(a) Definition. In this Rule 74.14 “foreign judgment” means any judgment, decree or order of a court of the United States or of any other court that is entitled to full faith and credit in this state.
Rule 74.14.Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments.
Part I · Rule 74: Judgments, Orders and Proceedings Thereon · Last amended January 1, 2027 · Last verified July 22, 2026
This rule prints two full, separately-dated versions in the official compilation (a pending or recent amendment straddle); both are shown below.
In one sentenceRule 74.14 lets a party file an authenticated out-of-state or federal judgment with a Missouri circuit clerk so it can be enforced the same way as a Missouri judgment, subject to required creditor notice to the debtor and available stays pending appeal.
Full Text of Rule 74.14
Rule 74.14. Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments. — Effective until January 1, 2027
(b) Filing and Status of Foreign Judgments. A copy of any foreign judgment authenticated in accordance with the act of Congress or the statutes of this state may be filed in the office of the clerk of any circuit court of this state. The clerk shall treat the foreign judgment in the same manner as a judgment of the circuit court of this state. A judgment so filed has the same effect and is subject to the same procedures, defenses, and proceedings for reopening, vacating, or staying as a judgment of a circuit court of this state and may be enforced or satisfied in like manner.
(c) Notice of Filing.
(1) At the time of the filing of the foreign judgment, the judgment creditor or his lawyer shall make and file with the clerk an affidavit setting forth the name and last known post office address of the judgment debtor and the judgment creditor.
(2) Promptly upon the filing of the foreign judgment and the affidavit, the clerk shall mail notice of the filing of the foreign judgment to the judgment debtor at the address given and shall make a note of the mailing in the docket. The notice shall include the name and post office address of the judgment creditor and the judgment creditor’s lawyer, if any, in this state. In addition, the judgment creditor may mail a notice of the filing of the judgment to the judgment debtor and may file proof of mailing with the clerk. Lack of mailing notice of filing by the clerk shall not affect the enforcement proceedings if proof of mailing by the judgment creditor has been filed.
(d) Stay.
(1) If the judgment debtor shows the circuit court that an appeal from the foreign judgment is pending or will be taken or that a stay of execution has been granted, the court shall stay enforcement of the foreign judgment until the appeal is concluded, the time for appeal expires, or the stay of execution expires or is vacated, upon proof that the judgment debtor has furnished the security for the satisfaction of the judgment required by the state in which it was entered.
(2) If the judgment debtor shows the circuit court any ground upon which enforcement of a judgment of any circuit court of this state would be stayed, the court shall stay enforcement of the foreign judgment for an appropriate period upon requiring the same security for satisfaction of the judgment that is required in this state.
(e) Optional Procedure. The right of a judgment creditor to bring an action to enforce his judgment instead of proceeding under this Rule 74.14 remains unimpaired.
(f) Uniformity of Interpretation. This Rule 74.14 shall be so interpreted and construed as to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law of those states that adopt the “Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Law.”
Rule 74.14. Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments. — Effective January 1, 2027
(a) Definition. In this Rule 74.14 “foreign judgment” means any judgment, decree or order of a court of the United States or of any other court that is entitled to full faith and credit in this state.
(b) Filing and Status of Foreign Judgments. A copy of any foreign judgment authenticated in accordance with the act of Congress or the statutes of this state may be filed in the office of the clerk of any circuit court of this state. The clerk shall treat the foreign judgment in the same manner as a judgment of the circuit court of this state. A judgment so filed has the same effect and is subject to the same procedures, defenses, and proceedings for reopening, vacating, or staying as a judgment of a circuit court of this state and may be enforced or satisfied in like manner.
(c) Notice of Filing.
(1) At the time of the filing of the foreign judgment, the judgment creditor or the judgment creditor's lawyer shall make and file with the clerk an affidavit setting forth the name and last known post office address of the judgment debtor and the judgment creditor.
(2) Promptly upon the filing of the foreign judgment and the affidavit, the clerk shall mail notice of the filing of the foreign judgment to the judgment debtor at the address given and shall make a note of the mailing in the docket. The notice shall include the name and post office address of the judgment creditor and the judgment creditor's lawyer, if any, in this state. In addition, the judgment creditor may mail notice of the filing of the judgment to the judgment debtor and may file proof of mailing with the clerk. Lack of mailing notice of filing by the clerk shall not affect the enforcement proceedings if proof of mailing by the judgment creditor has been filed.
(3) The clerk shall notify the clerk of the court that rendered the foreign judgment that application for registration of such judgment has been made and shall request such information be filed with the judgment.
(d) Stay.
