# Foreign relations of the Bahamas

The Bahamas has a strong bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom, represented by a High Commissioner in London. The Bahamas also associates closely with other nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The Bahamas became a member of the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1956 and the United Nations (UN) in 1973.

## The Bahamas and the Commonwealth of Nations

The Bahamas has been an independent Commonwealth realm since 1973, with Charles III as King of the Bahamas. The King is represented locally by the Governor-General of the Bahamas.

## Diplomatic relations

List of countries which the Bahamas maintains diplomatic relations with:
Date :
| 1 | United Kingdom | 10 July 1973 |
| 2 | United States | 10 July 1973 |
| 3 | Barbados | 10 July 1973 |
| 4 | Canada | 10 July 1973 |
| 5 | Germany | 10 July 1973 |
| 6 | Guyana | 10 July 1973 |
| 7 | Jamaica | 10 July 1973 |
| 8 | Belgium | 12 December 1973 |
| 9 | Australia | 7 January 1974 |
| 10 | Mexico | 23 January 1974 |
| 11 | Costa Rica | April 1974 |
| 12 | Netherlands | 28 May 1974 |
| 13 | Switzerland | 5 June 1974 |
| 14 | Argentina | 17 June 1974 |
| 15 | France | August 1974 |
| 16 | Israel | 24 September 1974 |
| 17 | Turkey | 5 November 1974 |
| 18 | Cuba | 30 November 1974 |
| 19 | Japan | 11 March 1975 |
| 20 | Iceland | 18 March 1975 |
| 21 | Fiji | 1 September 1975 |
| 22 | India | 16 October 1975 |
| 23 | Cyprus | 1975 |
| 24 | Zambia | 1975 |
| 25 | Philippines | 3 July 1976 |
| 26 | Spain | 1 December 1976 |
| 27 | Grenada | 1976 |
| 28 | Venezuela | 20 April 1977 |
| 29 | Indonesia | 5 May 1977 |
| 30 | Haiti | 26 August 1977 |
| 31 | Colombia | 26 August 1977 |
| 32 | Ecuador | 27 April 1978 |
| 33 | Sweden | 9 May 1978 |
| 34 | Brazil | 8 September 1978 |
| 35 | Austria | 23 October 1978 |
| 36 | Morocco | 20 December 1978 |
| 37 | Italy | 1978 |
| — | Holy See | 27 July 1979 |
| 38 | Suriname | 29 August 1979 |
| 39 | Saint Lucia | 1979 |
| 40 | Belize | 21 September 1981 |
| 41 | Nigeria | 26 October 1982 |
| 42 | Uruguay | 25 November 1982 |
| 43 | Bolivia | 5 August 1983 |
| 44 | Bangladesh | 8 February 1985 |
| 45 | South Korea | 8 July 1985 |
| 46 | Gambia | 1985 |
| 47 | Peru | 1985 |
| 48 | Vanuatu | 27 January 1988 |
| 49 | Ivory Coast | 27 June 1988 |
| 50 | Serbia | July 1988 |
| 51 | Zimbabwe | 1989 |
| 52 | Chile | 4 December 1990 |
| 53 | Panama | 1 May 1991 |
| 54 | North Korea | 16 May 1991 |
| 55 | Denmark | June 1991 |
| 56 | Dominican Republic | 4 September 1991 |
| 57 | Cameroon | 4 October 1991 |
| 58 | Norway | 11 November 1991 |
| 59 | Nicaragua | 3 January 1992 |
| 60 | Guatemala | 30 March 1992 |
| 61 | El Salvador | 6 May 1992 |
| 62 | Honduras | 1992 |
| 63 | Greece | May 1993 |
| 64 | Portugal | 27 May 1993 |
| 65 | Maldives | 28 September 1993 |
