As used in this chapter "foreign judgment" means any judgment, decree, or order of a court of the United States or of any other court which is entitled to full faith and credit in this state.
§ 8.01-465.1.Application of chapter.
Chapter 17.1. Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act · Last amended 1988 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceThis section defines “foreign judgment” for the chapter as any judgment, decree, or order of a United States court or any other court entitled to full faith and credit in Virginia, drawing the line between sister-state and federal judgments and the foreign-country judgments a separate chapter governs.
Full Text of § 8.01-465.1
Plain-English Summary
Before a creditor can use this chapter’s streamlined filing procedure, the judgment has to qualify as a “foreign judgment” in the sense this section means. That word does not mean a judgment from another country. It means a judgment, decree, or order from a court of the United States, or from any other court whose rulings Virginia must honor under the Full Faith and Credit Clause — chiefly the courts of sister states and federal courts.
The definition is broad in one direction and narrow in another. It reaches beyond money judgments to any judgment, decree, or order, so long as full faith and credit applies. But it stops at the constitutional boundary: judgments from outside the United States fall to a different chapter, with its own recognition standards and grounds for refusing to honor a judgment.
Getting this distinction right matters from the first step. A creditor holding a judgment from a foreign country who tries to file it under this chapter is filing under the wrong law, since Chapter 17.1 was built for judgments already entitled to full faith and credit, not judgments a Virginia court must independently decide whether to recognize.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a “foreign judgment” under this chapter?
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 Virginia.
Does this chapter cover judgments entered by courts of other countries?
No. This section’s definition is tied to full faith and credit, the constitutional doctrine that applies to sister-state and federal judgments; judgments of foreign countries are addressed in a separate chapter with its own recognition standards.
Is a “foreign judgment” under this section limited to judgments for money?
No. The definition covers any “judgment, decree, or order” entitled to full faith and credit, not just money judgments.
Why does this definition matter to a creditor deciding how to enforce an out-of-state judgment?
It determines whether the creditor may use this chapter’s filing procedure at all — only a judgment meeting this definition qualifies for the process the rest of the chapter sets out.
What legal principle determines whether a judgment is entitled to full faith and credit?
The section ties the definition to full faith and credit without spelling out that doctrine’s requirements itself; it borrows the concept to mark the chapter’s boundary.
Amendment History
1988, c. 539.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the
Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
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