The official certificate of any register or receiver of any land office of the United States, to any fact or matter on record in his or her office, shall be received in evidence in any court in this State, and shall be competent to prove the fact so certified. The certificate of any such register, of the entry or purchase of any tract of land within his or her district, shall be deemed and taken to be evidence of title in the party who made such entry or purchase, or his or her legatees, heirs or assigns, and shall enable such party, his or her legatees, heirs or assigns, to recover or protect the possession of the land described in such certificate, in any eviction action or action of ejectment, unless a better legal and paramount title be exhibited for the same. The signature of such register or receiver may be proved by a certificate of the Secretary of State, under his or her seal, that such signature is genuine.
8-1208.Official certificate - Land office.
Article VIII. Evidence · Part 12. Records and Patents · Last amended 2018 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceA federal land office register's or receiver's certificate proves facts on record there, but only the register's certificate of an entry or purchase stands as evidence of title, useful in an eviction or ejectment action unless a better title is shown.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/8-1208
Plain-English Summary
This section addresses proof of federal land office records in Illinois courts, historically important for establishing title from federal land grants. The official certificate of a register or receiver of a United States land office, as to a fact or matter on record in that office, is received in evidence and is competent to prove the certified fact.
The title-evidence effect is narrower than that general fact-proving rule. When the certificate is the register's certificate of the entry or purchase of a tract of land, it stands as evidence of title in the person who made the entry or purchase, or that person's legatees, heirs, or assigns; the statute does not extend this title-evidence effect to a receiver's certificate.
That evidence of title can support recovering or protecting possession of the land in an eviction action or an action of ejectment, unless a better, paramount legal title is exhibited against it.
The section also addresses how to authenticate the register's or receiver's own signature: a certificate of the Secretary of State, under seal, stating that the signature is genuine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of federal official's certificate does this section address?
The official certificate of a register or receiver of a United States land office.
What can such a certificate prove?
Either official's certificate can prove any fact or matter on record in that land office. Only the register's certificate of an entry or purchase of a tract of land also serves as evidence of title in the person who made it.
Can a certificate of entry or purchase help someone recover possession of land?
Yes, it can support recovery or protection of possession in an eviction action or an action of ejectment, unless a better, paramount legal title is shown.
Who benefits from the certificate of entry or purchase besides the original purchaser?
The purchaser's legatees, heirs, or assigns.
How is the register's or receiver's own signature authenticated?
By a certificate of the Secretary of State, under seal, stating that the signature is genuine.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 100-173, eff. 1-1-18.)
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: land office certificate evidence illinoisproof of land title certificate illinoisejectment action land office certificate