Foreign Judgement

A judgement, decree, or order given by a court outside England and Wales. A foreign judgement cannot be directly enforced in England: it must either be registered under a statutory scheme (AJA 1920, FJREA 1933, or a convention) or the creditor must commence fresh proceedings at common law using the foreign judgement as evidence of the debt.

In practice

The route for enforcing a foreign judgement depends on the country of origin. For countries covered by the AJA 1920 or FJREA 1933, registration in the High Court is the standard route. For EU judgements predating Brexit, the Brussels Regulation may still apply. For other countries, the creditor must issue fresh proceedings and obtain an English judgement. In all cases, the foreign judgement must be final, for a definite sum, and not contrary to English public policy.