Article XII. Judgments - Enforcement · Part 6. Foreign Judgments and Foreign-Money Claims · Last amended 2001 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceRequires the judgment creditor to file an affidavit with each party's address, and the clerk to mail the debtor notice of the filing, except that notice is never sent for a filed foreign order of protection.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/12-653
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(a)At the time of the filing of the foreign judgment, the judgment creditor or his lawyer shall make and file with the circuit clerk an affidavit setting forth the name and last known post office address of the judgment debtor, and the judgment creditor. (b) Promptly upon the filing of a foreign judgment (other than a foreign order of protection) and the affidavit, the clerk shall mail notice of the filing of the foreign judgment to the judgment debtor at the address given and shall make a note of the mailing in the docket. The notice shall include the name and post office address of the judgment creditor and the judgment creditor's lawyer, if any, in this State. In addition, the judgment creditor may mail a notice of the filing of the judgment to the judgment debtor and may file proof of mailing with the clerk. Lack of mailing notice of filing by the clerk shall not affect the enforcement proceedings if proof of mailing by the judgment creditor has been filed.
(c)The clerk shall not mail notice of the filing of a foreign order of protection to the respondent named in the order.
Plain-English Summary
Registering a judgment under this Act doesn't happen quietly. Subsection (a) requires the judgment creditor or lawyer to file an affidavit at the time of filing, listing the last known post office addresses of both the judgment debtor and the judgment creditor.
Subsection (b) then puts the clerk to work: promptly after the judgment and affidavit are filed, the clerk mails the debtor notice of the filing and notes the mailing in the docket. That notice includes the creditor's and creditor's lawyer's names and addresses. The creditor may also send its own notice and file proof of that mailing, and if the clerk's notice never gets through, proof of the creditor's own mailing keeps the enforcement proceedings on track.
Subsection (c) carves out one clear exception: the clerk does not mail notice of a filed foreign order of protection to the respondent named in it, reflecting the different safety concerns that apply to protective orders.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must the creditor file along with the foreign judgment?
An affidavit stating the last known post office addresses of both the judgment debtor and the judgment creditor.
Who notifies the debtor that the judgment has been filed?
The circuit clerk mails notice to the debtor promptly after the judgment and affidavit are filed, and records the mailing in the docket.
Does the creditor need to send its own notice as well?
The creditor may mail its own notice and file proof of mailing, though it isn't required if the clerk's notice goes out.
What happens if the clerk's notice never reaches the debtor?
Enforcement proceedings aren't affected if the judgment creditor has filed proof that it mailed its own notice.
Why doesn't the clerk notify the respondent of a filed foreign order of protection?
Subsection (c) exempts foreign orders of protection from this notice requirement, given the different considerations that apply when the person named in the order is the one being protected against.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 91-903, eff. 1-1-01.)
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:notice requirement filing a foreign judgment Illinoisaffidavit for judgment creditor Illinoisforeign order of protection notice exceptionclerk mailing notice of registered judgment