This is a list of diplomatic missions of the Holy See. Since the fifth century, long before the founding of the Vatican City State in 1929, papal envoys (now known as nuncios) have represented the Holy See to foreign potentates. Additionally, papal representatives known not as nuncios but as apostolic delegates ensure contact between the Holy See and the Catholic Church in countries that do not have diplomatic relations with the Holy See.
At present, there is one residential apostolic delegate, for Jerusalem and Palestine, as well as non-residential ones for six countries (Brunei, Burma, Laos, Mauritania, Somalia, Vietnam) and for the territories and countries without diplomatic relations in three regions (Arabian Peninsula, the Caribbean, the Pacific Ocean). The head of the apostolic delegation for Vietnam is described in the Annuario Pontificio not as an apostolic delegate but generically as a papal representative. In keeping with the "one China" policy, no representative, whether nuncio or apostolic delegate, is appointed for mainland China, and the Holy See is represented in Taipei by an apostolic nunciature, headed not by a nuncio, but only by a chargé d'affaires. Many countries, such as the United States, for which apostolic delegates were once appointed, now have nuncios.
In addition to the countries mentioned above as having apostolic delegations, the following nations do not have diplomatic relations with the Holy See: Afghanistan, Bhutan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Tuvalu.
In most respects the status of the diplomatic missions of the Holy See are identical with those of other countries, with the exception of the nomenclature: apostolic nuncios have ambassadorial rank and apostolic nunciatures are ranked as embassies. However, in most countries of central and western Europe and of central and southern America, as well as in a few countries elsewhere, the nuncio is granted precedence over other ambassadors and is dean of the diplomatic corps from the moment he presents his credentials. The Holy See, which does not issue visas, does not have consulates.
Apostolic delegates and their missions do not have diplomatic status.
In countries where that is permitted, the apostolic nunciature is sometimes, though rarely, located outside the capital, perhaps in towns with particularly important religious connections, such as the village of Rabat in Malta where Saint Paul's grotto exists, and Harissa in Lebanon where Maronite, Greek Orthodox and Melkite Greek Catholic Church authorities are located. In other countries that is not permitted: when India opened diplomatic relations with the Holy See, what until that moment was an apostolic delegation moved from Bangalore to the capital, New Delhi; and in Australia the mission moved from Sydney to Canberra.
Listed below are the Holy See's apostolic nunciatures, apostolic delegations, and observer or representative missions to international governmental organizations — such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the Arab League — with the names of the head officials, postal and e-mail addresses, telephone numbers etc., in the Annuario Pontificio.
Algeria
Algiers (Apostolic Nunciature)
Angola
Luanda (Apostolic Nunciature)
Benin
Cotonou (Apostolic Nunciature)
Burundi
Bujumbura (Apostolic Nunciature)
Cameroon
Yaoundé (Apostolic Nunciature)
Central African Republic
Bangui (Apostolic Nunciature)
Chad
N'Djamena (Apostolic Nunciature)
Republic of the Congo
Brazzaville (Apostolic Nunciature)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kinshasa (Apostolic Nunciature)
Cote d'Ivoire
Abidjan (Apostolic Nunciature)
Egypt
Cairo (Apostolic Nunciature)
Ethiopia
Addis Ababa (Apostolic Nunciature)
Gabon
Libreville (Apostolic Nunciature)
Ghana
Accra (Apostolic Nunciature)
Guinea
Conakry (Apostolic Nunciature)
Kenya
Nairobi (Apostolic Nunciature)
Madagascar
Antananarivo (Apostolic Nunciature)
Morocco
Rabat (Apostolic Nunciature)
Mozambique
Maputo (Apostolic Nunciature)
Nigeria
Abuja (Apostolic Nunciature)
Rwanda
Kigali (Apostolic Nunciature)
Senegal
