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EMBASSY/CONSULATE ADDRESSES

Diplomatic Representation in US:
Chief of Mission: Ambassador-designate to the U.S.--Paulo Silva
Embassy: c/o P.O. Box 33813, 20033-3813
Telephone: (301) 947-3958
FAX: (301) 947-3958

US Diplomatic Representation:
There is no United States Embassy in Bissau. The U.S. Ambassador to Senegal, who resides in Dakar, is accredited as the U.S. Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau. All official U.S. contact with Guinea-Bissau is handled by the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal.


FOREIGN RELATIONS

Guinea-Bissau follows a nonaligned foreign policy and seeks friendly and cooperative relations with a wide variety of states and organizations. Angola, Cuba, the European Union, France, The Gambia, Portugal, Brazil, Mauritania, Nigeria, People's Republic of China, Libya, Senegal, Spain, Guinea, and Russia have embassies in Bissau. Belgium, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. conduct diplomatic relations with Guinea-Bissau through their embassies in neighboring Dakar, Senegal.

Guinea-Bissau is a member of the UN and many of its specialized and related agencies. It is a member of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF); African Development Bank (AFDB), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), African Union, and permanent Interstate Committee for drought control in the Sahel (CILSS). Guinea-Bissau also is a member of the Group of 77 (G-77), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and World Health Organization (WHO).

U.S.-GUINEA-BISSAU RELATIONS
The U.S. Embassy suspended operations in Bissau on June 14, 1998, in the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to then-President Vieira and the military-led junta. Prior to and following this action, the United States and Guinea-Bissau have enjoyed excellent bilateral relations.

The U.S. recognized the independence of Guinea-Bissau on September 10, 1974. Guinea-Bissau's Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations was one of the first the new nation sent abroad. The United States opened an Embassy in Bissau in 1976, and the first U.S. Ambassador presented credentials later that year.

U.S. assistance began in 1975 with a $1 million grant to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for resettlement of refugees returning to Guinea-Bissau and for 25 training grants at African technical schools for Guinean students. Emergency food was a major element in U.S. assistance to Guinea-Bissau in the first years after independence. Since 1975, the U.S. has provided more than $65 million in grant aid and other assistance. After the 1998 war the United States provided over $800,000 for humanitarian demining to a non-governmental organization (NGO) which removed over 2,500 mines and 11,000 unexploded ordnance from the city of Bissau;. The United States currently is providing $20 million in food aid (primarily in school feeding programs for almost half of Guinea-Bissau’s children); $3 million for assisting refugees, supporting the cashew industry, and promoting democracy; $1.6 million for judicial reform and rule of law programs; and $1 million for demining and disposal of unexploded ordnance. The United States suspended over $120,000 in annual International Military Education and Training (IMET) funding and other military cooperation as a result of the April 1, 2010 mutiny by the Bissau-Guinean military leadership. The Peace Corps withdrew from Guinea-Bissau in 1998 at the start of the civil war.

In March 2007, the U.S. and Brazil signed a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with Guinea-Bissau highlighting a parliamentary strengthening project first implemented in 2005. In November 2008, the two countries also announced a Biofuels Partnership with Guinea-Bissau.

Total bilateral trade in 2008 was about $2 million, consisting almost entirely of U.S. exports of edible products, office machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, telecommunications equipment, and special transactions. Guinea-Bissau has not had much success in attracting foreign investment and has not yet taken advantage of its African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) membership to increase exports to the U.S. AGOA eligibility remains an important symbol of U.S. engagement with this post-conflict state, and offers an incentive to encourage the government to enact market enhancements, continue security sector reform and economic development in key sectors, and institutionalize democratic advances.

Principal U.S. Officials (resident in Dakar, Senegal)
Ambassador--Marcia S. Bernicat
Deputy Chief of Mission--Robert Yamate

There is no U.S. Embassy in Bissau. The U.S. Ambassador to Senegal, who resides in Dakar, is accredited as the U.S. Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau. All official U.S. contact with Guinea-Bissau is handled by the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal. Local employees staff the U.S. Office in Bissau, and American diplomats from the Embassy in Dakar travel frequently to Bissau to conduct normal diplomatic relations.


TRAVEL ADVISORIES

To obtain the latest Travel Advisory Information for Guinea-Bissau check the U.S. State Department Consular Information Sheet.


TRAVEL TIPS

Driving TBA
Currency (XOF) Africaine Franc
Electrical 220 Volts
Telephones Country Code 245, City Code, Oio Province 3+5D, Bafata 4+5D, Gabu 5+5D



Clothing: Lightweight, loose-fitting, washable clothing is recommended. Dress is casual.

Currency: The Guinea-Bissau peso is not convertible outside the country. Dollars and travelers checks can be exchanged at banks. Some hotels and stores accept only hard currency or international credit cards.

Health: Sanitation is poor, and tap water is not potable. Hospitals are inadequately staffed, and medicines often are in short supply. Although the Guinea-Bissau Government only requires immunization for yellow fever, immunization against typhus, typhoid, cholera, rabies, hepatitis, and tetanus is strongly recommended. Malaria is prevalent, and visitors should begin a regimen of malaria prophylaxis prior to arrival. Gastrointestinal infections, bilharzia, HIV infection, and tuberculosis are endemic. Medical air evacuation insurance coverage is highly recommended for all visitors.

Transportation: There are weekly flights between Bissau, Lisbon, and Paris. Regular air service also links Bissau with Dakar, Banjul, and Praia. Unreliable ferry service in northern areas makes travel by road between Guinea-Bissau and Senegal difficult. Land transportation between Bissau and Conakry is very difficult and usually takes at least two days in the dry season (longer in the rainy season).

Telecommunications: International telephone calls can be dialed direct, and connections with the U.S. are good. Internal telephone service is adequate. Telegraphic communications generally are reliable. Bissau is five time zones ahead of eastern standard time, in the Greenwich mean zone.


CUSTOMS/DUTIES

Tobacco.....................Reasonable amount

Liquor.........................2.5 litres of alcoholic beverages (non-muslims only)

Perfume......................Reasonable for personal use (in opened bottles)

Cameras......................No restrictions

Film.............................Reasonable for personal use

Gifts.............................No restrictions

Currency......................Must be declared on arrival

Agricultural items........Refer to consulate



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