A foreign judgment means any judgment, decree, or order of a court from any other state or outside of the United States.

Florida Enforcement of Foreign Judgment Act was established to allow holders of uncollected foreign judgments to domesticate the judgment, which does not require a case to be opened.

If the judgment holder is seeking judicial relief or to enforce the terms of the judgment and have a writ of execution issued in the Florida county where the judgment is recorded, a Civil case may be required to be opened.  There will be a filing fee, and the case must be filed in Civil Court.

What to Submit:
  1.  Certified Copy of Foreign Judgment 
  2. Affidavit executed by the Judgment holder containing the last known addresses of judgment debtor(s), judgment creditor(s) and creditor's attorney (if any)
  3. Notice to Judgment Debtor(s). If Notice not provided upon submission, Clerk's Office will prepare for $7.00 per Notice
  4. Fees (see below)
  5. Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope for return of recorded judgment
Foreign Judgment Fees:
  1. $42.00 Foreign Judgment Service Fee
  2. IF Clerk's Office is preparing and issuing a Notice of Judgment to Debtor(s): $7 for each mailing per debtor, our notices are 1 page each
  3. Recording Fees: $10 for the first page, $8.50 for each additional page (to include Affidavit, Certified Copy of Judgment,  and Notice to Debtor(s))
  4. Certified mail postage fees per judgment debtor apply
  5. Indexing fees apply if more than four names are to be indexed (names include all creditor(s) and debtor(s)) 
  6. Certified copy fees: $1 per page, $2 per certification (upon request)   
Additional Fees for Out-of-Country Foreign Judgments Only:

If outside the U.S., fees are to be paid by separate check at the time of recording the foreign judgment:

  1. Recording fees for Certificate of No Objection for Out-of-Country Foreign Judgment: $10
  2. Preparation of the Notice of No Objection for Out-of-Country Foreign Judgment: $7 for each Notice prepared
  3. Out-Of-Country registered mail fee for each mailing
What the Official Records Office Does:
  1. Recording fees for Certificate of No Objection for Out-of-Country Foreign Judgment: $10
  2. Preparation of the Notice of No Objection for Out-of-Country Foreign Judgment: $7 for each Notice prepared
  3. Out-Of-Country registered mail fee for each mailing

You must retain these documents in order to file and obtain a domestic case number. You will file for the domestic case number with the Clerk's Courts Division if there has been no objection after 30 days.

A writ of execution is not issued until 35 days after the mailing of the notice and no action has been filed by the judgment debtor contesting the foreign judgment. It will be the responsibility of the creditor recording the judgment to track the 35-day objection period before returning to request the issuance of the writ.

Mailing Addresses:

To record your Foreign Judgment please mail to:

            Lee County Clerk of Court
            PO Box 2278
            Fort Myers, FL 33902

 

For express mail delivery:

            Lee County Clerk of Court
            2115 Second Street, 2nd Floor
            Fort Myers, FL 33901

For more information, please call 239-533-5007