Title 5 — Judicial Procedure

The judge of the district court of the Virgin Islands shall establish such rules of procedure as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this chapter.

This chapter applies only with respect to levies upon wages, as defined by section 521 of this chapter, issued on or after sixty days from the effective date of this chapter.

(a) Costs which may be allowed in a civil action include:(1) Fees of officers, witnesses, and jurors;(2) Necessary expenses of taking depositions which were reasonably necessary in the action;(3) Expenses of publication of the summons or notices, and the postage when they are ser…

The costs which a party is entitled to recover may be collected by execution to enforce the judgment as a part thereof.

(a) A bill of costs shall be filed in the case and, upon allowance, included in the judgment or decree. (b) Before any bill of costs is taxed, the party claiming any item of cost shall attach thereto an affidavit, made by himself or by his duly authorized attorney or agent having…

Except in the case of a guardian ad litem under section 73 of this title, when costs or disbursements are adjudged against an infant plaintiff, the guardian by whom he appeared in the action shall be responsible therefor, as if he were the actual plaintiff in such action, and pay…

In an action prosecuted or defended by an executor, administrator, trustee of an express trust, or a person expressly authorized by a statute to prosecute or defend therein, costs shall be recovered as in ordinary cases, but such costs shall only be chargeable upon or collected f…

In all actions prosecuted or defended in the name and for the use of any public corporation in the Virgin Islands, the public corporation shall be liable for and may recover costs in like manner and with like effect as in the case of natural persons.

(a) If the plaintiff resides out of the Virgin Islands or is a foreign corporation, the defendant may serve a notice requiring security for the costs which may be awarded against the plaintiff. After the service of such a notice, all proceedings in the action shall be stayed unti…

This subchapter may be cited as the “Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act”.

In this subchapter, “foreign judgment” means any judgment, decree, or order of a court of the United States or any other court which is entitled to full faith and credit in the United States Virgin Islands.

A copy of any foreign judgment authenticated in accordance with an act of Congress or the statutes of the United States Virgin Islands may be filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Superior Court. The Clerk shall treat the foreign judgment in the same manner as a judgment of the…

(a) At the time of the filing of the foreign judgment, the judgment creditor or his attorney shall make and file with the Clerk of the Superior Court an affidavit setting forth the name and last known post office address of the judgment debtor and the judgment creditor. (b) Promp…

(a) If the judgment debtor shows the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands that an appeal from the foreign judgment is pending or will be taken, or that a stay of execution has been granted, the court shall stay enforcement of the foreign judgment until the appeal is concluded, th…

Any person filing a foreign judgment shall pay to the Clerk of the Superior Court $150.00. Fees for docketing, transcription or other enforcement proceedings shall be as provided for judgments of the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.

The right of a judgment creditor to bring an action to enforce his judgment instead of proceeding under this subchapter remains unimpaired.

This subchapter shall be so interpreted and construed as to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law of those states and territories which enact it.

This subchapter may be cited as the “Uniform Foreign Money-Judgments Recognition Act”.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Foreign state” means any governmental unit other than the United States Virgin Islands, the United States or a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory or insular possession subject t…

Except as provided in section 565, a foreign judgment meeting the requirements of section 563 is conclusive between the parties to the extent that it grants or denies recovery of a sum of money. The foreign judgment is enforceable in the same manner as the judgment of a state or …

5 V.I.C. § 564 Statutes current through Act 9046 of the 2025 session of the 36th Legislature, including all code changes through October 25, 2025 Virgin Islands Code AnnotatedCopyright © 2026 All rights reserved.

(a) A foreign judgment is not conclusive if:(1) the judgment was rendered under a system which does not provide impartial tribunals or procedures compatible with requirements of due process of law;(2) the foreign court did not have personal jurisdiction over the defendant; or(3) …

(1) The foreign judgment shall not be refused recognition for lack of personal jurisdiction if:(1) the defendant was served personally in the foreign state;(2) the defendant voluntarily appeared in the proceedings, other than for the purpose of protecting property seized or threa…

If the defendant satisfies the court either that an appeal is pending or that he is entitled and intends to appeal from the foreign judgment, the court may stay the proceedings until the appeal has been determined or until the expiration of a period of time sufficient to enable t…

This subchapter does not prevent the recognition of a foreign judgment in situations not covered by this subchapter.

