“As a U.S. citizen, I think it is very hard to avoid getting sent back to the U.S. There are certain countries that might grant him asylum, but that very much depends on whether the country is willing to go to battle with the U.S. over this issue,” said attorney Robert Anello, a New York attorney who has handled extradition cases.
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The United States has bilateral extradition treaties with 109 countries, from Albania to Zimbabwe, according to the State Department. Mainland China, however, does not make the list. Neither do places such as Andorra, Bermuda, Croatia, Indonesia, many African nations and most of the former Soviet republics.

The most immediate concern for the U.S. government may be ensuring that Snowden doesn’t disappear from their radar, said Andrew Lourie, an international judgment enforcement attorney at Kobre & Kim.