The Best Countries for Your Escape Plan

Suppose you were NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, or fictional international spy Jason Bourne, and the most powerful intelligence agencies on the planet were hunting you.

Where would you go?

This is a farfetched scenario for most of us. That’s why it’s only a thought experiment.

On the other hand, for folks like the founder of Liberty Dollar (a gold/silver-backed private currency), whom the U.S. government has labeled a “domestic terrorist,” it might not be implausible.

Regardless of how likely the scenario, if you do need to escape, a crucial factor in deciding where to go is whether or not the country has an extradition treaty with the U.S.

An extradition treaty is the legal mechanism countries use to pull alleged criminals out of other countries. The terms and conditions vary. Some countries, like France and Brazil, won’t extradite their own citizens, no matter the circumstance.

Generally speaking, for an extradition to succeed, the alleged criminal act can’t be political in nature and must be a crime in both jurisdictions, and the suspect cannot be in danger of receiving the death penalty or torture if transferred.

Absent a formal treaty, extraditing a person is much more difficult, but it’s certainly not impossible.

Countries with No U.S. Extradition Treaty

Afghanistan	Ethiopia	Nepal
Algeria	Gabon	Niger
Andorra	Guinea	North Korea
Angola	Guinea-Bissau	Oman
Armenia	Indonesia	Qatar
Bahrain	Iran	Russia
Bangladesh	Kazakhstan	Rwanda
Belarus	Kosovo	Samoa
Bhutan	Kuwait	São Tomé & Príncipe
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Laos	Saudi Arabia
Brunei	Lebanon	Senegal
Burkina Faso	Libya	Serbia
Burundi	Macedonia	Somalia
Cambodia	Madagascar	Sudan
Cameroon	the Maldives	Syria
Cape Verde	Mali	Taiwan
the Central African Republic	the Marshall Islands	Togo
Chad	Mauritania	Tunisia
China	Micronesia	Uganda
Comoros	Moldova	Ukraine
Dem. Republic of the Congo	Mongolia	United Arab Emirates
Cote d' Ivoire	Montenegro	Uzbekistan
Cuba	Morocco	Vanuatu
Djibouti	Mozambique	the Vatican
Equatorial Guinea	Myanmar	Vietnam
Eritrea	Namibia	Yemen

The following countries have been known to refuse U.S. extradition requests, despite having treaties: Bolivia, Ecuador, Iceland, Nicaragua, Switzerland, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

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Escaping to a non-extradition-treaty country does not mean you are home free. It simply puts you at the mercy of your new hosts. You could become a pawn in a larger game and might be traded away for concessions. The political sands are always shifting, and tomorrow’s government may be more accommodating to the U.S.

The CIA could also kidnap you and bring you back to the U.S. without your host government’s consent. Or you might fall within sight of an armed drone. No matter where you go, there is no shortage of ways the U.S. government can hurt you.

While a drone strike is unlikely (for now), the U.S. government would almost certainly cancel your U.S. passport and seize your U.S. bank accounts.

Even so, you can insulate yourself from these tactics by obtaining a second passport.

Second passports are not just for the Edward Snowdens and Jason Bournes of the world. They are completely legal and prudent for anyone who wants freedom from the whims of any one particular government—especially a government that is desperate, bankrupt and totally out of control. Think of it as your “freedom insurance.”

Be sure to get the guide we just released on the easiest countries to get a second passport from. Click here to download the PDF.

Nick Giambruno Nick is Doug Casey's globetrotting companion and is the Senior Editor of Casey Research's International Man. He writes about economics, offshore banking, second passports, value investing in crisis markets, geopolitics, and surviving a financial collapse, among other topics. He is a CFA charterholder. In short, Nick's work helps people make the most of their personal freedom and financial opportunity around the world. To get his free video crash course, click here.