§613 Exemptions

Summary

Certain agents of foreign principals do not have to follow the registration and reporting rules in section 612(a). That includes accredited diplomatic or consular officers recognized by the State Department, and their staff or employees whose name, status, and duties are on public record with the State Department, so long as they are doing only work the State Department accepts as part of their official job. It also covers officials of foreign governments recognized by the United States (who are not publicity or information agents or U.S. citizens) when their name, status, and duties are on public record and they do only official work. People who work only on private, nonpolitical trade or commerce, or who do activities that do not mainly serve a foreign interest, are exempt. Solicitors who collect funds in the U.S. only for medical help or food and clothing relief are exempt if they follow subchapter II of chapter 9. Those doing only religious, scholastic, academic, scientific, or fine arts work are exempt. A person whose foreign principal is a government the President says is vital to U.S. defense is exempt if their work advances both governments’ policies or national defense, does not conflict with U.S. policies, any public communications are truthful and disclose the agent’s identity, and the foreign government gives required identity and activity information to the Secretary of State for the Attorney General. The Attorney General, with the Secretary of State’s approval or at the Secretary’s request, may end that exemption for public interest or national defense reasons. Lawyers who represent a disclosed foreign principal in court or formal agency proceedings are exempt, except for efforts to influence agency staff outside those proceedings. Finally, agents of persons or entities described in section 611(b)(2) or 611(b)(3) who have registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 for their lobbying work are also exempt.