In this Act: "Foreign country" means a government other than: (A) the United States; (B) a state, district, commonwealth, territory, or insular possession of the United States; or (C) any other government with regard to which the decision in this State as to whether to recognize a judgment of that government's courts is initially subject to determination under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution. "Foreign-country judgment" means a judgment of a court of a foreign country.
12-662.Definitions.
Article XII. Judgments - Enforcement · Part 6. Foreign Judgments and Foreign-Money Claims · Last amended 2012 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceDefines “foreign country” as any government other than the United States, a U.S. state or territory, or another government whose judgments Illinois evaluates under full faith and credit, and defines “foreign-country judgment” accordingly.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/12-662
Plain-English Summary
This section draws the Act's outer boundary by defining its subject matter. “Foreign country” excludes the United States itself, any state, district, commonwealth, territory, or insular possession of the United States, and any other government whose judgments Illinois would evaluate under the Full Faith and Credit Clause in the first instance. Whatever government is left after those exclusions is a “foreign country” for this Act, and a “foreign-country judgment” is a judgment of a court of that government.
The careful exclusions matter because they keep this Act from overlapping with the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act. Anything that would be analyzed under full faith and credit stays in that earlier Act's lane; only judgments falling outside that constitutional framework land here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What governments count as a “foreign country” under this Act?
Any government other than the United States, a U.S. state, district, commonwealth, territory, or insular possession, or another government whose judgments would be evaluated under the Full Faith and Credit Clause.
Does a U.S. territory count as a foreign country?
No. The definition expressly excludes any state, district, commonwealth, territory, or insular possession of the United States.
What is a “foreign-country judgment”?
A judgment of a court of a foreign country, as that term is defined in this section.
Why exclude governments whose judgments are subject to full faith and credit analysis?
Because those judgments are already governed by the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act; this Act is reserved for judgments outside that constitutional framework.
Does the definition depend on whether the United States formally recognizes the foreign government diplomatically?
The section doesn't address diplomatic recognition; it defines “foreign country” by exclusion, based on what the government is not, rather than by any recognition requirement.
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
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