Group VII: Judgment · Last amended 2017 · Last verified July 14, 2026
In one sentenceRule 62-III lets a judgment creditor file an authenticated judgment from a federal or other qualifying court with the Superior Court clerk so it can be enforced like a local judgment, and separately allows a foreign country's money judgment to be recognized under the District's own recognition statute.
(a)FOREIGN JUDGMENTS ENTITLED TO FULL FAITH AND CREDIT.
(1)Filing Requirements. A copy of a judgment, decree or order of a court of the United States, or of any other court entitled to full faith and credit in the District of Columbia, may be filed with the clerk by the judgment creditor or the judgment creditor's lawyer only if:
(A)the judgment is authenticated in accordance with District of Columbia law;
(B)the judgment is accompanied by a completed version of Civil Action Form 112, "Request to File Foreign Judgment"; and
(C)the filing fee established by the court has been paid.
(2)Effect, Enforcement, and Satisfaction. A foreign judgment, decree, or order of a court of the United States or of any other court entitled to full faith and credit in the District of Columbia, which is filed with the clerk, has the same effect and is subject to the same procedures, defenses, or proceedings for reopening, vacating, or staying as a judgment of the Superior Court and may be enforced or satisfied in the same manner, subject to the provisions of the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act of 1990, D.C. Code §§ 15-351 to -357 (2012 Repl.).
(b)FOREIGN-COUNTRY MONEY JUDGMENTS ENTITLED TO RECOGNITION. The judgment of a court of a foreign country may be entitled to recognition under the Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act of 2011, D.C. Code §§ 15- 361 to -371 (2012 Repl.). Recognition may be sought in a pending action or as an original matter.
Comments
2017 Amendments:
Former Superior Court Rule 72 has been renumbered as Rule 62-III in order to reflect that there is no Superior Court rule that corresponds to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72. This rule has been amended to conform with the 2007 restyling of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
The rule was also amended to clarify that the procedures for foreign judgments entitled to full faith and credit differ from the procedures for foreign-country money judgments entitled to recognition.
Comment:
Rule 72 is intended to implement the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments
Act of 1990, (D.C. Code §§ 15-351 -- 15-357) which has been adopted by the District of Columbia. As a "Uniform Act," it should be construed to effectuate its general purpose to make consistent the law of all jurisdictions that enact it. Accordingly, where there are no interpretations of the Act's provisions in this jurisdiction, guidance may be found in the decisions of other jurisdictions that have adopted this Act. While the Act was intended to provide a simple and expeditious procedure to enforce a foreign judgment in the District of Columbia, it does not impair the right of a judgment creditor to resort to the cumbersome prior practice of bringing suit to enforce a foreign judgment.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 62-III covers two different kinds of out-of-jurisdiction judgments, and it is worth keeping them apart. Subsection (a) handles judgments from courts entitled to full faith and credit in the District — another state's courts, a federal court, and the like. A judgment creditor (or the creditor's lawyer) files a copy of that judgment with the clerk, but only after meeting three conditions: the judgment must be authenticated under District of Columbia law, it must come with a completed Civil Action Form 112 ("Request to File Foreign Judgment"), and the filing fee must be paid. Once filed, the judgment stands on the same footing as a judgment the Superior Court entered itself — same effect, same defenses, the same procedures for reopening, vacating, or staying it, and the same enforcement tools — all under the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act of 1990.
Subsection (b) covers a different animal: a money judgment from a foreign country's court. That judgment does not get the automatic full-faith-and-credit treatment of subsection (a). Instead, it may be entitled to recognition under the Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act of 2011, and a party can seek that recognition either inside a pending action or by starting a new proceeding for that purpose alone.
The rule used to be numbered Rule 72, and it was renumbered in 2017 because the District's rules have no counterpart to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72 — keeping the old number risked confusion with the federal numbering scheme that the Superior Court rules otherwise track. The 2017 revision also sharpened the line between the two subsections, making clear that domesticating a sister-court judgment and recognizing a foreign country's judgment are separate procedures with separate statutory foundations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to file to enforce another court's judgment in DC Superior Court?
Under Rule 62-III(a)(1), you file a copy of the judgment authenticated under District of Columbia law, a completed Civil Action Form 112 ("Request to File Foreign Judgment"), and pay the court's filing fee.
Once a foreign judgment is filed, how does the court treat it?
Rule 62-III(a)(2) gives a properly filed judgment the same effect as a Superior Court judgment — the same defenses, the same procedures for reopening, vacating, or staying it, and the same enforcement methods — under the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act of 1990.
Is a judgment from a foreign country enforced the same way as a judgment from another state or federal court?
No. Rule 62-III(b) routes foreign-country money judgments through the Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act of 2011 instead, and recognition can be sought either in a pending action or as its own standalone matter.
Why was this rule renumbered from Rule 72 to Rule 62-III?
The 2017 amendments explain that Superior Court practice has no rule corresponding to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72, so keeping the old "Rule 72" number risked confusion with the federal numbering the local rules otherwise follow.
Does filing under this rule require me to first authenticate the judgment somewhere else?
Yes. Rule 62-III(a)(1)(A) requires the judgment to be authenticated in accordance with District of Columbia law before it can be filed with the clerk under this rule.
Source & verification. Rule text and official Comments are
reproduced verbatim from the District of Columbia Superior Court Rules of Civil
Procedure, adopted by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Last verified July 14, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as:dc domesticate foreign judgmentfile out of state judgment dc superior courtenforce federal judgment in dcrecognize foreign country money judgment dccivil action form 112 dc