![Guinea Bissau [shutterstock]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20210105005147im_/https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Guinea-Bissau-2500x1406.jpg)
International Travel Information
What you need to know before you go: visas, embassy & consulate locations, vaccinations, etc.
International Travel Information: Learn MoreHighlights
December 7, 2020
September 24, 2020
August 7, 2020
September 24, 2019
U.S. Relationship
U.S.-Guinea-Bissau Relations
The U.S. established diplomatic relations with Guinea-Bissau in 1975, following its independence from Portugal. The U.S. is expanding its programs and presence in the country as a statement of our support for the elected president, government, and National Assembly. There is no U.S. embassy in Guinea-Bissau. All official U.S. contact with Guinea-Bissau is handled by the U.S. embassy in Senegal. Local employees staff the U.S. Liaison Office in Bissau, and U.S. diplomats from the embassy in Dakar travel frequently to Bissau.
U.S. Assistance to Guinea-Bissau
The U.S. is in the process of engaging with Guinea-Bissau. Following President Jose Mario Vaz's inauguration, the U.S. lifted restrictions on foreign assistance to Guinea-Bissau, which had been in place since shortly after the April 2012 coup. The U.S.’s top priorities in Guinea-Bissau are to promote security sector reform, combat drug trafficking, prevent infectious disease, and implement multi-sector reforms, which would spur investment, sustainable development, and poverty reduction.
Bilateral Economic Relations
Guinea-Bissau is eligible for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. U.S. exports to Guinea-Bissau include agricultural products and machinery. The U.S. has a trade and investment framework agreement with the West African Economic and Monetary Union, of which Guinea-Bissau is a member.
![Guinea-Bissau Flag: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; yellow symbolizes the sun; green denotes hope; red represents blood shed during the struggle for independence; the black star stands for African unity note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the flag design was heavily influenced by the Ghanaian flag [CIA World Fact Book]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20210105005147im_/https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pu-lgflag.gif){kind=small}