The full faith and credit provision (18 U.S.C. § 2265) directs that any protection order issued by the court of a state, tribe, or territory shall be recognized and enforced by all other states, tribes, and territories, if the due process and jurisdictional requirements of the provision are met. 

The National Center on Full Faith and Credit (NCFFC) was created in 1995 through a cooperative agreement between the Office for Victims of Crime of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) to promote and facilitate inter-jurisdictional enforcement of civil and criminal protection orders in state, tribal, and territorial courts pursuant to the Full Faith and Credit provision of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  The NCFFC, located in Washington, DC, now operates under a cooperative agreement between the Battered Women’s Justice Project and the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. 

The NCFFC’s mission is to promote and facilitate implementation of § 2265 in all states, tribes, and territories by raising public awareness of the statue’s requirements and by providing problem-solving technical assistance and support to individuals and jurisdictions.  The NCFFC provides ongoing assistance and training on: full faith and credit, the federal firearms prohibitions related specifically to domestic violence, the federal domestic violence and stalking crimes, and inter-jurisdictional child custody cases involving domestic violence.  Audiences include law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, court administrators and other court personnel, civil attorneys, victim advocates, and others who work with victims of domestic violence and stalking.

National Center on Full Faith and Credit

1901 North Fort Myer Drive

Suite 1011

Arlington, VA  22209

Phone: (800) 903-0111, ext. 2

Phone (703) 312-7922

Fax: (703) 312-7966

Website: www.fullfaithandcredit.org