A foreign agent is anyone who actively carries out the interests of a foreign country while located in another host country, generally outside the protections offered to those working in their official capacity for a diplomatic mission. Foreign agents may be citizens of the host country. The term has broad application but, in contemporary English, has a generally pejorative connotation.
A covert foreign agent, also known as a secret agent of a foreign government, may in some countries be presumed to be engaging in espionage. Some countries have formal procedures to legalize the activities of foreign agents acting overtly. An example is the United States law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), the governing statute of which contains a wide-ranging and detailed definition of "foreign agent."
Laws covering foreign agents vary widely from country to country, and selective enforcement may prevail within countries, based on perceived national interest. For example, FARA is sometimes accused of being used to target countries out of favor with an administration.
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