{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998/rule-6.31",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998/rule-6.31.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1998/3132",
  "legislation_title": "The Civil Procedure Rules 1998",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998",
  "path": "rule/6.31",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "6.31",
  "heading": "Interpretation",
  "text": "For the purposes of this Section—\n(a) “the Hague Convention” means the Convention on the service abroad of judicial and extrajudicial documents in civil or commercial matters signed at the Hague on 15 November 1965;\n(b) “the 1982 Act” means the Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments Act 1982;\n(c) “Civil Procedure Convention” means any Convention (including the Hague Convention) entered into by the United Kingdom regarding service out of the jurisdiction;\n(d) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n...\n(e) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(f) “Commonwealth State” means a state listed in Schedule 3 to the British Nationality Act 1981;\n(g) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(h) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(i) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(j) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(k) “the 2005 Hague Convention” means the Convention on Choice of Court Agreements concluded on 30th June 2005 at the Hague.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Pt. 6 substituted (1.10.2008) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2008 (S.I. 2008/2178), rule 1(2), Sch. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Word in rule 6.31(c) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Civil Procedure Rules 1998 (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/521), regs. 1(1), 4(15)(a) (with reg. 18) (as amended by S.I. 2020/1493, regs. 1(1), 9(2)(b)); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Rule 6.31(d) and words omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Civil Procedure Rules 1998 (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/521), regs. 1(1), 4(15)(b) (with reg. 18) (as amended by S.I. 2020/1493, regs. 1(1), 9(2)(b)); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Rule 6.31(e) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Civil Procedure Rules 1998 (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/521), regs. 1(1), 4(15)(c) (with reg. 18) (as amended by S.I. 2020/1493, regs. 1(1), 9(2)(b)); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Rules 6.31(g)-(j) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Civil Procedure Rules 1998 (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/521), regs. 1(1), 4(15)(d) (with reg. 18) (as amended by S.I. 2020/1493, regs. 1(1), 9(2)(b)); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Rule 6.31(k) inserted (1.10.2015) by The Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments (Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements 2005) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/1644), reg. 1(1), Sch. para. 1"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/3132/rule/6.31",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:12:59.276840+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}