contiguous zone

international law

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June 24, 2026

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In international law, a contiguous zone is a maritime area beyond a state's territorial waters where the coastal state can exercise control to prevent and punish infringements of its customs, sanitary, fiscal, and immigration laws. This zone does not exist automatically and must be claimed by the coastal state. Originally extending 12 nautical miles from the baselines, the 1982 Law of the Sea treaty doubled this to 24 nautical miles. This differs from the territorial sea, where a state has full sovereignty, and the exclusive economic zone, which grants rights to explore and exploit resources.123

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international law
Maritime spaces and boundaries
A contiguous zone—which must be claimed and, unlike territorial seas, does not exist automatically—allows coastal states to exercise the control necessary to prevent and punish infringements of customs, sanitary, fiscal, and immigration regulations within and beyond its territory or territorial sea. The zone originally extended 12…
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A contiguous zone—which must be claimed and, unlike territorial seas, does not exist automatically—allows coastal states to exercise the control necessary to prevent and punish infringements of customs, sanitary, fiscal, and immigration regulations within and beyond its territory or territorial sea. The zone originally extended 12…
Read More