upc and sunrise start dates pushed back

The start of the Sunrise Period will now be 1st March 2023

It was annnounced this morning that the start of the UPC is being pushed back by two months. The initial roadmap foresaw 1st January 2023 as the beginning of the Sunrise Period but this has now moved to 1 March 2023.

The additional time is intended to allow future users to prepare themselves for the strong authentication which will be required to access the Case Management System (CMS) and to sign documents. 

Users will be required to ensure they have both a client authentication (hard device) and a qualified electronic signature. An initial list has been drawn up detailing service providers who are compliant with UPC requirements.

To confirm, the Sunrise Period will start on 1 March 2023 followed by the entry into force of the UPCA on 1 June 2023. There are expected to be no further delay of the start of the UPC beyond 1 June 2023. The Judges of the UPC have been appointed and the Presidents of both the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance have been elected..

This announcement follows calls from users to delay the start of the sunrise period given the ongoing issues with obtaining the necessary security devices needed to access the CMS, as well as other questions surrounding the Rules of Procedure.