(a) This Act applies only to a foreign-money claim in an action or distribution proceeding.
12-632.Scope.
Article XII. Judgments - Enforcement · Part 6. Foreign Judgments and Foreign-Money Claims · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceLimits the Act to the foreign-money aspects of a claim, letting Illinois's usual conflict-of-laws rules keep governing every other issue that arises in the same action or distribution proceeding.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/12-632
(b) This Act applies to foreign-money issues even if other law under the conflict of laws rules of this State applies to other issues in the action or distribution proceeding.
Plain-English Summary
This section marks the Act's boundary. It applies only to a foreign-money claim raised in an action or distribution proceeding — it doesn't take over the whole case.
Subsection (b) makes clear that the Act coexists with ordinary choice-of-law analysis. A court might apply another state's or country's substantive law to liability, damages, or contract interpretation, while still applying this Act's rules to the narrower question of which currency controls and how to convert it. The two inquiries run side by side rather than one displacing the other.
That layering matters in practice: a court can decide, under conflict-of-laws principles, that foreign substantive law governs whether a defendant breached a contract, and then turn to this Act to decide the currency in which any judgment gets stated and paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this Act replace Illinois's conflict-of-laws rules?
No. Subsection (b) says the Act applies to foreign-money issues even when other conflict-of-laws rules govern the rest of the case.
What claims trigger the Act?
Any foreign-money claim raised in an action or a distribution proceeding, as those terms are defined in Section 12-631.
Can foreign-money rules and another jurisdiction's substantive law apply to the same case?
Yes. A court can apply another jurisdiction's law to liability or damages while applying this Act to the currency questions.
Does the Act apply outside ordinary litigation?
Yes. It also applies in distribution proceedings, such as an estate, trust, or receivership distribution, wherever a foreign-money claim is asserted.
Does a case need a foreign party to trigger the Act?
No. What matters is whether a claim is measured in a foreign currency, not the nationality or residence of the parties.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 86-1291.)
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Compiled Statutes, published by the
Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois General Assembly / Legislative Reference Bureau. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
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