A copy of any foreign judgment authenticated in accordance with the act of Congress or the statutes of this Commonwealth may be filed in the office of the clerk of any circuit court of any city or county of this Commonwealth upon payment of the fee prescribed in subdivision A 17 of § 17.1-275. The clerk shall treat the foreign judgment in the same manner as a judgment of the circuit court of any city or county of this Commonwealth. 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 any city or county of this Commonwealth and may be enforced or satisfied in like manner.
§ 8.01-465.2.Filing and status of foreign judgments.
Chapter 17.1. Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act · Last amended 1990 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceThis section lets a judgment creditor turn a sister-state or federal judgment into an enforceable Virginia judgment by filing an authenticated copy with any circuit court clerk and paying the required fee, after which the filed judgment carries the same effect, defenses, and enforcement options as one entered by that Virginia court.
Full Text of § 8.01-465.2
Plain-English Summary
Once a judgment qualifies as a “foreign judgment” under § 8.01-465.1, this section explains how a creditor puts it to work in Virginia. The creditor files an authenticated copy — authenticated as an act of Congress or Virginia statute requires — with the clerk of any circuit court in any city or county, and pays the fee set under subdivision A 17 of § 17.1-275.
From that point on, the clerk treats the filing like any other circuit court judgment. No new lawsuit, no fresh trial on the merits — the judgment takes its place on the Virginia docket.
The filed judgment then behaves exactly like a homegrown Virginia judgment. It carries the same effect, faces the same defenses, and can be reopened, vacated, or stayed under the same procedures a Virginia judgment would face. Execution, garnishment, and every other tool a creditor would use to collect a Virginia judgment become available for the filed foreign judgment too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a creditor file to domesticate a foreign judgment under this section?
A copy of the foreign judgment authenticated in accordance with the act of Congress or the statutes of Virginia.
Where can the judgment be filed?
In the office of the clerk of any circuit court of any city or county in Virginia.
Is there a fee to file the judgment?
Yes, the fee prescribed in subdivision A 17 of § 17.1-275.
Once filed, is the foreign judgment treated the same as a Virginia judgment?
Yes. The clerk treats it in the same manner as a judgment of that circuit court, and it has the same effect and is subject to the same procedures, defenses, and enforcement as a Virginia judgment.
Can a debtor still challenge or seek to vacate a foreign judgment after it is filed?
Yes, the filed judgment is subject to the same procedures, defenses, and proceedings for reopening, vacating, or staying as a judgment of a Virginia circuit court.
Amendment History
1988, c. 539; 1990, c. 738.
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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