National treatment is a legal concept in international economic relations that applies to foreign companies and individuals. Foreign legal entities or individuals working under the national regime in a given country enjoy the same legal advantages as legal entities and individuals in a given country, usually implies tax advantages and the ability to not pay import tax duties. Granting a national regime to individuals can provide foreign citizens with property rights on a par with citizens of a given state, legal assistance, the ability to defend their interests in court, and less often, social assistance.
Criticism of the National Regime
In terms of protectionism, the use of the national treatment of foreign companies weakens the local national economy, allowing these foreign companies to easily enter the domestic market and compete freely with local companies. For example, the Soviet Union criticized the granting by developing countries of the status of a national regime to transnational corporations of the "countries of imperialism."