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Has Extradition with US

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Yes

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Countries without Extradition 2024

Snapshot

  • Countries without extradition treaties often become havens for fugitives, but geopolitical and legal issues can influence extradition even in countries with treaties.

  • Specific countries like China, Russia, and several others lack extradition treaties with the U.S., offering potential refuge to individuals avoiding U.S. jurisdiction.

  • The case of Edward Snowden illustrates complexities in extradition processes, highlighting the impact of diplomatic relations and the absence of bilateral treaties.

Extradition is a formal, cooperative law enforcement process between two countries in which a person who is accused or convicted of a crime in the first country, but who fled to the second country, can be legally extracted from that second country and returned to the first, where they can be processed by the justice system. Ordinarily, once a person crosses a national border, representatives from the first country cannot pursue them. People seeking to evade arrest occasionally rely upon this legal loophole and cross into a different country. Extradition counteracts this tactic by establishing cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of both the first and second countries.

As advancements in technology have enabled criminal organizations to operate on an international scale, extradition has become an increasingly vital tool for law enforcement agencies. Extradition enables countries to apprehend fugitives and other wanted criminals involved in crimes such as terrorism, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, and cybercrime even if those fugitives are hiding halfway around the world—provided they are hiding in a country with which the first country has an extradition treaty.

How extradition treaties work

Extraditions between any two countries are typically regulated by an extradition treaty, which outlines the specific offenses for which a person can and cannot be extradited from that country. For example, the U.S. could not extradite draft dodgers from Canada during the Vietnam era because draft evasion was not listed as an extraditable offense on the U.S./Canada extradition treaty. However, burglary and arson were listed as eligible offenses, so anyone suspected of those crimes could be apprehended by Canadian officials and handed over to U.S. law enforcement. Extradition treaties also outline the process of requesting and processing an extradition between the two countries.

Every list of countries without extradition is different

Extradition treaties are specific to any two countries. For example, an extradition treaty between the United States and Canada would be useless if a fugitive instead went south to Mexico, so the U.S. also established a separate extradition treaty with Mexico. All told, the United States has extradition treaties with 107 countries worldwide.

However, because every country must create its own extradition treaties, the United States' list of extradition treaties is likely to vary, at least slightly, from France's list, China's list, Russia's list, and so on. Likewise, any list of countries without extradition will vary depending upon the main country in question.

Countries without extradition

With 193 United-Nations-recognized countries in the world (as well as territories and observer states), there are bound to be countries that have no extradition treaty with one another. These countries often become havens for those sought by law enforcement officials. For example, the U.S. has no extradition treaty with China. This means that a person suspected of or convicted of a crime in the U.S., but who made it to China, cannot be apprehended and forced to return to the U.S. to face trial or punishment.

Even in nations with treaties in place, geopolitical issues or legal concerns can lead to disputes over extradition. For example, countries that have extradition treaties with the United States, but which are known to often refuse extradition requests anyway include Ecuador, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Iceland, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. On the other hand, countries such as Spain and Yemen are known for returning fugitives even without an official extradition treaty.

As a rule, extradition is highly likely when both countries involved have an established extradition treaty. When the two countries involved lack a formal treaty, but have existing diplomatic relations, extradition is entirely possible, but with reduced likelihood. Extradition is least likely in countries that have neither a treaty nor diplomatic relations with one another. However, extradition treaties are not legally binding, so any country may choose to fulfill or deny any extradition request regardless of the existence or lack of a treaty or diplomatic relationship.

The non-extradition of Edward Snowden

One of the most well-known stories surrounding the issue of extradition is the story of U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee who first flew to Hong Kong and then leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013. When Snowden fled from Hong Kong to Russia (reportedly en route to Latin America), he was held at the Moscow airport for more than a month as authorities from several countries negotiated his possible safe passage or extradition.

Russia had proposed a treaty with the United States asking for the mutual extradition of criminals—however, the U.S. never agreed to the treaty, and because the U.S. had never extradited any Russian fugitives who had taken asylum in the United States, there was no established precedent to follow. Moreover, Snowden had not broken any Russian laws. Snowden was granted asylum in Russia, where he eventually found work, founded a San Francisco-based non-profit, wrote a successful book, and was joined by his girlfriend, who later became his wife. As of 2021, he continues to live in Russia.

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Country
Has Extradition with US
Diplomatic Relations with US
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
DR Congo
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
North Macedonia
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Republic of the Congo
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
showing: 196 rows

What country can you not be extradited from?

The United States currently has no extradition agreement with China, but other countries, such as Ecuador, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Iceland, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe have also been known to refuse extradition to the US.

Frequently Asked Questions

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