This subchapter shall be so construed as to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law of those states and territories which enact it.

This chapter may be cited as the “Uniform Interstate Enforcement of Domestic-Violence Protection Orders Act.”

(1) In this chapter:(1) “Foreign protection order” means a protection order issued by a tribunal of another State.(2) “Issuing State” means the State whose tribunal issues a protection order.(3) “Mutual foreign protection order” means a foreign protection order that includes prov…

(a) A person authorized by the law of this State to seek enforcement of a protection order may seek enforcement of a valid foreign protection order in a tribunal of this State. The tribunal shall enforce the terms of the order, including terms that provide relief that a tribunal …

(a) A law enforcement officer of this State, upon determining that there is probable cause to believe that a valid foreign protection order exists and that the order has been violated, shall enforce the order as if it were the order of a tribunal of this State. Presentation of a …

(a) Any individual may register a foreign protection order in this State. To register a foreign protection order, an individual shall:(1) present a certified copy of the order to the Office of the Clerk of the Superior Court; or(2) present a certified copy of the order to Office …

The Government of the Virgin Islands, a law enforcement officer, prosecuting attorney, clerk of court, or any governmental official acting in an official capacity, except for gross negligence, is immune from civil and criminal liability for an act or omission arising out of the r…

A protected individual who pursues remedies under this chapter is not precluded from pursuing other legal or equitable remedies against the respondent.

This chapter applies to protection orders issued before the effective date of this chapter and to continuing actions for enforcement of foreign protection orders commenced before the effective date of this chapter. A request for enforcement of a foreign protection order made on o…

In applying and construing this Uniform Act, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among States that enact it.

If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this chapter which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provision…

Proof of service of a subpoena shall be made in the same manner as in the service of a summons.

It is the duty of a witness duly served with a subpoena to attend at the time appointed, with any papers, books, documents, or other things under his control required by the subpoena, to answer all pertinent and legal questions, and, unless sooner discharged, to remain until the …

A witness disobeying a subpoena duly served shall forfeit to the party requiring his attendance all damages which he may sustain by the failure of the witness to attend, which forfeiture and damages may be recovered by an action at law.

In case of the failure of a witness to attend, the court or officer before whom he is required to attend, upon proof of the due service of the subpoena, may issue a warrant to the marshal requiring him to arrest the witness and bring him before the court or officer where his atte…

(a) Every person who has been, in good faith, served with a subpoena to attend as witness before a court, judge, commissioner, referee, or other officer, is exonerated from arrest or service of summons in a civil case while going to the place of attendance, necessarily remaining …

It is the right of the witness to be protected from irrelevant, insulting, or improper questions or from harsh or insulting demeanor; to be detained only so long as the interests of justice require it; and to be examined only as to matters legal and pertinent to the issue.

A person voluntarily present in court or before a judicial officer may be required to testify in the same manner as if he were in attendance before such court or officer on a subpoena.

If the witness is a prisoner, confined in a prison within the Virgin Islands, an order for his temporary removal and production, before a court or officer, for the purpose of being orally examined, may be made by the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands. Such order shall only be …

The marshal or any deputy specially appointed by him, but none other, is authorized and required to break into any building or vessel in which a witness may be concealed, so as to prevent the service of a subpoena, and serve the same upon such witness.

A witness attending in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, or before any person authorized to take his deposition pursuant to any rule or order of court, shall receive $4 for each day's attendance and for the time necessarily occupied in going to and returning from the same…

Every warrant of commitment issued by a court or officer for contempt arising from disobedience to a subpoena, or refusal to be sworn, or to answer as a witness, or to subscribe an affidavit or deposition when required, shall specify therein the cause of the commitment; and if it…

(a) An oath is an outward attestation by which a person signifies that he is bound in conscience to perform an act or to speak or has spoken faithfully and truthfully. (b) Whenever the court or officer before which a person is offered as a witness is satisfied that he has a pecul…

Every court, judge, clerk of court, district court commissioner, notary public, and every officer or person authorized to take testimony in any action or proceeding or to decide upon evidence, has power to administer oaths or affirmations.

An affidavit may be taken in the Virgin Islands before any officer authorized to administer oaths.