As used in this article, the term:
§ 9-12-111.Definitions
Chapter 12. Verdict and Judgment · Article 5. Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act · Last amended 2015 · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 9-12-111 defines "foreign country" as any government other than the United States, a U.S. state or territory, or another government whose judgments Georgia would evaluate under the Full Faith and Credit Clause, and defines "foreign-country judgment" as any judgment rendered by a court of such a foreign country.
Full Text of § 9-12-111
(1) “Foreign country” means a government other than:
(A) The United States;
(B) Any state, district, commonwealth, territory, or insular possession of the United States; or
(C) Any other government with regard to which the decision in this state as to whether to recognize a judgment of such government’s court is initially subject to determination under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution.
(2) “Foreign-country judgment” means any judgment of a court of a foreign country.
Plain-English Summary
This section supplies the two building-block terms the rest of the article depends on. "Foreign country" is defined by exclusion, in three parts: it is not the United States itself; it is not any state, district, commonwealth, territory, or insular possession of the United States; and it is not any other government whose court judgments Georgia would initially evaluate under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution rather than under this article.
That third carve-out draws the real boundary of the article. Full faith and credit already governs how Georgia treats judgments from sister states and other jurisdictions within the American constitutional system, so this Act was written to fill the separate gap for judgments coming from outside that system — from nations whose courts operate under entirely different legal frameworks, with no constitutional command that Georgia treat their judgments as automatically binding.
"Foreign-country judgment" is then defined in a single stroke: any judgment of a court of a foreign country, as that term has just been defined. The definition is broad on its face, but the following Code section immediately narrows which foreign-country judgments the article applies to.
Frequently Asked Questions
What three categories of governments does subsection (1) exclude from the definition of "foreign country"?
The United States itself; any state, district, commonwealth, territory, or insular possession of the United States; and any other government whose judgments Georgia would initially evaluate under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution.
Why does the definition exclude U.S. states, districts, and territories?
Because judgments from those jurisdictions are already handled through full faith and credit principles and Georgia's separate article on enforcing sister-state judgments, rather than through this article aimed at judgments from actual foreign nations.
What does "foreign-country judgment" mean under this article?
Any judgment of a court of a foreign country, using the definition of "foreign country" set out in the same section.
Does the Full Faith and Credit Clause govern recognition of judgments from actual foreign nations?
No. That constitutional provision applies within the American system of states and territories; judgments from true foreign countries fall outside it, which is part of why this separate article exists.
How does this definition set the boundary for the rest of the article?
It marks off exactly which judgments count as "foreign-country judgments" in the first place, before the following Code sections address which of those judgments the article applies to and under what conditions Georgia courts will recognize them.
Amendment History
Ga. L. 1975, p. 479, § 1; Ga. L. 2015, p. 996, § 2-1/SB 65.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, published by the
Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Georgia Code Revision Commission / LexisNexis. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
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