(1) If the judgment debtor shows the circuit court that an appeal from the foreign judgment is pending or will be taken or that a stay of execution has been granted, the court shall stay enforcement of the foreign judgment until the appeal is concluded, the time for appeal expires, or the stay of execution expires or is vacated, upon proof that the judgment debtor has furnished the security for the satisfaction of the judgment required by the state in which it was entered.
(2) If the judgment debtor shows the circuit court any ground upon which enforcement of a judgment of any circuit court of this state would be stayed, the court shall stay enforcement of the foreign judgment for an appropriate period upon requiring the same security for satisfaction of the judgment that is required in this state.
(e) Optional Procedure. The right of a judgment creditor to bring an action to enforce his judgment instead of proceeding under this Rule 74.14 remains unimpaired.
(f) Uniformity of Interpretation. This Rule 74.14 shall be so interpreted and construed as to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law of those states that adopt the “Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Law.”
Amendment History
Effective until January 1, 2027
Adopted May 22, 1987, eff. Jan. 1, 1988; amended effective January 1, 2023.
Effective January 1, 2027
Adopted May 22, 1987, eff. Jan. 1, 1988; Amended March 31, 2026, eff. Jan. 1, 2027.
Plain-English Summary
When someone holds a judgment from another state or from a federal court and wants to collect against assets or property in Missouri, they do not have to file a whole new lawsuit to prove up the debt again. Rule 74.14 adopts Missouri's version of the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Law, letting the judgment creditor file an authenticated copy of that "foreign judgment" — any judgment, decree, or order entitled to full faith and credit in Missouri — with the clerk of any Missouri circuit court. Once filed, the clerk treats it just like a Missouri circuit court judgment, subject to the same enforcement mechanisms, defenses, and procedures for reopening, vacating, or staying it.
The rule builds in a notice requirement to protect the debtor. At the time of filing, the creditor or the creditor's lawyer must file an affidavit giving the debtor's and creditor's last known addresses. The clerk then mails notice of the filing to the debtor and notes that mailing in the docket. The creditor can also mail its own notice and file proof of that mailing — and if the creditor does so, the enforcement proceedings are not derailed even if the clerk's own notice never reached the debtor.
The rule also protects debtors who are actively appealing the foreign judgment or who have already obtained a stay of execution where the judgment was entered: the Missouri circuit court must stay enforcement here too, once the debtor furnishes the same security for the judgment that the original state requires. A debtor can also seek a stay on any ground that would pause enforcement of a Missouri judgment, by posting the same security Missouri law would require. None of this displaces a creditor's separate option to file an enforcement lawsuit instead of using this streamlined procedure, and the rule is to be read to keep Missouri's version of the uniform law consistent with how other adopting states apply it.
This rule prints in two versions around a January 1, 2027 amendment. The changes are administrative, not substantive: version two adds a new step requiring the filing clerk to notify the clerk of the court that originally rendered the foreign judgment that a Missouri registration has been made, and to request that information be filed alongside the judgment there. Version two also replaces a gendered reference to the judgment creditor's lawyer ("his lawyer") with gender-neutral wording. The core filing procedure, the notice-to-debtor requirements, and the stay provisions carry forward unchanged in substance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a “foreign judgment” under this rule?
Any judgment, decree, or order of a United States court or any other court that is entitled to full faith and credit in Missouri.
How does a creditor get an out-of-state judgment enforced in Missouri?
By filing an authenticated copy with the clerk of any Missouri circuit court. The clerk then treats it like a Missouri circuit court judgment, subject to the same enforcement procedures and defenses.
What notice must the debtor receive after the judgment is filed?
The creditor or the creditor's lawyer must file an affidavit with the debtor's and creditor's last known addresses, and the clerk mails notice of the filing to the debtor and notes it in the docket.
What if the clerk's notice never reaches the debtor?
Enforcement is not affected if the creditor also mailed its own notice to the debtor and filed proof of that mailing with the clerk.
Can enforcement of the foreign judgment be paused while an appeal is pending?
Yes. If the debtor shows the Missouri circuit court that an appeal is pending, will be taken, or that a stay of execution has already been granted, the court must stay enforcement upon proof the debtor has posted the security the original state requires.
Is filing under this rule the only way to enforce an out-of-state judgment in Missouri?
No. The rule expressly preserves a creditor's right to instead bring an action to enforce the judgment.
What changed in the 2027 version of this rule?
The updated version adds a requirement that the filing clerk notify the clerk of the court that originally rendered the judgment that a Missouri registration has occurred, so that information can be recorded with the original judgment. It also updates a reference to the judgment creditor's lawyer to gender-neutral wording. Neither change affects the filing procedure, the notice-to-debtor requirements, or the stay provisions.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Missouri State & Federal Court Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Missouri. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: foreign judgment enforcement missouriuniform enforcement of foreign judgmentsregistering an out of state judgmentsister state judgment missouridomesticating a judgment