbered individually and consecutively in Arabic numerals all the way through (6.2(b)).
- There is an index at the beginning (6.2(c)).
- Whether or not the index is numbered, the page numbers of an e-bundle must match the PDF page numbers (6.2(d)).
- Divider pages are numbered as part of the same sequence (6.2(e)).
- Preliminary documents are numbered consecutively but separately from the rest of the bundle (6.5).
The sections are: preliminary documents; applications and orders; statements and affidavits (Forms E, replies to questionnaires, then the parties’ statements); experts’ and other reports; and other relevant documents (6.3).
Electronic bundles
E-bundles are now the default (4.2). Chapter 11 of the practice direction sets out how they should be made. In short:
- One PDF for the hearing, up to 350 A4 pages unless the court gives permission for more.
- Page numbers generated by the computer, not written by hand.
- Bookmarks for every section and every significant document, with the page number in the bookmark.
- Searchable text where possible, with typed pages run through OCR.
- Pages the right way up, landscape pages kept landscape, and a default view of 100%.
- Documents in at least 12-point type, ideally Arial or Times New Roman, scanned at no more than 300 dpi.
Deadlines
Chapter 13 sets the timetable. As a rule of thumb, counting back from the hearing:
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 7 working days before | The parties try to agree what goes in the bundle |
| 5 working days before | The person preparing the bundle serves and files it |
| 11am, the working day before | Preliminary documents, if not already in, are served and filed |
Usually the applicant prepares the bundle (4.5). If you are a litigant in person and the other side has a lawyer, the practice direction may put the job on them instead; check paragraphs 4.6 and 4.7.
Building a PD27A bundle in Bindery
- Open Bindery and choose the UK family (PD27A) preset. It sets A4 paper, lettered sections, A1/B1 page numbers, numbered divider pages, an unnumbered index and bookmarks.
- Add one PDF per section, in section order. Bindery treats each file as a section, so if a section holds several documents, combine them into one PDF in date order first.
- Give each section its name (“Applications and orders”). That text appears on the divider, in the index and in the bookmarks, with the page range: “Section B, Applications and orders (B1–B14)”.
- Check the total page count against the 350-page limit, then export. Page labels in the PDF match the printed numbers, so typing B3 in a PDF reader goes to page B3.
Questions
When did the new PD27A come into force?
The current version of Practice Direction 27A says it comes into force on 2 March 2026.
Is the index page numbered?
In children and other non-financial cases, no: paragraph 7.2(b) says the index should not be paginated. In financial remedy cases the index may or may not be numbered, but the e-bundle page numbers must match the PDF numbering.
What is the page limit for an e-bundle?
The default limit is 350 A4 pages. Going over needs the court’s permission.
What does “Bates numbering” mean in PD27A?
Each section has a letter and each page in that section has a number, so pages run A1, A2… then B1, B2. It’s different from the US meaning, where Bates numbers usually run in one long sequence like SMITH-000001.
Updated November 9, 2026