Pre-charge bail applicable bail period: calculation, extensions (standard, non-standard and designated cases), and magistrates’ court applications (England and Wales)

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Practice notes

This Practice Note explains the limits on pre-charge bail, when it can be extended, and the process for doing so. For more on police bail, see Practice Note: Police bail. For guidance on bail representations, see Practice Note: How to make representations for bail at the police station. Pre-charge bail, whether conditional or not, is restricted by time limits known as the applicable bail period (ABP). The ABP is the window in which an officer, or the court, may extend bail. Once that period ends, there is no power to extend pre-charge bail. The ABP is set by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE 1984), with statutory guidance that custody officers must have regard to; see the government’s Pre-charge bail statutory guidance. Whatever the prosecuting authority, the custody officer authorises the initial ABP. The ABP is separate from a suspect’s bail return date. The return date must be fixed by the custody officer within the ABP.

Calculating the ABP

The initial ABP starts the day after the suspect is arrested...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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