An action to recognize a foreign-country judgment must be commenced within the earlier of the time during which the foreign-country judgment is effective in the foreign country or 15 years from the date that the foreign-country judgment became effective in the foreign country.
12-669.Statute of limitations.
Article XII. Judgments - Enforcement · Part 6. Foreign Judgments and Foreign-Money Claims · Last amended 2012 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceRequires an action to recognize a foreign-country judgment to be commenced within the shorter of the period the judgment remains effective abroad or fifteen years from when it became effective there.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/12-669
Plain-English Summary
This section supplies a limitations period built specifically for foreign-country judgments. An action to recognize one must be commenced within whichever is shorter: the time the judgment remains effective under the law of the foreign country where it was rendered, or fifteen years from the date it became effective there.
Anchoring the deadline partly to the foreign judgment's own effective period makes sense given how differently legal systems around the world treat judgment duration; some judgments expire on their own timetable well short of fifteen years, and this section keeps Illinois's limitations period from outlasting the underlying judgment's own life abroad.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a party have to seek recognition of a foreign-country judgment in Illinois?
Within the earlier of two dates: when the judgment stops being effective in the foreign country, or fifteen years from when it became effective there.
What sets the outer limit, foreign law or a fixed number of years?
Both. The deadline is whichever comes first between the foreign country's own effectiveness period and the fifteen-year cap.
Does the clock start when the foreign judgment was entered or when it became effective?
When it became effective in the foreign country, under the section's own terms.
What happens if the foreign judgment's effectiveness expires abroad before fifteen years pass?
The shorter period controls, so an action to recognize it must be commenced before that earlier expiration.
Why tie Illinois's recognition deadline to the foreign judgment's own effective period?
Because foreign legal systems vary widely in how long a judgment remains effective, and this approach keeps Illinois recognition from outlasting the judgment's own life in the country that issued it.
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: statute of limitations to recognize a foreign country judgment Illinoisfifteen year limit foreign judgment recognition Illinoisdeadline to sue on a foreign country judgmenthow long is a foreign judgment enforceable in Illinois