People planning holidays should check that their destionation has no new alerts or warnings
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has significantly expanded its ‘red list’ in recent months due to regional escalations, particularly in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. It is important to be aware of which parts of the world pose a greater risk to tourists than others.
While it is not advisable to ignore the Foreign Office’s advice, doing so is likely to invalidate any insurance that travellers have obtained. In most cases, insurers will not cover people who knowingly go against FCDO advice and take risks. If you absolutely must travel to a high-risk area, you may need to look for specialised travel insurance companies that provide specific cover for such scenarios, according to ABTA.
As of April 28, 2026, the following list summarises the countries for which the Foreign Office has specific safety advice for travelling. In some cases, it issues a blanket alert urging people to reconsider visiting countries that are unsafe across all areas. Some areas have partial warnings in place. If people are visiting the area, check the Foreign Office website for the latest updates and warnings.
Countries where the Foreign Office currently advises against all travel:
- Afghanistan
- Belarus
- Burkina Faso
- Central African Republic (CAR)
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Lebanon
- Mali
- Niger
- Palestine (Occupied Palestinian Territories)
- Russia
- South Sudan
- Sudan (most of the country)
- Syria
- Ukraine (most of the country)
- Yemen
Countries where the Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel:
- Bahrain
- Cuba (entire island)
- Ecuador (coastal provinces)
- Egypt (significant parts: Western Desert, North South Sinai)
- India (significant parts: Manipur, Pakistan border)
- Jordan (entire country)
- Kuwait
- Mexico (significant parts: Baja California, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, etc.)
- North Korea
- Pakistan (most of the country)
- Philippines (significant parts: Mindanao, Sulu Archipelago)
- Qatar
- Thailand (Cambodian border)
- United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Areas where people are advised against travel in all or specific parts
- Algeria (borders with Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Mali, Mauritania)
- Armenia (border with Azerbaijan)
- Azerbaijan (Armenian border and former Nagorno-Karabakh areas)
- Benin (Northern border regions)
- Burundi (Cibitoke and Kayanza provinces)
- Cameroon (Far North, Bakassi Peninsula, NW and SW regions)
- Chad (borders with Libya, Sudan, CAR, Niger, and Lake Chad)
- Congo (Brazzaville) (Likouala region)
- Côte d’Ivoire (Northern borders with Mali and Burkina Faso)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (Eastern provinces and Kasaï)
- Djibouti (border with Eritrea)
- Ethiopia (Tigray, Amhara, and the border with Somalia/Sudan)
- Georgia (Abkhazia and South Ossetia)
- Indonesia (Central Papua and Highland Papua)
- Kenya (border with Somalia and parts of the coast)
- Libya (all areas except strictly essential business in Tripoli)
- Mauritania (Tiris Zemmour and Adrar regions)
- Moldova (Transnistria)
- Mozambique (Cabo Delgado province)
- Myanmar (Burma) (most of the country due to conflict)
- Nigeria (Northern and Riverine states)
- Somalia (all areas except parts of Puntland and Somaliland)
- Togo (Northern border region)
- Turkey (within 10km of the Syrian border and Sirnak/Hakkari provinces)
- Western Sahara (all areas east of the Berm and border with Algeria)
