HomeReportsGlobal Community Liaison Office...List of Bilateral Work Agreements and de facto Work Arrangements hide List of Bilateral Work Agreements and de facto Work Arrangements Global Community Liaison Office January 1, 2023 In this section / Disclaimer Disclaimer Important Bilateral Work Agreements Countries A-F Countries G-N Countries O-Z De Facto Reciprocal Work Arrangements Disclaimer The status of BWAs and de facto arrangements are subject to change. Please be sure to check with the Human Resources Officer at post for the most up-to-date guidance regarding the ability for family members to work on the local economy at a particular post. Important Foreign Service family members seeking employment on the local economy overseas, whether interested in international business, teaching at a local school, or freelancing, need to be aware of the work permit regulations in their host country. Family members who work on the local economy without authorization are probably working illegally and may be putting themselves and their missions at risk. The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations requires individuals who receive privileges and immunities from the receiving state to respect the laws and regulations. Likewise, 3 FAM 4125(a)(1) provides that family members can work on the local economy only when doing so would be consistent with local law. This provision implements 22 U.S.C. § 2699(b), which provides in part that family members of Foreign Service Officers (FSO) may accept employment in a foreign country unless such employment would violate US or local law. It is critical for Eligible Family Members (EFM) to seek Chief of Mission approval whenever a family member considers working outside the mission. Bilateral Work Agreements Historically, Foreign Service family members have been limited to working within the Mission or volunteering while at post due to their diplomatic or consular status. To increase family members’ employment opportunities bilateral work agreements (treaties) are established between the United States and an individual country. These work agreements enable accredited spouses and dependent children of U.S. Government employees assigned to official duty at an Embassy or Consulate in one of these countries to seek employment on the local economy. Same-sex spouses and partners should contact post HR to learn if they are eligible for work permits. The Office of Treaty Affairs maintains copies of treaties and other international acts. Bilateral Work Agreements available in the “Treaties and Other International Acts Series” are linked below. The Office of Treaty Affairs website has guidance on locating Bilateral Work Agreement text not linked below. Countries A-F ALBANIA4 ANDORRA ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA ARGENTINA ARMENIA AUSTRALIA AUSTRIA AZERBAIJAN BAHAMAS1 BAHRAIN BARBADOS1 BELARUS BELGIUM5 BENIN BHUTAN BOLIVIA BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA BOTSWANA BRAZIL BULGARIA CAMEROON CANADA4 REPUBLIC OF CAPE VERDE CHAD COLOMBIA 2 COMOROS COSTA RICA CROATIA CYPRUS CZECH REPUBLIC DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (Kinshasa) DENMARK4 DJIBOUTI ECUADOR EL SALVADOR EQUATORIAL GUINEA ESTONIA 4 ESWATINI ETHIOPIA FIJI FINLAND FRANCE 4 1 Limited number of family members permitted to work 2 Offer of employment required 3 Restricted employment fields 4 NATO dependents also included 5 NATO dependents included by de facto arrangement 6 Only valid 5 years from 8/2/2021 – 8/1/2026 Countries G-N GABON THE GAMBIA GEORGIA GERMANY5 GHANA GREECE1 GRENADA GUATEMALA GUINEA BISSAU GUYANA HONDURAS HUNGARY ICELAND INDIA2 IRELAND ISRAEL ITALY (includes The Holy See)2 JAMAICA2 KAZAKHSTAN KENYA6 KOSOVO KUWAIT KYRGYZ REPUBLIC LATVIA LIBERIA LIECHTENSTEIN LITHUANIA4 LUXEMBOURG MADAGASCAR MALAWI MALAYSIA MALI3 MALTA MAURITIUS MOLDOVA MONACO MONGOLIA MONTENEGRO MOROCCO NAMIBIA NAURU NEPAL NETHERLANDS4 NEW ZEALAND NICARAGUA NIGERIA NORTH MACEDONIA2 NORWAY 1 Limited number of family members permitted to work 2 Offer of employment required 3 Restricted employment fields 4 NATO dependents also included 5 NATO dependents included by de facto arrangement 6 Only valid 5 years from 8/2/2021 – 8/1/2026 Countries O-Z OMAN PAKISTAN PANAMA PERU PHILIPPINES POLAND PORTUGAL REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (Brazzaville) ROMANIA RWANDA SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS SAINT LUCIA SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES SAMOA SAN MARINO SENEGAL SERBIA SIERRA LEONE SLOVAK REPUBLIC SLOVENIA SOMALIA SPAIN5 SRI LANKA SWEDEN SWITZERLAND TAJIKISTAN TANZANIA TIMOR-LESTE TRINIDAD/TOBAGO TURKEY2,3 TURKMENISTAN UGANDA UKRAINE UNITED KINGDOM4 URUGUAY VENEZUELA YEMEN ZAMBIA ZIMBABWE 1 Limited number of family members permitted to work 2 Offer of employment required 3 Restricted employment fields 4 NATO dependents also included 5 NATO dependents included by de facto arrangement 6 Only valid 5 years from 8/2/2021 – 8/1/2026 De Facto Reciprocal Work Arrangements On the basis of de facto reciprocity established by precedent, accredited spouses and dependent children of U.S. Government employees assigned to official duty at an Embassy or Consulate in the following countries may apply through specified channels for a permit to work. BANGLADESH BELIZE BURKINA FASO BURUNDI CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CHILE COTE D’IVOIRE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC EGYPT GUINEA HAITI HONG KONG JAPAN JORDAN LEBANON LESOTHO MAURITANIA MEXICO MICRONESIA NIGER PAPUA NEW GUINEA PARAGUAY SINGAPORE SEYCHELLES SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH KOREA SUDAN SURINAME TAIWAN TOGO TUNISIA UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Tags Family Member Employment Global Community Liaison Office Global Community Liaison Office View report by: 2023 On This Page search > < Disclaimer Important Bilateral Work Agreements Countries A-F Countries G-N Countries O-Z De Facto Reciprocal Work Arrangements Back to Top