This Act applies to all actions commenced on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly in which the issue of recognition of a foreign-country judgment is raised.
12-672.Act application.
Article XII. Judgments - Enforcement · Part 6. Foreign Judgments and Foreign-Money Claims · Last amended 2012 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceApplies this Act only to actions commenced on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly in which recognition of a foreign-country judgment is at issue.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/12-672
Plain-English Summary
This closing section fixes when the Act starts applying: actions commenced on or after the effective date of the 97th General Assembly's amendatory Act, in which recognition of a foreign-country judgment is raised as an issue.
That effective date lines up with the repeal of this Part's earlier Uniform Foreign Money-Judgments Recognition Act, which had occupied Sections 12-618 through 12-626 until it was repealed effective January 1, 2012, the same date this Act took effect. This section keeps the transition between the old scheme and the new one tied to a single, identifiable date rather than leaving courts to sort out which law governs a given case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this Act reach actions filed before its effective date?
No. It applies only to actions commenced on or after the effective date of the 97th General Assembly's amendatory Act.
What triggers this Act's application to a given case?
The action must be commenced on or after the effective date, and recognition of a foreign-country judgment must be an issue raised in it.
Why do amendments like this one include their own application section?
To fix a clear line between cases governed by the new Act and cases still subject to whatever law came before it, avoiding disputes over which regime applies to a pending matter.
What governed recognition of foreign-country judgments in Illinois before this Act?
An earlier Uniform Foreign Money-Judgments Recognition Act, formerly at Sections 12-618 through 12-626 of this Part, which was repealed effective the same date this Act took effect.
Does this section change any of the Act's substantive recognition standards?
No. It addresses only when the Act applies; the substantive standards are set out in Sections 12-663 through 12-665.
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: effective date of the foreign country judgment recognition act Illinoisapplication of the new foreign judgment recognition actwhich cases does the 2012 recognition act cover