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 sentenceDirects Illinois courts, once a judgment expressed in foreign money from another jurisdiction is recognized as enforceable, to enter it under the form rules of Section 12-637, crediting any partial payment already made abroad.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/12-640
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(a)If an action is brought to enforce a judgment of another jurisdiction expressed in a foreign money and the judgment is recognized in this State as enforceable, the enforcing judgment must be entered as provided in Section 12-637, whether or not the foreign judgment confers an option to pay in an equivalent amount of United States dollars. (b) A foreign judgment may be filed in accordance with any rule or statute of this State providing a procedure for its recognition and enforcement.
(c)A satisfaction or partial payment made upon the foreign judgment, on proof thereof, must be credited against the amount of foreign money specified in the judgment, notwithstanding the entry of judgment in this State.
(d)A judgment entered on a foreign-money claim only in United States dollars in another state must be enforced in this State in United States dollars only.
Plain-English Summary
This section doesn't decide whether a judgment from elsewhere gets recognized in Illinois — that question belongs to the two enforcement Acts later in this Part, the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act for sister-state and federal judgments, and the Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act for judgments of actual foreign nations. This section instead picks up once that recognition question is answered, and handles the currency mechanics of entering the judgment here.
Once a foreign-money judgment is recognized as enforceable, subsection (a) requires the Illinois enforcing judgment to follow Section 12-637's form, even if the original judgment itself gave the debtor no dollar-payment option. Subsection (b) confirms a foreign judgment may be filed under whatever Illinois rule or statute supplies the recognition procedure. Subsection (c) credits any satisfaction or partial payment already made on the original judgment against the foreign-money amount stated in the Illinois judgment.
Subsection (d) draws a sharp line: if another state already entered its own judgment on a foreign-money claim only in U.S. dollars, Illinois enforces that judgment in dollars only — it doesn't convert it back into the original foreign currency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this section decide whether a judgment from elsewhere gets recognized in Illinois?
No. Recognition is governed separately, by the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act for sister-state and federal judgments, or the Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act for judgments of foreign nations. This section applies once recognition is established.
What happens once a foreign-money judgment is recognized as enforceable?
The Illinois enforcing judgment must be entered under Section 12-637's form rules, giving the debtor the usual option to pay in the foreign currency or its dollar equivalent.
What if the debtor already made a partial payment on the judgment before it reached Illinois?
Subsection (c) requires that satisfaction or partial payment, once proved, to be credited against the foreign-money amount stated in the judgment.
What if another state already converted the foreign-money judgment to dollars before Illinois enforcement?
Subsection (d) requires Illinois to enforce that judgment in United States dollars only — it isn't converted back into the original foreign currency.
Does “foreign” in this section mean another country or another U.S. state?
It can mean either. This section addresses the currency of a money judgment from any other jurisdiction, once that jurisdiction's judgment has already been recognized as enforceable under whichever recognition Act applies.
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
Also known as:enforcing a foreign currency judgment in Illinoissister state judgment stated in foreign currencyforeign country judgment paid in euros Illinoiscrediting partial payment on a foreign money judgment