| 66 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1993 |
| 67 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1993 |
| 68 | Kuwait | 9 March 1994 |
| 69 | South Africa | 28 July 1994 |
| 70 | Eswatini | 1996 |
| 71 | China | 23 May 1997 |
| 72 | Botswana | 13 September 2000 |
| 73 | Malaysia | 2001 |
| 74 | Ukraine | 27 September 2003 |
| 75 | Poland | 19 November 2003 |
| 76 | Russia | 14 January 2004 |
| 77 | Slovakia | 28 May 2004 |
| 78 | Slovenia | 10 September 2004 |
| 79 | Malta | 20 September 2004 |
| 80 | Singapore | 16 December 2004 |
| 81 | Latvia | 20 January 2005 |
| 82 | Pakistan | 10 February 2005 |
| 83 | Egypt | 11 February 2005 |
| 84 | Hungary | 17 May 2005 |
| 85 | Czech Republic | 6 June 2005 |
| 86 | Sri Lanka | 19 July 2005 |
| 87 | Lithuania | 11 August 2005 |
| 88 | Mozambique | 7 September 2005 |
| 89 | Ghana | 12 September 2005 |
| 90 | Estonia | 20 October 2005 |
| 91 | Finland | 2 December 2005 |
| 92 | Sierra Leone | 7 November 2006 |
| 93 | San Marino | 22 November 2006 |
| 94 | Ireland | 23 April 2007 |
| 95 | Romania | 18 July 2007 |
| 96 | Uganda | 9 August 2007 |
| 97 | Bulgaria | 27 September 2007 |
| 98 | Luxembourg | 28 September 2007 |
| 99 | Namibia | 15 May 2008 |
| — | Sovereign Military Order of Malta | 11 November 2008 |
| 100 | Bahrain | 25 September 2010 |
| 101 | United Arab Emirates | 2 May 2011 |
| 102 | Georgia | 13 May 2011 |
| 103 | Qatar | 1 August 2013 |
| 104 | Kazakhstan | 8 December 2014 |
| 105 | Mongolia | 8 July 2016 |
| 106 | Thailand | 21 September 2016 |
| 107 | Turkmenistan | 7 October 2016 |
| 108 | Brunei | 21 November 2016 |
| 109 | Mauritius | 18 January 2017 |
| 110 | Croatia | 31 January 2017 |
| 111 | Azerbaijan | 2 May 2017 |
| 112 | Montenegro | 6 September 2017 |
| 113 | Armenia | 21 September 2017 |
| 114 | Nepal | 7 November 2017 |
| 115 | Tajikistan | 5 December 2017 |
| 116 | New Zealand | 27 June 2019 |
| 117 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 30 October 2019 |
| 118 | Andorra | 31 October 2019 |
| 119 | Moldova | 15 November 2019 |
| 120 | Belarus | 9 December 2019 |
| 121 | Rwanda | 16 June 2022 |
| 122 | Tuvalu | 23 June 2022 |
| 123 | Saudi Arabia | 23 November 2022 |
| 124 | Cape Verde | 8 December 2022 |
| 125 | Vietnam | 6 January 2023 |
| 126 | Oman | 10 January 2023 |
| 127 | Kenya | 19 January 2024 |
| 128 | Benin | 21 January 2024 |
| 129 | Solomon Islands | 15 March 2024 |
| 130 | Monaco | 17 April 2024 |
| 131 | Algeria | 1 May 2024 |
| 132 | Uzbekistan | 26 September 2024 |
| 133 | Malawi | 22 October 2024 |
| 134 | Samoa | 22 October 2024 |
| 135 | Seychelles | 24 October 2024 |
| 136 | Togo | 24 October 2024 |
| 137 | Antigua and Barbuda | Unknown |
| 138 | Dominica | Unknown |
| 139 | Lesotho | Unknown |
| 140 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Unknown |

