The Court of Final Appeal has jurisdiction in respect of matters conferred on it by the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal Ordinance (Cap. 484) ("the Ordinance") and by certain other ordinances. It hears appeals on civil and criminal matters from the High Court (the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance).

The powers of the Court of Final Appeal are set out in section 17 of the Ordinance. The Court of Final Appeal may confirm, reverse or vary the decision of the court from which the appeal lies or may remit the matter with its opinion to that court, or may make such other order in the matter as it thinks fit. The Court of Final Appeal may also exercise any powers of the court from which the appeal lies.

What types of cases can be heard by the Court of Final Appeal?

The Court hears appeals on civil and criminal matters from the High Court (the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance).

For civil matters:

• Permission to appeal (which is referred to as "leave to appeal") is required.¹
• The grant of leave to appeal is a matter of discretion and may be exercised if, in the opinion of either the Court of Appeal or the Court of Final Appeal, the question involved in the appeal is one which, because of its great general or public importance, or otherwise, ought to be submitted to the Court of Final Appeal for decision.

For criminal matters:

• Appeals, at the discretion of the Court of Final Appeal from:
  • any final decision of the Court of Appeal,
  • any final decision of the Court of First Instance (not being a verdict or finding of a jury) from which no appeal lies to the Court of Appeal.

¹Prior to the commencement of the Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance 2014 on 24 December 2014, there was a residual class of cases in which an appeal lay as of right (where the matter in dispute amounted to or was worth HK$1 million or more).