Restraining Orders

If you have a valid Illinois order of protection that meets federal standards, it can be enforced in another state. The Violence Against Women Act, which is a federal law, states that all valid orders of protection granted in the United States receive “full faith and credit” in all state and tribal courts within the US, including US territories. See How do I know if my order of protection is good under federal law? to find out if your order of protection qualifies.

Each state must enforce out-of-state orders of protection in the same way it enforces its own orders. Meaning, if your abuser violates your out-of-state order of protection, s/he will be punished according to the laws of whatever state you are in when the order is violated. This is what is meant by “full faith and credit.”

To make it even clearer that your order is good anywhere in the U.S., Illinois also includes a statement on all emergency, interim, and plenary orders of protection that says that the order can be enforced in any other state whether or not it has been registered in that state.¹

¹ 750 ILCS 60/221(d), (e)