PRIA Logo™
Title 22, Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-110

§616 Public Examination of Official Records; Transmittal of Records and Information

Title 22 › CHAPTER 11 — FOREIGN AGENTS AND PROPAGANDA › SUBCHAPTER II — REGISTRATION OF FOREIGN PROPAGANDISTS › § 616

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Attorney General must keep a permanent copy of every registration statement filed under this law and make those records available for the public to inspect at reasonable hours under rules the Attorney General sets. The Attorney General can charge a reasonable fee for copies. If an agent of a foreign principal stops doing work that requires registration, the Attorney General may remove that agent’s statements from public view. The Attorney General must also send one copy of each registration and each change to the Secretary of State for review about foreign relations. Not sending that copy does not stop a prosecution under this law. The Attorney General may share information from the files, including names and parts of statements, with executive branch departments, agencies, and Congressional committees when appropriate. The Attorney General must keep a free online database that includes the information in registration statements and updates. The database must be searchable, sortable, and downloadable, at least by the categories listed in section 612(a). Any registration or update filed electronically under section 612(g) must be posted online for public inspection as soon as technically practicable.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §616

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Permanent copy of statement; inspection; withdrawal
The Attorney General shall retain in permanent form one copy of all registration statements furnished under this subchapter, and the same shall be public records and open to public examination and inspection at such reasonable hours, under such regulations, as the Attorney General may prescribe, and copies of the same shall be furnished to every applicant at such reasonable fee as the Attorney General may prescribe. The Attorney General may withdraw from public examination the registration statement and other statements of any agent of a foreign principal whose activities have ceased to be of a character which requires registration under the provisions of this subchapter.
(b)Secretary of State
The Attorney General shall, promptly upon receipt, transmit one copy of every registration statement filed hereunder and one copy of every amendment or supplement thereto filed hereunder, to the Secretary of State for such comment and use as the Secretary of State may determine to be appropriate from the point of view of the foreign relations of the United States. Failure of the Attorney General so to transmit such copy shall not be a bar to prosecution under this subchapter.
(c)Executive departments and agencies; Congressional committees
The Attorney General is authorized to furnish to departments and agencies in the executive branch and committees of the Congress such information obtained by him in the administration of this subchapter, including the names of registrants under this subchapter, copies of registration statements, or parts thereof, or other documents or information filed under this subchapter, as may be appropriate in the light of the purposes of this subchapter.
(d)Public database of registration statements and updates
(1)In general
The Attorney General shall maintain, and make available to the public over the Internet, without a fee or other access charge, in a searchable, sortable, and downloadable manner, to the extent technically practicable, an electronic database that—
(A)includes the information contained in registration statements and updates filed under this subchapter; and
(B)is searchable and sortable, at a minimum, by each of the categories of information described in section 612(a) of this title.
(2)Accountability
The Attorney General shall make each registration statement and update filed in electronic form pursuant to section 612(g) of this title available for public inspection over the Internet as soon as technically practicable after the registration statement or update is filed.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Prior to general amendment of act June 8, 1938, by act Apr. 29, 1942, section related to

Rules and Regulations

. Provisions on that subject were incorporated in section 620 of this title by 1942 amendment. Provisions on this subject were contained in section 614 of this title prior to general amendment of act June 8, 1938, by act Apr. 29, 1942.

Amendments

2007—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 110–81 added subsec. (d). 1995—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–65, § 9(7)(A), struck out “and all statements concerning the distribution of political propaganda” after “all registration statements”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–65, § 9(7)(B), struck out “, and one copy of every item of political propaganda” after “supplement thereto”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–65, § 9(7)(C), struck out “copies of political propaganda,” after “parts thereof,”. 1966—Pub. L. 89–486 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsecs. (b) and (c). 1942—Act Apr. 29, 1942, amended section generally.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2007 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 110–81 effective on the 90th day after Sept. 14, 2007, see section 212(c) of Pub. L. 110–81, set out as a note under section 612 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1995 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 104–65 effective Jan. 1, 1996, except as otherwise provided, see section 24 of Pub. L. 104–65, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 1601 of Title 2, The Congress.

Effective Date

of 1966 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 89–486 effective ninety days after July 4, 1966, see section 9 of Pub. L. 89–486, set out as a note under section 611 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1942 AmendmentAmendment by act Apr. 29, 1942, effective on the sixtieth day after Apr. 29, 1942, except that prior to such sixtieth day the Attorney General may make, prescribe, amend, and rescind such rules,

Regulations

, and forms as may be necessary to carry out act Apr. 29, 1942, see section 3 of act Apr. 29, 1942, set out as a note under section 611 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 616

Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110