Administrative Court Bundle Requirements (Section A, effective 4 October 2023)
The Administrative Court's electronic bundle rules are binding through CPR Practice Direction 54A paras 4.5 and 15 and PD 54B para 1.3 — they are not merely guidance. Two things are distinctive: the resolution rule is a floor as well as a ceiling (about 200 to 300 dpi), and an application from a legal representative that does not comply may not be considered by a judge at all.
Governing document
Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles)
Administrative Court · effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)
Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3))
Also relevant: CPR Practice Direction 54A — Judicial Review (current as at 15 August 2026)
Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3))
Also relevant: CPR Practice Direction 54A — Judicial Review (current as at 15 August 2026)
Checked against the published source on 15 August 2026.
The numbers, in one place
| Page limit | None No page cap, but CPR PD 54A para 16 requires a core bundle once the hearing bundle exceeds 400 pages, and each party must certify that the bundles comply. |
| File size | 20MB |
| Resolution | about 200 to 300 dpi A floor as well as a ceiling — unusual. |
| Pagination | Arabic, continuous from page 1 The first page of the PDF is page 1, index pages included. Original page numbers inside documents are ignored. |
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Every rule, in the source's own words
Quotations below are verbatim. Where a rule is best practice carried from another regime rather than a requirement of the governing document, it says so in the row.
| Requirement | What the rule actually says | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| A single PDF must |
“A bundle must be a single PDF.” | Section A para 1 Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)) |
| 20mb ceiling must |
“If the bundle is filed in support of an urgent application (i.e., an application made using Form N463) it must not exceed 20mb” Over 20mb, Section A para 3 requires a core bundle (itself no larger than 20mb) plus a further bundle. |
Section A paras 2-3 Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)) |
| Pagination from 1, index pages included must |
“All bundles must be paginated in ascending order from start to finish. The first page of the PDF will be numbered "1", and so on. (Any original page numbers of documents within the bundle are to be ignored.) Index pages must be numbered as part of the single PDF document, they are not to be skipped; they are part of the single PDF and must be numbered.” | Section A para 4 Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)) |
| Computer-generated pagination should |
“Wherever possible pagination should be computer-generated; if this is not possible, pagination must be in typed form.” | Section A para 5 Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)) |
| Hyperlinked index must |
“The index page must be hyperlinked to the pages or documents it refers to.” | Section A para 6 Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)) |
| Sidebar bookmarks by date and description must |
“Each document within the bundle must be identified in the sidebar list of contents/bookmarks, by date and description (e.g., "email 11.9.21 from [x] to [y]"). The sidebar list must also show the bundle page number of the document.” | Section A para 7 Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)) |
| Bookmarks show the bundle page number must |
“The sidebar list must also show the bundle page number of the document.” | Section A para 7 Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)) |
| Text based, not a scan; text selectable must |
“All bundles must be text based, not a scan of a hard copy bundle. If documents within a bundle have been scanned, optical character recognition should be undertaken on the bundle before it is lodged. … The text within the bundle must therefore be selectable as text, to facilitate highlighting and copying.” | Section A para 8 Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)) |
| Landscape rotated to read left to right must |
“Any document in landscape format must be rotated so that it can be read from left to right.” | Section A para 9 Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)) |
| Default display view 100% must |
“The default display view size of all pages must always be 100%.” | Section A para 10 Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)) |
| About 200 to 300 dpi must |
“The resolution on the electronic bundle must be reduced to about 200 to 300 dpi to prevent delays whilst scrolling from one page to another.” This is the only regime that states a lower bound as well as an upper one. |
Section A para 11 Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)) |
| Core bundle over 400 pages, with certification check yourself |
“Where the hearing bundle exceeds 400 pages, the parties shall agree the contents of a core bundle. … Each party (or the solicitor acting for each party) shall certify that the hearing bundle and any core bundle meets the requirements of this paragraph.” | CPR PD 54A para 16 CPR Practice Direction 54A — Judicial Review (current as at 15 August 2026) |
| Consequence of non-compliance check yourself |
“Any application filed by a legal representative that does not comply with the above rules on electronic bundles may not be considered by a Judge. If the application is filed by a litigant in person the electronic bundle must, if at all possible, comply with the above rules. If it is not possible for a litigant in person to comply with the rules on electronic bundles, the application must include a brief explanation of the reasons why.” | Section A, closing paragraph Administrative Court — Information for Court Users (Section A: Electronic bundles) (effective 4 October 2023 (binding via CPR PD 54A paras 4.5 and 15, PD 54B para 1.3)) |
Where this court differs from the others
This is the part that causes wasted work: a bundle built correctly for one court can breach the rules of another. Applying the wrong court's rulebook is the most common way a compliant bundle gets called non-compliant.
