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An associated state is the minor partner or dependent territory in a formal, free relationship between a Polity (some of them dependent states, most of them fully Sovereignty) and a major party—usually a larger state.
The details of such free association are contained in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV) Principle VI, See: the General Assembly of the United Nations approved resolution 1541 (XV) (pages: 509–510) defining free association with an independent State, integration into an independent State, or independence a Compact of Free Association or Associated Statehood Act and are specific to the countries involved. In the case of the Cook Islands and Niue, the details of their free association arrangement are contained in several documents, such as their respective constitutions, the 1983 Exchange of Letters between the governments of New Zealand and the Cook Islands, and the 2001 Joint Centenary Declaration. Free associated states can be described as Sovereign state or not, but free association is not a qualification of an entity's statehood or status as a subject of international law.
Informally it can be considered more widely: from a Postcolonialism form of amical protection, or protectorate, to a confederation of unequal members when the lesser partners delegate to the major one (often the former colonial power) some authority normally exclusively retained by a sovereign state, usually in such fields as defence and foreign relations, while often enjoying favourable economic terms such as market access.
Puerto Rico has been a dependent territory of the United States since the Spanish–American War. In the Spanish-language version of its current (1952) constitution it is officially named Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, which translates to "Free Associated State of Puerto Rico." It exercises substantial internal self-government similar to U.S. states, and is under the sovereignty of the U.S. Constitution. Unlike the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau, Puerto Rico is not considered to be an associated state under U.S. domestic law, with the English-language Puerto Rican constitution referring to it as a 'commonwealth.' The official Spanish name of Puerto Rico can lead observers to believe that its political status is equivalent to that of the associated states of the Cook Islands, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Niue, and Palau. However, unlike these polities, Puerto Rico is not considered a state under international law and scholars usually do not regard it as an associated state similar to the others.
When New Zealand offered an associated status to the Cook Islands, they involved the United Nations and included in the agreement the possibility of future independence. These considerations became relevant in later Special Committee on Decolonisation debates on the West Indies Associated States. (2006). 9780112905899, University of London: Institute of Commonwealth Studies. . ISBN 9780112905899
The Federated States of Micronesia (since 1986), the Marshall Islands (since 1986), and Palau (since 1994) are associated with the United States under what is known as the Compact of Free Association, giving the states international sovereignty and ultimate control over their territory. However, the governments of those areas have agreed to allow the United States to provide defense; the U.S. federal government provides funding grants and access to U.S. social services for citizens of these areas. The United States benefits from its ability to use the islands as strategic military bases.
| Cook Islands | New Zealand | 4 August 1965 | New Zealand acts on behalf of the Cook Islands and Niue in foreign affairs and defence issues, but only when requested so by their respective local governments and with their advice and consent. | Not a UN member state. Independence in foreign relations recognised by the UN |
| Niue | 19 October 1974 | |||
| Marshall Islands | United States | 21 October 1986 | The United States provides defence, funding grants, and access to U.S. social services for citizens of these areas under the Compact of Free Association. | UN member state |
| Federated States of Micronesia | 3 November 1986 | |||
| Palau | 1 October 1994 |
Shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Tatar ASSR unilaterally seceded from the Russian SFSR, as the "sovereign state" of Tatarstan and a "subject of international law". In 1994 Tatarstan and the Russia entered into a treaty specifying that Tatarstan was "associated" with the latter (rather than being an integral part of it). Through the agreement, Tatarstan delegated certain powers (such as some foreign relations and defence) to Russia. Changes made to Tatarstan's constitution in 2002 have been seen by some commentators as fundamentally changing this relationship, with Tatarstan now functioning as essentially an integral part of Russia.
The government of the U.S. unincorporated territory of Guam, led by then-Governor Eddie Calvo, started campaigning in early 2011 for a plebiscite on Guam's future political status, with free association following the model of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau as one of the possible options. The plebiscite, however, only allowed "native inhabitants" as defined under Guam law to register for it. A White people, non-Chamorro people resident, Arnold Davis, filed a federal lawsuit in 2011 for being denied registration for the plebiscite and a July 2019 ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ultimately blocked the plebiscite on the basis that the law was race-based and violated constitutionally protected voting rights; the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear the Government of Guam's appeal in May 2020.