Dakar (Apostolic Nunciature)
South Africa
Pretoria (Apostolic Nunciature)
South Sudan
Juba (Apostolic Nunciature)
Sudan
Khartoum (Apostolic Nunciature)
Tanzania
Dar es Salaam (Apostolic Nunciature)
Uganda
Kampala (Apostolic Nunciature)
Zambia
Lusaka (Apostolic Nunciature)
Zimbabwe
Harare (Apostolic Nunciature)
Argentina
Buenos Aires (Apostolic Nunciature)
Bolivia
La Paz (Apostolic Nunciature)
Brazil
Brasília (Apostolic Nunciature)
Canada
Ottawa (Apostolic Nunciature)
Chile
Santiago (Apostolic Nunciature)
Colombia
Bogotá (Apostolic Nunciature)
Costa Rica
San José (Apostolic Nunciature)
Cuba
Havana (Apostolic Nunciature)
Dominican Republic
Santo Domingo (Apostolic Nunciature)
Ecuador
Quito (Apostolic Nunciature)
El Salvador
San Salvador (Apostolic Nunciature)
Guatemala
Guatemala City (Apostolic Nunciature)
Haiti
Port-au-Prince (Apostolic Nunciature)
Honduras
Tegucigalpa (Apostolic Nunciature)
Mexico
Mexico City (Apostolic Nunciature)
Nicaragua
Managua (Apostolic Nunciature)
Panama
Panama City (Apostolic Nunciature)
Paraguay
Asunción (Apostolic Nunciature)
Peru
Lima (Apostolic Nunciature)
Trinidad and Tobago
Port of Spain (Apostolic Nunciature)
United States
Washington, D.C. (Apostolic Nunciature)
Uruguay
Montevideo (Apostolic Nunciature)
Venezuela
Caracas (Apostolic Nunciature)
Bangladesh
Dhaka (Apostolic Nunciature)
Georgia
Tbilisi (Apostolic Nunciature)
India
New Delhi (Apostolic Nunciature)
Indonesia
Jakarta (Apostolic Nunciature)
Iran
Tehran (Apostolic Nunciature)
Iraq
Baghdad (Apostolic Nunciature)
Israel
Tel Aviv (Apostolic Nunciature)
Jerusalem (Apostolic Delegation)
Japan
Tokyo (Apostolic Nunciature)
Jordan
Amman (Apostolic Nunciature)
Kazakhstan
Astana (Apostolic Nunciature)
Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek (Apostolic Nunciature)
South Korea
Seoul (Apostolic Nunciature)
Kuwait
Kuwait City (Apostolic Nunciature)
Lebanon
Harissa (Apostolic Nunciature)
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur (Apostolic Nunciature)
Pakistan
Islamabad (Apostolic Nunciature)
Philippines
Manila (Apostolic Nunciature)
Singapore
Singapore (Apostolic Nunciature)
Sri Lanka
Colombo (Apostolic Nunciature)
Syria
Damascus (Apostolic Nunciature)
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Taipei (Apostolic Nunciature)
Thailand
Bangkok (Apostolic Nunciature)
Turkey
Ankara (Apostolic Nunciature)
Turkmenistan
Ashgabat (Apostolic Nunciature)
Uzbekistan
Tashkent (Apostolic Nunciature)
Albania
Tirana (Apostolic Nunciature)
Austria
Vienna (Apostolic Nunciature)
Belarus
Minsk (Apostolic Nunciature)
Belgium
Brussels (Apostolic Nunciature)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sarajevo (Apostolic Nunciature)
Bulgaria
Sofia (Apostolic Nunciature)
Croatia
Zagreb (Apostolic Nunciature)
Cyprus
Nicosia (Apostolic Nunciature)
Czech Republic
Prague (Apostolic Nunciature)
France
Paris (Apostolic Nunciature)
Strasbourg (Office)
Germany
Berlin (Apostolic Nunciature)
Greece
Athens (Apostolic Nunciature)
Hungary
Budapest (Apostolic Nunciature)
Ireland
Dublin (Apostolic Nunciature)
Italy
Rome (Apostolic Nunciature)
Lithuania
Vilnius (Apostolic Nunciature)
Malta
Rabat (Apostolic Nunciature)
Netherlands
The Hague (Apostolic Nunciature)
Poland
Warsaw (Apostolic Nunciature)
Portugal
Lisbon (Apostolic Nunciature)
Romania
Bucharest (Apostolic Nunciature)
Russia
Moscow (Apostolic Nunciature)
San Marino
San Marino (Apostolic Nunciature)
Serbia
Belgrade (Apostolic Nunciature)
Slovakia
Bratislava (Apostolic Nunciature)
Slovenia
Ljubljana (Apostolic Nunciature)
Spain
Madrid (Apostolic Nunciature)
Sweden
Stockholm (Apostolic Nunciature)
Switzerland
Bern (Apostolic Nunciature)
Ukraine
Kiev (Apostolic Nunciature)
United Kingdom
London (Apostolic Nunciature)
Australia
Canberra (Apostolic Nunciature)
New Zealand
Wellington (Apostolic Nunciature)
Papua New Guinea
Port Moresby (Apostolic Nunciature)
United Nations
Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations (at the headquarters of the U.N.) (New York)
European Union
Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva (at the European office of the U.N.)
