# FARA Foreign Agents Scraper (`parseforge/fara-foreign-agents-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes active FARA filings from the DOJ public database. Returns each filing as a flat row with registrant, foreign principal, dates, and document links.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/fara-foreign-agents-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Other, News
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 90.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $19.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### FARA Foreign Agents Scraper

**Scrape FARA foreign agent filings from the DOJ public database, up to a million per run.** Every filing comes with its registrant, foreign principal, dates, and document links. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

The FARA eFile public database is the official record of foreign agents registered with the U.S. Department of Justice, but its web interface is slow to search and hard to export. This Actor reads the active filings directly, filters by foreign principal country, and returns each match in one fixed schema. Compliance teams, journalists, and researchers get a clean dataset instead of manual lookups.

| Who uses it | What they scrape FARA for |
|---|---|
| Compliance officers | Monitor which foreign entities are registered to lobby in the U.S. |
| Investigative journalists | Trace foreign influence campaigns and their disclosed principals. |
| Academic researchers | Build datasets of foreign agent registrations over time. |
| Due diligence analysts | Check whether a counterparty appears in FARA filings. |
| Government affairs teams | Track competitor registrations and lobbying disclosures. |

### What it does

This Actor collects FARA active filings from the DOJ public database and returns each filing as a flat row with registrant, foreign principal, dates, and document links.

- 🌍 **Country filter:** narrow results to a specific foreign principal country, case-insensitive substring match.
- 📄 **Document links:** each filing includes URLs to the actual FARA documents on the DOJ site.
- 🔁 **Incremental runs:** set maxItems to control volume, from a single filing to the full active list.
- 📊 **Flat schema:** every filing is one row, ready for spreadsheets or databases.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with FARA data

**🕵️ Investigate foreign influence.**

A journalist runs the Actor with no country filter to get all active FARA filings, then filters the dataset for a specific registrant to map their disclosed foreign principals.

**📋 Build a compliance watchlist.**

A compliance officer runs the Actor weekly with country set to 'China' and exports the CSV to flag any new registrations for review.

**📚 Create a research dataset.**

An academic researcher runs the Actor with maxItems set to 1000000 to collect the full active filing list, then joins it with other lobbying data for analysis.

**🔍 Screen a counterparty.**

A due diligence analyst runs the Actor with no filter and searches the output for a company name to see if it appears as a foreign principal.

### Why choose this scraper

| | What you get |
|---|---|
| **Official source** | Data comes directly from the DOJ FARA eFile public database, not a third party. |
| **No API key** | No registration or OAuth, run the Actor and get results. |
| **Export ready** | CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML output for any downstream tool. |
| **Scalable** | Collect up to a million filings per run with a single input. |

### How it compares

No other Store actor targets FARA the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

| | FARA Foreign Agents Scraper | Build it in-house | By hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run it now, zero config | Days of engineering | None, but hours per pull |
| When FARA changes | Maintained for you | You fix it | You re-learn the page |
| Proxies, retries, anti-bot | Built in | Your problem | Browser only |
| Output | Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export | Whatever you build | Copy-paste |
| Cost | Pay per result | Engineering time | Analyst hours |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor with an optional foreign principal country filter and a maximum item count; the filter runs as filings are read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
 "maxItems": 10
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
 "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.021 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $2.10 |
| 1,000 results | $21.00 |
| 10,000 results | $210.00 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [FARA Foreign Agents Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/fara-foreign-agents-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to FARA through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/fara-foreign-agents-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results?**

Check your country filter. It is a case-insensitive substring match, so 'china' will match 'China' but 'PRC' will not. Try removing the filter to see all active filings.

**The run is taking too long.**

Lower maxItems to collect fewer filings per run. The DOJ site can be slow, so a smaller batch may finish faster.

**Some filings are missing document links.**

Not every filing has a document attached in the public database. The Actor returns whatever links the DOJ provides.

**I get an error about the website.**

The DOJ FARA site occasionally changes its layout or goes down for maintenance. Retry the run later, or contact support with the run ID.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is FARA? | FARA is the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a U.S. law requiring agents of foreign principals to register with the Department of Justice. The public database contains those registration filings. |
| Does this Actor scrape the entire FARA database? | It scrapes the active filings list from the DOJ FARA eFile public database. You can set maxItems to collect up to one million filings per run. |
| Can I filter by registrant name? | The current input schema only supports filtering by foreign principal country. You can filter the output dataset by registrant name after the run. |
| What data does each filing include? | Each row includes the registrant, foreign principal, filing dates, and links to the actual documents on the DOJ site. The exact fields are shown in the sample output. |
| Do I need a DOJ API key? | No. The Actor reads the public FARA eFile database directly, no registration or API key required. |
| How often is the FARA data updated? | The DOJ updates the active filings list regularly. Run the Actor on a schedule to keep your dataset current. |
| Can I export to Google Sheets? | The Actor exports to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML. You can import any of those into Google Sheets. |
| Is this Actor legal to use? | Yes. FARA filings are public records published by the U.S. Department of Justice. Scraping public data for legitimate purposes is generally allowed. |
| What is a foreign principal? | A foreign principal is the foreign government, political party, person, or organization on whose behalf a registered agent acts. |
| Can I get historical filings? | The Actor currently scrapes the active filings list. Historical or terminated filings are not included. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by U.S. Department of Justice. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

How many filings to collect per run.

## `country` (type: `string`):

Filter by foreign principal country (case-insensitive substring).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "country": ""
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Scraped FARA Foreign Agents Scraper - DOJ Filings records

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/fara-foreign-agents-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "maxItems": 10 }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/fara-foreign-agents-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/fara-foreign-agents-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/fara-foreign-agents-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/qNZc6eK6hdfCORQJF/builds/IRmY9Ad2QSR6iF1aE/openapi.json