Material Reciprocity Definition: A format of international agreements wherein a host state agrees to extend to foreign nationals the same legal rights that the foreign government extends to its own citizens inside its state. Handa described material reciprocity as follows: "Material reciprocity, often referred to as mutuality, occurs where a state agrees to provide foreign nationals only with the same protections/rights that the foreign state affords the first state' own nationals." That author suggests that this form of international treaty is outdated and often "sends a confrontational message to the other affected states". REFERENCES: Duhaime, Lloyd, Dictionary of International Law Duhaime, Lloyd, Legal Definition of Formal Reciprocity Duhaime, Lloyd, Legal Definition of Home-Country Rule Duhaime, Lloyd, Legal Definition of National Treatment Duhaime, Lloyd, Legal Definition of Reciprocity Handa, S., Copyright Law in Canada (Toronto: Butterworths, 2002). Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!