There are 183 states that currently maintain diplomatic relations with the Holy See. To these must be added the European Union and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. There are 91 Embassy Chancelleries accredited to the Holy See with headquarters in Rome, including those of the European Union and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The Offices accredited to the Holy See of the League of Arab States, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees are also based in Rome.

During 2022, on 15 August, the Agreement between the Holy See and the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe was signed, and on 14 September, the Supplementary Agreement to the Agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of Kazakhstan on Mutual Relations of 24 September 1998 concerning the granting of visas and residence permits to ecclesiastical and religious personnel from abroad was signed. On 22 October, the Holy See and the People's Republic of China agreed to extend for another two years the validity of the Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops, concluded on 22 September 2018 and renewed for the first time on 22 October 2020. Finally, on 4 October 2022, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement entered into force for the Holy See, on behalf of Vatican City State.