## Bilateral relations

| Country | Formal an | Notes |
| Barbados | 10 July 1973 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 10 July 1973. Both countries are full members of the Association of Caribbean States and the Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is accredited to Barbados through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nassau, and an Honorary Consulate at St. James in Barbados. Barbados is accredited to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bridgetown, and an Honorary Consulate in New Providence. |
| Belgium | 12 December 1973 | Bahamas has an embassy in Brussels. Belgium is accredited to the Bahamas from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States. |
| Belize | 21 September 1981 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 21 September 1981. Both countries are full members of the Organization of American States and of the Caribbean Community. |
| Brazil | 18 August 1978 | Bahamas has a non-resident ambassador to Brazil based in Nassau. Brazil has an embassy in Nassau. |
| Canada | 10 July 1973 | Bahamas has a high commission in Ottawa. Canada is accredited to the Bahamas from its high commission in Kingston, Jamaica and maintains an honorary consulate in Nassau. |
| China | 23 May 1997 | See Bahamas–China relations Bahamas has an embassy in Beijing. China has an embassy in Nassau. |
| Cuba | 30 November 1974 | See Bahamas–Cuba relations A repatriation agreement was signed with Cuba in 1996, and there are commercial and cultural contacts between the two countries. Bahamas has an embassy in Havana. Cuba has an embassy in Nassau. |
| Guyana | 10 July 1973 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 10 July 1973. Both countries are full members of the Organization of American States, of the Caribbean Community and of the Commonwealth of Nations. |
| Haiti | 12 August 1977 | See Bahamas–Haiti relations Prime Minister Hubert Minnis visited Port-au-Prince to discuss stemming illegal immigration from Haiti and a trade deal selling Haitian agricultural products to the Bahamas. Bahamas has an embassy in Port-au-Prince. Haiti has an embassy in Nassau. |
| India | 16 October 1975 | See Bahamas–India relations Bahamas is accredited to India from its high commission in New Delhi. India is accredited to the Bahamas from its high commission in Kingston, Jamaica. |
| Mexico | 24 January 1974 | See Bahamas–Mexico relations Bahamas is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States. Mexico is accredited to the Bahamas from its embassy in Kingston, Jamaica and maintains an honorary consulate in Nassau. |
| Poland | 30 August 2004 | Bahamas does not have an accreditation to Poland. Poland is accredited to the Bahamas from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States and maintains an honorary consulate in Nassau. |
| Russia | 14 January 2004 | The two countries signed accords on diplomatic relations on 14 January 2004. Since both countries have signed a joint communiqué, Sergey Lavrov states that the Bahamas and Russia decided to sign diplomatic missions on the ambassadorial level. Both countries are members of the United Nations. Russia is represented in the Bahamas through its consulate-general in New York City. On 24 July 2022, Russia added the Bahamas to its Unfriendly countries list. |
| Serbia | July 1988 | Both countries have established diplomatic relations in July 1988. A number of bilateral agreements have been concluded and are in force in both countries. |
| South Korea | 8 July 1985 | See Bahamas–South Korea relations The two countries have good relations. |
| Turkey | 5 November 1974 | See Bahamas–Turkey relations Bahamas does not have an accreditation to Turkey. Turkey is accredited to the Bahamas from its embassy in Havana, Cuba. Trade volume between the two countries was 86.1 million USD in 2019. |
| United Kingdom | 10 July 1973 | The Bahamas established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 10 July 1973. The Bahamas maintains a high commission in London. The United Kingdom is accredited to the Bahamas through its high commission in Nassau. The UK governed the Bahamas from 1648 to 1973, when the Bahamas achieved full independence. Both countries share common membership of the Caribbean Development Bank, the Commonwealth, the International Criminal Court, and the World Trade Organization, as well as the CARIFORUM–UK Economic Partnership Agreement. Bilaterally the two countries have a Tax Information Exchange Agreement. |
| United States | 10 July 1973 | See Bahamas–United States relations The Bahamas and the United States historically have had close economic and commercial relations. The countries share ethnic and cultural ties, especially in education; the Bahamas is home to approximately 30,000 American residents. In addition, there are about 110 U.S.-related businesses in the Bahamas and, in 2005, 87% of the 5 million tourists visiting the Bahamas were American. As a neighbour, the Bahamas and its political stability are especially important to the United States. The U.S. and the Bahamian governments have worked together on reducing crime and addressing migration issues. With the closest island only 45 miles from the coast of Florida, the Bahamas often is used as a gateway for drugs and illegal aliens bound for the United States. The United States and the Bahamas cooperate closely to handle these threats. U.S. assistance and resources have been essential to Bahamian efforts to mitigate the persistent flow of illegal narcotics and migrants through the archipelago. The United States and the Bahamas also actively cooperate on law enforcement, civil aviation, marine research, meteorology, and agricultural issues. The U.S. Navy operates an underwater research facility on Andros Island. The Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Customs and Border Protection maintains "preclearance" facilities at the airports in Nassau and Freeport. Travelers to the U.S. are interviewed and inspected before departure, allowing faster connection times in the U.S. Bahamas has an embassy in Washington, D.C., and consulates-general in Atlanta, Miami and New York City. United States has an embassy in Nassau. |

## Multilateral memberships

The Bahamas holds memberships in a number of international organizations: the UN and some specialized and related agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), World Bank, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and World Health Organization (WHO); the OAS and related agencies, including the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), and Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO); the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), excluding its Caribbean Single Market and Economy; the International Criminal Police Organization – Interpol; the Universal Postal Union (UPU); the International Maritime Organization (IMO); and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).