A similar path has been proposed in order to update the political relationship between the Faroe Islands and Denmark, in which the former would become an associated state of the latter. In 2000, the Løgting set up the Faroese Treaty Commission which drafted a constitution for a state in free association with Denmark. The Self-Government Party supports gradually increased autonomy until it reaches de facto independence.
Tokelau (a dependent territory of New Zealand) voted on a referendum in February 2006 to determine whether it wanted to remain a New Zealand territory or become the third state in free association with New Zealand (after the Cook Islands and Niue). While a majority of voters chose free association, the vote did not meet the two-thirds threshold needed for approval. A similar referendum in October 2007 under United Nations supervision yielded similar results, with the proposed free association falling 16 votes short of approval.
In 1984, a referendum was held on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands; only 21 of the 261 voted for free association with Australia while the vast majority preferred integration.
To resolve the crisis in New Caledonia, French president Emmanuel Macron reportedly proposed an "associated state" status with a "strong link with France". The final agreement intended the formation of a "State of New Caledonia" which other states could recognise but its status would be enshrined in the French constitution and remain "French". The 2025 Accord de Bougival, that will have to be accepted in the 2026 referendum, will transform New Caledonia into a "State of New Caledonia", and transfer some of the French state's powers to this new State.
In 2003, then-Basque Country Lehendakari Juan José Ibarretxe proposed to the Spanish Congress of Deputies a reform that would have transformed the region from an autonomous community within Spain into a state in free association, thus making Spain a confederation. The proposal was overwhelmingly rejected by the Congress.
The establishment of a Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) was proposed in 2008 by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Philippines. The two parties were to sign a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain which would lead to the establishment of a new autonomous government in the southern Philippines. However the deal was halted by the Supreme Court of the Philippines, which ruled that the BJE's proposed "associative relationship" with the Philippine national government was incompatible with the Constitution of the Philippines.
Some form of free association has been suggested as a solution to occasional calls of self-determination by the people of Tobago, the smaller island within the country of Trinidad and Tobago, either within the single state (analogous to the situation of Scotland within the United Kingdom) or as a separate political entity.
According to statements of officials of Abkhazia and Transnistria (self-proclaimed partially recognized republics seceded from the former Soviet Union constituent republics of Georgia and Moldova respectively), both intend, after recognition of their independence, to become associated states of the Russian Federation. In Transnistria a referendum took place in September 2006, in which secession from Moldova and "future free association" with Russia was approved by a margin of 97%, even though the results of the referendum were internationally unrecognised.
| Andorra | Spain and France | 1278 | Defence is the responsibility of Spain and France. Andorra is a co-principality between the head of state of France (currently the president) and the Bishop of Urgell. | UN member state |
| Kiribati | Australia and New Zealand | 1979 | Kiribati has no military. National defence is provided by Australia and New Zealand. | |
| Liechtenstein | Switzerland | 1923 | Although the head of state represents Liechtenstein in its international relations, Switzerland has taken responsibility for much of Liechtenstein's diplomatic relations. Liechtenstein maintains no military. | |
| Monaco | France | 1861 | France has agreed to defend the independence and sovereignty of Monaco, while the Monegasque government has agreed to exercise its sovereign rights in conformity with French interests, which was reaffirmed by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. | |
| Nauru | Australia | 1968 | Nauru has no military. Australia informally takes responsibility for its defence. | |
| Samoa | New Zealand | 1914 | Samoa has no regular military. New Zealand provides defence under an informal agreement, but Samoa is regarded as fully independent. | |
| San Marino | Italy | 1939 | Defence is the responsibility of Italy by arrangement. | |
| Tuvalu | Australia | 1978
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| Vatican City | Switzerland | 1506 | Vatican City uses the Swiss Guard, founded by Pope Julius II and provided by Switzerland, as the Pope's bodyguards. | UN General Assembly observer state |
| Italy | 1929 | According to the Lateran Treaty, anyone who loses Vatican City citizenship and possesses no other citizenship automatically becomes an Italian citizen. The military defence of the Vatican City is provided by Italy. |
Bhutan, a former protectorate of British Raj, agreed in a 1949 treaty to allow the newly independent India to guide its foreign relations in a relatively loose form of association, which resulted in Bhutan sometimes being described as a "protected state". ) This relationship was updated in a 2007 treaty, in which the provision requiring Bhutan to accept India's guidance on foreign policy was rescinded.
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