(a) If in any action or proceeding the affidavits required by Section 2-206 and Section 2-413 of this Act are joined and submitted as a single affidavit, or as two affidavits on one sheet, the fact of joinder or of consolidation of the two affidavits into one shall not deprive the court of the jurisdiction it would have had if the affidavits had been filed as two distinct affidavits; however, the facts with reference to the nonresident defendants required by Section 2-206 of this Act, and the facts relative to the unknown parties required by Section 2-413 of this Act, are otherwise correctly set forth and properly related in the one affidavit. (b) Any judgment heretofore entered by the court based upon joint affidavits or a consolidated affidavit which is regular in other respects is validated as though the affidavits were separate and distinct.
2-414.Joint or consolidated affidavits - validation of judgments.
Article II. Civil Practice · Part 4. Parties · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2-414 allows the affidavits required for nonresident-defendant and unknown-party service to be combined into one document without costing the court jurisdiction, and validates past judgments that relied on such combined affidavits.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/2-414
Plain-English Summary
Section 2-206 requires an affidavit for serving nonresident defendants, and Section 2-413 requires one for unknown parties. If those two affidavits are joined into a single affidavit, or filed as two affidavits on one sheet, that joinder or consolidation doesn't strip the court of jurisdiction it would otherwise have had if the affidavits had been filed as two separate documents — as long as the facts about nonresident defendants required by Section 2-206, and the facts about unknown parties required by Section 2-413, are each correctly set out and properly connected within that one affidavit.
The section also validates any judgment already entered based on a joint or consolidated affidavit of this kind, treating it as though the affidavits had been filed separately, as long as the judgment is otherwise regular.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the affidavits for nonresident defendants and unknown parties be combined into one document?
Does combining those affidavits cost the court jurisdiction?
What happens to a judgment that already relied on a combined affidavit?
It's validated, as though the affidavits had been filed as two separate, distinct documents, provided the judgment is otherwise regular.
Which two sections' affidavit requirements does this section let a party combine?
Does this section create a new affidavit requirement of its own?
No. It addresses only what happens when the affidavits already required by Sections 2-206 and 2-413 are combined into one document, and validates past judgments that relied on that combined format.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 82-280.)
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: combined affidavit nonresident defendant unknown partiesvalidation of judgment joint affidavit illinoisconsolidated affidavit service illinois