The objective of this report is to describe any specific characteristics observed among foreign nationals living with AIDS, particularly those related to their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics over time (gender, age, mode of transmission, region of residence, socioeconomic status, comorbidities), as well as their access to screening and therapeutic care. The data are from the AIDS surveillance system (mandatory reports centralized at the national level by the Institut de Veille Sanitaire) for foreign nationals residing in France who were diagnosed between 1978 and June 30, 1998. The different nationalities are grouped into 8 geographic regions: North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Haiti, the rest of the Americas, Asia, Europe (excluding France), Oceania, and the former USSR. As of June 30, 1998, 14% of AIDS cases reported since the start of the epidemic involved foreign nationals residing in France (6,571 out of 46,973), a proportion that has been increasing since June 1996. Among foreigners with AIDS, 2,068 are from Sub-Saharan Africa, 1,543 from North Africa, 1,298 from Europe, 809 from Haiti, 559 from the Americas (excluding Haiti), 278 from Asia, 11 from Oceania, and 5 from the former Soviet Union. Foreign nationals living in France are, on average, twice as likely to be affected by AIDS as French nationals, but the severity of the epidemic varies greatly by nationality. Foreign women, regardless of nationality, are 3.5 times more affected than French women. The mode of transmission among individuals of North African “nationality” is primarily linked to intravenous drug use (45% of cumulative cases since the start of the epidemic), but the proportion of cases due to this mode of transmission has been declining over time. Among individuals from sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti, heterosexual transmission is the most common route (89% and 92% of cumulative cases, respectively). Foreign nationals with AIDS are more frequently unemployed (35% versus 20%) or manual laborers (22% versus 13%) than French nationals. Conversely, the proportions of artisans, managers, intermediate-level professionals, and clerical workers are lower among foreigners. Among those diagnosed in 1997, 56% of foreigners did not know their HIV status at the time of their AIDS diagnosis, compared to 38% of French nationals. Among those who knew their HIV-positive status at the time of AIDS diagnosis, there is also a difference in the use of antiretroviral therapy: 65% of foreigners versus 53% of French nationals had not received antiretroviral therapy prior to the AIDS diagnosis. Although the analysis focuses only on foreign nationals and not the entire immigrant population, and although the data pertain to AIDS rather than HIV infection, this report highlights specific characteristics of foreign nationals with AIDS, particularly their lower rates of HIV testing and HIV care. Nevertheless, the management of the infection at the AIDS stage appears similar to that of French subjects. (R.A.)