Index links
| Family (PD27A) | Index entries must be "added to" the indexed document. Hyperlinking is best practice carried from other regimes, not an express PD27A requirement. |
| Administrative Court, King's Bench (10.21) | Hyperlinked index is mandatory. |
| Court of Appeal | Hyperlinks OR bookmarks, "as appropriate". |
| Chancery, Commercial | Hyperlinked "if possible". |
| SEND Tribunal | Hyperlinks "ideally". |
| Employment Tribunal | Index hyperlinked at the front, OR supplied as a separate PDF. |
Pagination
| Financial remedy | Arabic, continuous, and the computer numbering must match the PDF page labels. |
| Family, not financial remedy | Bates numbering: A1, A2 … B1, B2 … by section. |
| Employment Tribunal, SEND Tribunal | Sequential Arabic from 1. Sections must NOT be separately numbered. |
| Chancery, Commercial | Where a bundle is split across files, pagination begins afresh in each file. |
| Administrative Court, King's Bench | First page of the PDF is page 1, index pages included. |
Bookmark density
| Everywhere except the Employment Tribunal | All significant documents and all sections. |
| Employment Tribunal | Significant documents only — "Do not bookmark every single document". |
Resolution
| Nearly all of the regimes on this page | Not greater than 300 dpi — a ceiling only. |
| Administrative Court, King's Bench (10.21) | About 200 to 300 dpi — a floor as well as a ceiling. |
Page and size caps
| Family, financial remedy | 350 pages, court permission to exceed. In financial remedy, position statements and composite documents do not count towards it. |
| Court of Appeal | 350 pages on the supplementary bundle; 50MB split threshold. |
| Administrative Court, criminal | 20mb, with a core bundle above it. Core bundle required over 400 pages (PD 54A 16). |
| SEND Tribunal | Core bundle 100 pages; EHC plan part 150; further caps by appeal type. |
| Chancery, Commercial, King's Bench | No page cap. |
What actually happened when bundles went wrong
Go Capital Ltd v Phull [2020] EWHC 1235 (Ch) — Judicial criticism of the bundle
The defect list that still gets cited: no selectable text, no bookmarks, multiple competing page numbers, missing pages, and two indexes that were not hyperlinked.
Being straight about this: No reported case imposes wasted costs solely for bundle defects. The only money outcome we can point to is Y v X (Costs) [2026] EWFC 35 (B), where bundle preparation fees were disallowed. None of these outcomes is a fine. Courts do not fine parties for bundle format. Every case above pre-dates the Practice Direction 27A that came into force on 2 March 2026. As at 15 August 2026 there is no reported judgment under the new PD27A. The underlying duties are materially similar, but nobody can yet cite a decision on the new wording.
What we cannot tell you
- No Civil Procedure Rule anywhere mandates bookmarks, OCR or hyperlinks in an electronic civil bundle. Those requirements come from judicial guidance and court guides, which a judge may vary in your case.
- The enacted PD27A says index entries must be "added to" the indexed document, not "hyperlinked to". We treat hyperlinking as best practice for family bundles and label it as such. Published commentary usually says "hyperlinked" because it is quoting the 2021 guidance, which no longer applies to family proceedings.
- PD27A 4.8 promises further HMCTS guidance on bundles. As at 15 August 2026 it has not been published.
- The 50MB figure in the Court of Appeal and King's Bench guides descends from the revoked PD 51O. Treat it as guide-level practice, not law. CPR PD 5C sets a 100MB electronic filing cap and carves bundles out of the pilot.
- Employment Tribunal Presidential Guidance is something a tribunal must have regard to. It does not bind in the way a practice direction does.
- This tool checks the format of a PDF. It cannot tell you whether a document belongs in the bundle, whether a bookmark description is good enough, or whether your case is ready. Those are judgement calls and we report them as such.
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Other courts
FamilyFPR Practice Direction 27AFinancial remedyFPR Practice Direction 27ACourt of AppealCourt of Appeal (Civil Division) Guide 2025Chancery / CommercialChancery Guide 2022 (Business and Property Courts)King's BenchThe King's Bench Guide 2025Employment TribunalPresidential GuidanceSEND TribunalPractice Direction No 1 of 2025CriminalCriminal Practice Directions 2023, Part 12General civilGeneral guidance on electronic court bundles
This is a format check against published court rules. It is not legal advice, it does not tell you whether your case is ready, and no outcome is guaranteed. The rules are subject to any direction a judge gives in your own case. Rules and guides are updated by the courts without notice; this page records the position as at 15 August 2026 and links to every source so you can check it yourself.