Regulations last checked for updates: Apr 27, 2025

Title 28 - Judicial Administration last revised: Apr 18, 2025
§ 202.211 - Covered person.

(a) Definition. The term covered person means:

(1) A foreign person that is an entity that is 50% or more owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, by one or more countries of concern or persons described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section; or that is organized or chartered under the laws of, or has its principal place of business in, a country of concern;

(2) A foreign person that is an entity that is 50% or more owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, by one or more persons described in paragraphs (a)(1), (3), (4), or (5) of this section;

(3) A foreign person that is an individual who is an employee or contractor of a country of concern or of an entity described in paragraphs (a)(1), (2), or (5) of this section;

(4) A foreign person that is an individual who is primarily a resident in the territorial jurisdiction of a country of concern; or

(5) Any person, wherever located, determined by the Attorney General:

(i) To be, to have been, or to be likely to become owned or controlled by or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a country of concern or covered person;

(ii) To act, to have acted or purported to act, or to be likely to act for or on behalf of a country of concern or covered person; or

(iii) To have knowingly caused or directed, or to be likely to knowingly cause or direct a violation of this part.

(b) Examples—(1) Example 1. Foreign persons primarily resident in Cuba, Iran, or another country of concern would be covered persons.

(2) Example 2. Chinese or Russian citizens located in the United States would be treated as U.S. persons and would not be covered persons (except to the extent individually designated). They would be subject to the same prohibitions and restrictions as all other U.S. persons with respect to engaging in covered data transactions with countries of concern or covered persons.

(3) Example 3. Citizens of a country of concern who are primarily resident in a third country, such as Russian citizens primarily resident in a European Union country or Cuban citizens primarily resident in a South American country that is not a country of concern, would not be covered persons except to the extent they are individually designated or to the extent that they are employees or contractors of a country of concern government or a covered person that is an entity.

(4) Example 4. A foreign person is located abroad and is employed by a company headquartered in China. Because the company is a covered person that is an entity and the employee is located outside the United States, the employee is a covered person.

(5) Example 5. A foreign person is located abroad and is employed by a company that has been designated as a covered person. Because the foreign person is the employee of a covered person that is an entity and the employee is a foreign person, the person is a covered person.

(6) Example 6. A foreign person individual investor who principally resides in Venezuela owns 50% of a technology company that is solely organized under the laws of the United States. The investor is a covered person because the investor is a foreign person that is an individual who is primarily a resident in the territorial jurisdiction of a country of concern. The technology company is a U.S. person because it is an entity organized solely under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States. The technology company is not a covered person because it is not a foreign person and therefore does not meet the criteria of § 202.211(a)(2). However, the technology company could still be designated as a covered person following a determination that the technology company meets one or more criteria of § 202.211(a)(5).

(7) Example 7. Same as Example 6, but the technology company is additionally organized under the laws of Luxembourg. A U.S. company wishes to license bulk U.S. sensitive personal data to the technology company. The technology company is not a U.S. person because it is not solely organized under the laws of the United States. The technology company is a covered person because it is 50% or more owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, by a foreign person that is an individual who is primarily resident in the territorial jurisdiction of a country of concern. The transaction between the U.S. company and the technology company would be a prohibited data transaction.

(8) Example 8. A foreign person that lives in China owns 50% of Foreign Entity A. Foreign Entity A owns 100% of Foreign Entity B and 100% of Foreign Entity C. Foreign Entity B owns 20% of Foreign Entity D. Foreign Entity C owns 30% of Foreign Entity D. Foreign Entity D would be a covered person for two independent reasons. First, Foreign Entity D because it is “indirectly” 50% or more owned by Foreign Entity A (20% through Foreign Entity B and 30% through Foreign Entity C). Second, Foreign Entity D is directly 50% owned, in the aggregate, by Foreign Entity B and Foreign Entity C, each of which are covered persons because they are 50% or more owned by Foreign Entity A.

authority: 50 U.S.C. 1701
source: 90 FR 1706, Jan. 8, 2025, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 28 CFR 202.211