§ 19-13-54.Foreign protective orders
Chapter 13. Family Violence · Article 4. Protective Order Registry · Last amended 2015 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-13-54
Plain-English Summary
This section is for people who got a protective order outside Georgia and now live in, work in or travel to the state. A petitioner who holds a foreign protective order — one issued by a court in another state, a U.S. territory or a tribal jurisdiction, as § 19-13-51 defines it — may file it with any clerk of superior court in Georgia by filing a certified copy. The word is “may”: filing is optional.
Filing is free. The clerk must give the petitioner a receipt showing that the order was submitted for entry in the registry, and must transmit a copy to the Georgia Protective Order Registry the same way § 19-13-53 requires for Georgia orders — electronically, by the end of the next business day after filing. The out-of-state order doesn’t have to be on Georgia’s standardized form to be entered.
Most important, neither filing the order nor its entry in the registry is a prerequisite for enforcing it in Georgia. An officer can act on a valid foreign protective order whether or not it was ever filed here. Filing puts the order into the statewide system so officers can confirm it quickly. The section was last amended in 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my out-of-state protective order valid in Georgia?
This section says filing and registry of a foreign protective order are not prerequisites for enforcing it in Georgia. So you don’t have to register it here before it can be enforced, though filing a certified copy puts it in the registry where officers can find it.
How do I register an out-of-state protective order in Georgia?
File a certified copy of the order with the clerk of any superior court in Georgia. The clerk gives you a receipt showing it was submitted for entry and sends a copy to the Georgia Protective Order Registry the same way Georgia orders are sent.
Is there a fee to file a foreign protective order in Georgia?
No. The section says filing shall be without fee or cost. Any clerk of superior court in Georgia can accept the certified copy, so you can file in whatever county is most convenient for you. The clerk must give you a receipt showing the order was submitted for entry in the registry.
Does my protective order from another state need to be on a Georgia form?
No. Foreign protective orders don’t have to be on Georgia’s standardized form or forms to be entered in the registry. The clerk transmits a copy of the order as the other court issued it, in the same manner § 19-13-53 sets for Georgia orders — electronically and by the end of the next business day after filing.
Does a tribal court protective order count in Georgia?
Yes. Under § 19-13-51, a foreign court includes a court of competent jurisdiction in any territory or tribal jurisdiction in the United States, so a qualifying tribal order can be filed under this section like an order from another state.
Amendment History
Laws 2001, p. 101, § 1; Laws 2015, Act 222, § 5, eff. July 1, 2015.