Sections 12-661 through 12-672 may be cited as the Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act. In those Sections, "this Act" means the Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act.
12-661.Short title.
Article XII. Judgments - Enforcement · Part 6. Foreign Judgments and Foreign-Money Claims · Last amended 2012 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceNames Sections 12-661 through 12-672 the Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act, Illinois's framework for recognizing money judgments entered by the courts of actual foreign nations rather than other U.S. jurisdictions.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/12-661
Plain-English Summary
This Act governs a different question than the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act earlier in this Part. That Act enforces sister-state and federal judgments under the constitutional command of full faith and credit. This Act instead decides whether Illinois recognizes a money judgment entered by the courts of an actual foreign nation, a question full faith and credit doesn't reach, since that constitutional clause binds only U.S. states to each other.
Because there's no constitutional command requiring recognition of a foreign nation's judgment, this Act builds its own standard, resting on comity and due process rather than automatic deference. The sections that follow define what counts as a foreign country and a foreign-country judgment, limit which judgments qualify, set out grounds for refusing recognition, and describe the procedure and effect of recognition once granted.
Worth noting: this same Part of the Code previously housed an earlier Uniform Foreign Money-Judgments Recognition Act at Sections 12-618 through 12-626. Those sections were repealed effective the same date this Act took effect, January 1, 2012, so this Act is a successor scheme covering the same general subject rather than an entirely new topic for Illinois law.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of judgments does this Act cover?
Money judgments entered by the courts of an actual foreign country, not judgments of another U.S. state or a federal court.
How is this different from the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act earlier in this Part?
That Act enforces sister-state and federal judgments under the constitutional full faith and credit obligation. This Act recognizes judgments of foreign nations under a comity-based standard, since full faith and credit doesn't apply to another country's courts.
Why does Illinois need a separate framework for foreign-country judgments?
Because the U.S. Constitution's Full Faith and Credit Clause binds American states to each other, not to foreign nations, Illinois needed its own statutory standard for deciding whether to recognize a foreign country's judgment.
Which sections make up this Act?
Sections 12-661 through 12-672, covering definitions, applicability, recognition standards, personal jurisdiction, procedure, the effect of recognition, stays, limitations, interpretation, and a saving clause.
Did Illinois have a similar law before this Act?
Yes. An earlier Uniform Foreign Money-Judgments Recognition Act occupied Sections 12-618 through 12-626 of this same Part until it was repealed effective the same date this Act took effect.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 97-140, eff. 1-1-12.)
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: Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act Illinoisrecognizing a foreign country judgment in Illinoisforeign judgment from another nation Illinoisenforcing a judgment from a foreign court in Illinois