The article is dedicated to the institutional system of state regulation of foreign investments. The theoretical and methodological bases of the formation and development of mechanisms of state regulation of investment activity are discussed, and the tools and mechanisms of the theoretical and conceptual apparatus of the process are clarified and justified as elements of the system of regulation and promotion of investment activity at the current stage of economic development. Discussions among researchers about the need for state regulation of foreign investments have been going on for more than an era, without losing their relevance in our time. The objective necessity of this type of regulation of the economy is confirmed by the entire course of its development. Different views prevailed in different periods of history regarding the necessity and permissible level of state participation in the management of the economy and the forms and methods of such participation, but the fact of the inevitability of state regulation has never been questioned. Compliance of the results of foreign investments with the goals and programs set by the state, as well as their relation to the costs of attracting foreign investments, are related to the creation of the country’s image, direct investment attraction, provision of consulting services, support, etc.