(a) Any person filing a foreign judgment shall pay a fee to the circuit clerk equivalent to the fee which would be required were the person filing a complaint seeking the amount awarded in the foreign judgment. Fees for docketing, transcription or other enforcement proceedings shall be as provided for judgments of the circuit court.
12-655.Fees.
Article XII. Judgments - Enforcement · Part 6. Foreign Judgments and Foreign-Money Claims · Last amended 2001 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceCharges the same fee for filing a foreign judgment as for filing a new lawsuit for that amount, while waiving any fee to register a foreign order of protection.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/12-655
(b) The clerk shall not charge a fee to any person to register a foreign order of protection.
Plain-English Summary
Subsection (a) ties the filing fee for a registered foreign judgment to what the same person would pay to file a new complaint seeking the amount the judgment awards. Later fees, for docketing, transcription, or other enforcement proceedings, follow the same schedule as for an ordinary Illinois judgment.
Subsection (b) makes one clean exception: no one pays a fee to register a foreign order of protection. That fee waiver removes a cost barrier for someone relying on an out-of-state protective order in Illinois.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it cost to file a sister-state or federal judgment in Illinois?
The same fee a person would pay to file a new lawsuit seeking the amount awarded in the judgment.
Are there additional fees for docketing or enforcement steps after filing?
Yes, but they're set at the same levels that apply to docketing, transcription, or enforcement proceedings for any Illinois judgment.
Does registering a foreign order of protection cost anything?
No. Subsection (b) waives any fee for registering a foreign order of protection.
Why tie the filing fee to the amount of the judgment?
Because the fee mirrors what a new lawsuit for that same amount would cost to file, keeping the registration route from undercutting the fee structure for ordinary suits.
Who is responsible for paying this filing fee?
The person filing the foreign judgment, typically the judgment creditor.
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: cost to register a foreign judgment in Illinoisfiling fee for a sister state judgmentno fee for a foreign order of protection Illinoishow much to file an out of state judgment