To domesticate a foreign judgment in Florida, record a certified copy of the judgment and a sworn affidavit with the clerk of a Florida circuit court under the Florida Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act (FEFJA), then wait 30 days after the clerk mails notice to the debtor before you enforce. Once that window closes without a successful challenge, the judgment carries the same weight as one entered by a Florida court, and you can garnish wages, levy accounts, and place liens.
What Qualifies as a Foreign Judgment
Under the FEFJA, a foreign judgment is a final, enforceable judgment, decree, or order from a court of another U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth, or from a federal court, that is entitled to full faith and credit in Florida.1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.502 – Construction of Act
Judgments from courts in another country are handled under a different Florida statute, the Uniform Out-of-Country Foreign Money-Judgment Recognition Act at Sections 55.601 through 55.607, which imposes additional requirements and grounds for refusal.2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.601 – Uniform Out-of-Country Foreign Money-Judgment Recognition Act The process below covers U.S. judgments only.
Documents to Prepare
You need two things.
First, a certified copy of the judgment from the clerk of the court that issued it. The copy must be certified in accordance with federal or Florida law, which generally means it carries the court’s seal and a clerk’s attestation that it is a true copy.3Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.503 – Recording and Status of Foreign Judgments
Second, an affidavit listing the judgment debtor’s name, Social Security number if known, and last known mailing address, along with the same information for you as the judgment creditor.4Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.505 – Notice of Recording Prerequisite to Enforcement The clerk uses these details to send required notices. Many county clerks post fill-in affidavit templates on their websites, so check the site for the county where you plan to file.
Where to File
Record the certified judgment and affidavit with the clerk of the circuit court. The statute allows recording in any Florida county, but the practical choice is the county where the debtor lives or owns property, because that is where you will collect.3Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.503 – Recording and Status of Foreign Judgments If the debtor has assets in more than one county, record the judgment in each county where you plan to pursue enforcement.
Once recorded, the foreign judgment is treated the same as a judgment originally entered by a Florida circuit or county court, subject to the same rules of civil procedure and the same defenses.3Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.503 – Recording and Status of Foreign Judgments
Recording fees vary by county. Before any enforcement process can issue, you must also pay a service charge of up to $42 to the clerk.4Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.505 – Notice of Recording Prerequisite to Enforcement
The 30-Day Notice Period
After recording, the clerk mails notice to the debtor by registered mail with return receipt requested, using the address from your affidavit. The notice includes your name and mailing address, plus your Florida attorney’s contact information if you have one. The clerk logs the mailing in the docket.4Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.505 – Notice of Recording Prerequisite to Enforcement
You may also mail your own copy of the notice and record proof of that mailing with the clerk. This step is optional but serves as a backup: if the clerk fails to mail the notice, your separate mailing preserves your ability to enforce.4Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.505 – Notice of Recording Prerequisite to Enforcement Given what is at stake, it is worth doing.
No execution or other enforcement process can issue until 30 days after the clerk mails the notice. The same 30-day rule applies to liens: the recorded judgment does not operate as a lien on the debtor’s property until those 30 days pass.5Florida Senate. Florida Code 55.507 – Lien When Effective
If the Debtor Challenges the Domestication
The 30-day window is the debtor’s chance to push back. If the debtor files an action within those 30 days, enforcement and lien effect are automatically stayed until the court resolves the challenge.6Florida Senate. Florida Code 55.509 – Stay of Enforcement of Foreign Judgment
Because a domesticated judgment carries the same defenses as a Florida-issued one, the debtor can argue that the original court lacked personal jurisdiction, that the judgment is not truly final, that an appeal is pending, or that the issuing court has already stayed enforcement. A Florida court can also grant a discretionary stay when the original judgment is on appeal or stayed in the issuing state.
How Long You Have to Act
Two clocks matter. Florida’s statute of limitations for enforcing a judgment from a court of record is 20 years from the date it was entered.7Online Sunshine. Florida Code 95.11 – Limitations Other Than for Recovery of Real Property But the statute of limitations in the state that issued the judgment also applies, and many states are shorter. The FEFJA does not extend the original state’s limitation period, and domesticating an expired judgment in Florida will not revive it.1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.502 – Construction of Act Move sooner rather than later.
When a New Lawsuit Makes More Sense
Florida law expressly preserves your right to bring a separate lawsuit on the foreign judgment instead of using the FEFJA.1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.502 – Construction of Act This means filing a new civil action in Florida with the foreign judgment as the basis of your claim; if you win, you get a fresh Florida judgment.
It is slower and more expensive, involving service of process, potential discovery, and possibly trial, with filing fees set by claim size.8Online Sunshine. Florida Code 28.241 – Filing Fees for Trial and Appellate Proceedings It is mainly useful when the FEFJA route is not available, for example when the judgment is not yet final or when jurisdictional questions make the streamlined recording process risky. For a straightforward, final money judgment, the FEFJA is almost always the better choice.
What You Can Do Once the Judgment Is Domesticated
After the 30 days pass without a successful challenge, and once you have paid the service charge, you have access to Florida’s full collection toolkit: wage garnishment, bank account levies, and liens on real and personal property.
Liens on Real Property
A recorded judgment creates a lien on real property in the county where it is recorded. The initial lien period is 10 years from the date of recording, and you can extend it by another 10 years by re-recording a certified copy of the judgment with a current-address affidavit before the original lien expires. The maximum life on real property is 20 years from the date the judgment was entered.9Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.081 – Statute of Limitations Lien of Judgment
Liens on Personal Property
A personal property lien expires 5 years after the lien certificate is filed. You can obtain one additional 5-year lien by filing a new judgment lien certificate within 6 months before or after the original lapses, but that is the limit. No further personal property liens based on the same judgment are allowed after that.10Online Sunshine. Florida Code 55.204 – Duration and Continuation of Judgment Lien
Post-Judgment Interest
A domesticated judgment accrues interest at the rate set quarterly by Florida’s Chief Financial Officer. As of early 2026 the rate is approximately 8.25% to 8.44% per year and adjusts each quarter.11MyFloridaCFO. Judgment Interest Rates Interest continues to accrue on the unpaid balance until the judgment is satisfied.