What Is the Foreign Agents Registration Act?
FARA ensures that the U.S. Government and the people of the United States are informed of the identity of foreign persons attempting to influence U.S. public opinion, policy, and laws. The statute requires persons representing foreign principals to register with DOJ for engaging in any of the following: (1) political activities, (2) public relations, (3) political consulting, (4) publicity activities, and (5) information-services. The statute defines the term “foreign principal” broadly to include foreign governments, political parties, individuals, and corporations. Many nonprofits are surprised to learn that there is no FARA exemption for nonprofit, tax-exempt entities. Rather, FARA provides limited exemptions for raising funds for medical assistance and charity, and activities promoting bona fide religious, scholastic, academic, scientific pursuits, or the fine arts. In addition, FARA provides an exemption for persons registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (this exempt
