By exploring the law and practice of recognition of foreign judgments in the EU, England and the US, this research identifies how the mechanism of the recognition of foreign judgments can be optimized in transnational litigation. It focuses on the different forms of application and the possible legal effects of recognition of foreign judgments in transnational litigation. The practice of recognition of foreign maritime judgments is included, in order to illustrate how the recognition of foreign judgments works in a specific field.