Which countries have extradition with the United States?
Individuals who are wanted by US law enforcement can try to hide abroad outside US jurisdiction but there are over 100 from which they can be extradited.
The practice of extradition has been around since antiquity, helping states pursue individuals sought by authorities who happen to be in a different jurisdiction. The United States has treaties with over 100 nations whereby they, in principal, agree to surrender a fugitive or wanted individual and vice a versa.
However, that doesn’t always work as planned. They can sometimes get wrapped up in geopolitical hang-ups and are often contentious. According to a report from the US Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, between 1990 and 2000, there were between 670 and 950 extradition cases opened each year by the Office of International Affairs (OIA).
However, over that same period only between 380 and 960 cases were closed each year, creating a backlog of roughly 1,100 individuals in the US wanted by foreign governments and 2,500 people that the US wanted that were believed to be in a foreign jurisdiction.
Which countries have extradition with the United States?
The first extradition treaty between the United States and another country dates back to 1872 which was signed with Ecuador and took effect the following year. The most recent to come into effect was with Croatia in 2022.
All the countries in the Western Hemisphere and most of those in Europe have extradition treaties with the United States. As well over a dozen across South, Southeast and East Asia along with a handfull of countries in Oceania and more than a dozen in Africa.
However, there are many more countries in Africa and a number of Middle East that do not have extradition treaties with the US. Nor do many of the formerly Soviet countries have formal agreements with the US.
Notably among the countries that the US doesn’t have an extradition treaty with are China, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Saudi Arabia. However, sometimes the US will collaborate on a case-by-case basis with law enforcement in some of the countries with which it doesn’t have an extradition treaty, including to transfer people sought.