PUBLISHED: APRIL 2025

On April 2, the President of Georgia signed the Foreign Agents Registration Act (hereinafter – the Georgian FARA). Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have expressed concern that the Georgian FARA will be used against NGOs, independent media, and citizens who oppose the government’s policies. Among other requirements, the law requires individuals and entities to register as “foreign agents” if they are acting “at the authority, request, order, or control of a foreign principal” to engage in broadly defined “political activities,” in the interests or on behalf of the foreign principal. The law also introduces burdensome compliance requirements for “foreign agents” and severe criminal penalties for violations.

In various public statements, Georgian MPs have inaccurately stated that the Georgian FARA is just a rewritten version of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (US FARA). To set the record straight, ICNL’s brief highlights key differences between the Georgian FARA and the US FARA, including the rationales for the two laws and approaches to law enforcement. Further, ICNL examines Georgia’s international law obligations with respect to Georgian FARA. Read the full ICNL brief here.