Legal Definitions - foreign national

Definition: A foreign national is someone who is not a citizen of the United States and is a citizen of another country. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) uses the term "alien" to refer to a person who is not a United States citizen, but "foreign national" means the same thing.

Examples:

• An individual from Canada who is visiting the United States for vacation is a foreign national.
• A company based in Japan that is doing business in the United States is a foreign national organization.

These examples illustrate that a foreign national can be an individual or an organization, and that they are not citizens of the United States.