How to Complete and File Form N224: Fees, Translation, and Service Methods

Form N224 is the request you file with the court asking it to serve your claim form or other documents on a party located outside England and Wales.¹ Once you file it, court staff transmit your documents through official channels: the Hague Service Convention, a foreign judicial authority, or a British Consular authority, depending on the destination country. The form itself is a single page. The rules around it, on permission, translation, and timing, are where the work is.

When Form N224 Applies

You use N224 in one of two situations. Either the court has already granted you permission to serve out of the jurisdiction under CPR 6.36, or your claim falls into a category where permission is not required. In both cases, you cannot just post the documents abroad. The Civil Procedure Rules require service through recognised channels, and N224 is how you ask the court to arrange that.²

If you have not yet obtained permission and you need it, that is a separate step handled through an application under CPR 6.36 and 6.37, usually on Form N244. N224 comes after that order is in hand.²

What to Have Ready Before You Fill It In

You can download N224 as a PDF from GOV.UK.¹ Before you start, pull together:

The claim number and the name of the court handling the case.
Full legal names of the claimant and defendant, exactly as they appear on the claim form.
The defendant’s address abroad. An incorrect or outdated address is the most common reason foreign service fails.
The documents you want served: the sealed claim form, particulars of claim, application notice, or whatever else needs to reach the defendant.
The court order granting permission to serve out, if one was required.

Completing the Form

At the top of N224 you identify the court and the claim number. You then list the documents to be served and state the method of service you are requesting. That will typically be service through the Central Authority designated under the Hague Convention, through the judicial authorities of the destination country, or through a British Consular authority.³ The person filing, either the claimant or their solicitor, signs and dates the form at the bottom.

What to File With It

Under CPR 6.43 your filing package includes the N224 itself, a copy of the claim form or other document to be served (the court will seal it), any additional documents required by Practice Direction 6B for the particular country, and a translation where CPR 6.45 requires one. You file everything with the court office handling your case. The court officer seals the documents and forwards the package to the Senior Master at the Foreign Process Section, who arranges onward transmission.²

Translation

CPR 6.45 requires that every document filed for service through a foreign government, a foreign judicial authority, or the Hague Convention is accompanied by a translation into the official language of the country where service will take place. Where a country has more than one official language, translate into the language appropriate to the place of service.⁴

Each translation must include a statement from the translator confirming that it is accurate and giving the translator’s name, address, and qualifications. You do not need a translation where English is an official language of the destination country, or where the person being served is a British citizen, unless a specific convention or treaty requires one.⁴

Choosing the Service Method

CPR 6.42 sets out the routes for service abroad. Which is open to you depends on the destination country’s treaty position.

Hague Convention Countries

For countries party to the Hague Service Convention, you can request service through that country’s designated Central Authority, through its judicial authorities, or through a British Consular authority where local law permits.² The Hague route is the most common for contested claims because it produces an official certificate confirming the method, place, and date of service.⁵ The Central Authority for England and Wales is the Senior Master at the Foreign Process Section, Royal Courts of Justice, Room E16, Strand, London WC2A 2LL.⁶

Non-Convention Countries

Where no relevant treaty applies, service can be arranged through the foreign government, if it is willing, or through a British Consular authority where local law allows. For certain Commonwealth states, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, and British overseas territories, these indirect methods are not available and service must be effected directly by you or your agent.²

Court Fees

N224 is a request for the court to carry out service rather than a standalone application for a court order. Whether a separate fee applies depends on whether the request accompanies an application that already carries a fee, such as an N244 application for permission to serve out. Where the court treats N224 as a consent or without-notice application, the general fee under the Civil Proceedings Fees Order is £123. An application on notice where no other fee is specified costs £313.⁷ Check the current EX50 fee schedule before filing, since the figures are updated periodically.⁸

Payment is usually by cheque or postal order payable to HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Solicitors with a court account can pay through Payment by Account. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for a remission under the Help with Fees scheme using Form EX160 or the online application. Full or partial relief is available if you are single and earn £1,420 or less, or you have a partner and earn £2,130 or less, with higher thresholds for each dependent child.⁹

Time Limits

A claim form served outside the jurisdiction must be served within six months of the date of issue, compared with four months for service inside England and Wales.¹⁰ International service takes time. The HCCH estimates that a request through the UK Central Authority typically takes six to twelve months.⁶ File N224 promptly once permission is granted; waiting even a few weeks can put you against the deadline.

If service cannot be completed in time, you can apply under CPR 7.6 to extend. An application made before the deadline is decided on the court’s general discretion. One made after the deadline faces a stricter test: you must show you took all reasonable steps to serve within time and acted promptly in applying for the extension, and the court will also weigh whether the defendant knew about the claim.

What Happens After Filing

The court officer seals the copies and forwards the package to the Senior Master. The Senior Master transmits it to the destination country’s Central Authority for Hague cases, or to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for non-Convention destinations.²

The receiving authority serves the documents under its own domestic procedures, or by whatever specific method you requested if that method is compatible with local law. Once service is completed, or if it fails, the foreign authority issues a certificate stating the method used, the place and date of service, and the person to whom the documents were delivered.⁵ That certificate travels back through the same channel and is your evidence of service.

There is no automatic deemed-service date for documents served abroad. The date on the foreign certificate is when service took place. Once you have that confirmation, file a certificate of service on Form N215 to record on the court file which documents were served, on whom, and when, where, and how service was carried out.¹¹

Filing Electronically

Some courts use the CE-File system for electronic filing and fee payment. CE-File is available in the Chancery Division, Commercial Court, Technology and Construction Court, Admiralty Court, the King’s Bench Division Central Office, the Court of Appeal (Civil Division), and several district registries including Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, and Cardiff.¹² If your case is in one of those courts and you have a registered account, you can upload N224 and pay any fee electronically. Elsewhere, paper filing remains the route.

1
GOV.UK. Form N224: Ask the Court to Serve Documents Outside England and Wales
2
Justice UK. Civil Procedure Rules Part 6 – Service of Documents
3
GOV.UK. UK Form N224 Request for Service Out of England and Wales Through the Court
4
Legislation.gov.uk. The Civil Procedure Rules 1998 – Rule 6.45
5
HCCH. Convention of 15 November 1965 on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters
6
HCCH. United Kingdom – Central Authority
7
Legislation.gov.uk. Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008, Schedule 1
8
GOV.UK. Fees in the Civil and Family Courts – Main Fees (EX50)
9
GOV.UK. Get Help Paying Court and Tribunal Fees
10
Justice UK. Civil Procedure Rules Part 7 – How to Start Proceedings – The Claim Form
11
GOV.UK. Certificate of Service in Civil Cases: Form N215
12
Justice UK. Practice Direction 5C – CE-File Electronic Filing and Case Management System