A form of court order that requires a respondent to allow the applicant's solicitors to enter the respondent's premises and to search for and remove all items covered by the order.

The purpose of a search order is usually to preserve evidence or property which is (or may be) the subject of an action, or as to which a question arises in an action.

Search orders are also known as "search and seizure orders", and were formally referred to as "Anton Piller" orders.

The High Court's power to grant search orders is derived from section 7(1) of the Civil Procedure Act 1997 and relevant procedural requirements are set out in Civil Procedure Rule (CPR) 25 and Practice Direction (PD) 25A.

In family proceedings, the relevant procedural requirements for obtaining a search order are set out in Family Procedure Rule 20 and PD 20A, which mirror the provisions in CPR 25 and PD 25.

For further guidance, see Practice note, Search orders: an overview.