Every country on the UK Foreign Office ‘do not travel list’ right now

The holiday checklist goes something like this: think about your budget, Google the weather, and check that your passport and travel insurance are in date.

But it’s also important to consider the safety of your destination, and what the latest advice from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is.

The FCDO shares guidance on 226 countries or territories. Of these, 76 are currently flagged as having ‘no-go’ zones. The FCDO might advise against all travel, or all but essential travel to parts or all of an area.

Following the US and Israel’s attack on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, the Foreign Office has updated its guidance to advise against all travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

While British nationals make around 50 million trips each year – most of which are trouble-free – it’s important to check the FCDO website before you pack your suitcase. Your insurance might be invalid if you travel against their advice.

Here is the current list for March 2026, according to the FCDO website.

FCDO advises against ‘all travel’

• Afghanistan
• Belarus
• Burkina Faso
• Haiti
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel
• Occupied Palestinian Territories
• Mali
• Niger
• Russia
• South Sudan
• Syria
• Yemen

FCDO advises against all travel to parts

• Algeria: areas within 30km of Algeria’s borders with Libya, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Tunisia.
• Armenia: areas within 5km of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.
• Azerbaijan: Nagorno-Karabah, the districts of Zengilan, Jabrayil, Qubadli, Lachin and Kelbajar on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border. The western areas of Khojavand, Fuzuli and Aghdam. Any travel within the 5km border with Armenia.
• Benin: Northern border regions, Eastern Benin.
• Burundi: Cibitoke and Bubanza provinces, Kayanza Province, Melchior Ndadaye International Airport to Cibitoke, Bujumbura Rural Province.
• Burkina Faso: everywhere apart from the capital, Ouagadougou, where it advises against all but essential travel.
• Cameroon: Bakassi Peninsula, borders with Chad, Central African Republic, Nigeria, the Far-North, North-West, North, South-West and Adamawa regions, Limbé and Maroua.
• Central African Republic: against all travel except to the capital, Bangui.
• Chad: Borkou, Ennedi Ouest, Ennedi Est and Tibesti provinces, Kanem Province, including Nokou, Lake Chad region, within 30km of all Chad’s other borders. The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the rest of Chad.
• Congo: some districts in Pool region, border with Central African Republic in Likouala region, Mouyondzi District in Bouenza region.
• Côte d’Ivoire: borders with Burkina Faso and Mali, Côte d’Ivoire-Liberia border.

• Democratic Republic of the Congo: border with Central African Republic, Eastern DRC, areas in the Kinshasa Province, Kwamouth territory of Mai-Ndombe Province, Kasaï Oriental, Kasaï, Kasaï Central.
• Djibouti: border with Eritrea.
• Eritrea: within 25km of Eritrea’s land borders.
• Egypt: border with Libya, North Sinai, northern part of South Sinai, Western Desert, Hala’ib Triangle and Bir Tawil Trapezoid, Eastern part of Ismailiyah Governorate.
• Ethiopia: border areas, Tigray, Amhara, Afar, Gambela, Oromia, Somali, Central, Southern, Sidama, South West and Benishangul-Gumuz regions.
• Georgia: South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
• Indonesia: Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, East Nusa Tenggara, Mount Sinabung, North Sumatra, Mount Marapi, West Sumatra, Mount Semeru, East Java, Mount Ruang, Northern Sulawesi, Mount Ibu, North Maluku. As of June 18, East Nusa Tenggara Province, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, East Java, Northern Sulawesi and North Maluku Province have also been added due to volcanic activity on Flores Island.
• India: border with Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur.
• Jordan: border with Syria.
• Lebanon: areas in Beirut and Mount Lebanon Governorate, the South and Nabatiyeh Governorates, the Beqaa Governorate, the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, the Akkar Governorate, the city of Tripoli and Palestinian refugee camps.
• Libya: all travel except for the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi and Misrata.

• Mali: all travel except to Bamako.
• Mauritania: Eastern Mauritania, borders with Mali and Western Sahara, Tiris Zemmour, Adrar, Tagant, Hodh el Gharbi, Assaba, Gorgol and Guidimaka provinces.
• Moldova: Transnistria.
• Mozambique: Cabo Delgado, all but essential travel to the rest of Mozambique.
• Myanmar: States of Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine, Shan, regions of North Mandalay and East of the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway in Bago region.
• Nigeria: areas of North East, North West, South East and South Nigeria.
• Niger: everywhere except Niamey.
• Pakistan: border with Afghanistan, provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh, and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
• Philippines: Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago.
• Saudi Arabia: border with Yemen and Abha International Airport.
• Somalia: Eastern and Western Somaliland.
• Sudan: everywhere apart from Hala’ib Triangle and the Bir Tawil Trapezoid, where all but essential travel is advised.
• Tunisia: Western Tunisia
• Togo: border with Burkina Faso.
• Turkey: border with Syria.
• Ukraine: Crimea, within 50km of Belarus, everywhere else in Ukraine.
• Venezuela: within 80km of the border with Colombia, within 40km of the border with Brazil, Zulia state.
• Western Sahara: areas within 30km north and west of ‘the Berm’ boundary line, and areas in the territory south and east ‘the Berm’ boundary line.

FCDO advises against ‘all but essential travel’

• Bahrain
• Cuba
• Kuwait
• New Caledonia
• North Korea
• Qatar
• United Arab Emirates

FCDO advises against ‘all but essential’ travel to parts

• Angola: Cabinda Province (except Cabinda city), areas within 1km of the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo in Linda Norte (except for official border crossings and their access roads).
• Bangladesh: Chittagong Hill Tracts.
• Bolivia: Chapare region.
• Brazil: Amazonas State.
• Colombia: the Pacific Coast, northern Colombia, the borders with Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador, southern Colombia and central Colombia.
• Ecuador: coastal region, areas within 20km of the border with Colombia.
• Eswatini: the border with Mozambique.
• Ghana: Bawku Municipality.

• Guatemala: within 5km of the Mexican border, Santa Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista and La Democracia in the department of Huehuetenango.
• Kenya: border with Somalia.
• Kosovo: Zvečan, Zupin Potok and Leposavic, and areas of Mitrovica north of the river Ibar.
• Laos: Xaisomboun Province.
• Mexico: States of Baja California, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Jalisco, Colima, Guerrero, Chiapas. As of June 17, Puerto Angel in Oaxaca to Punta Maldonado in Guerrero have been added due to Tropical storm Erick.
• Malaysia: Eastern Sabah coastal islands.
• Nigeria: North Central and the Federal Capital Territory.
• Papua New Guinea: Hela and Southern Highlands provinces.

• Peru: within 20km of the Colombia border, Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers.
• Tanzania: within 20km of the Tanzanian border with Cabo Delgado Province in Mozambique.
• Tunisia: areas north and west of Ghardimaou, within 30km of the Algeria border, Kasserine Governorate, within 10m of the Tunisia border, within 10k of Mount Mghila, Mount Orbata, Southern Tunisia
• Thailand: parts of the south, near the border with Malaysia, Hat Yai to Padang Besar train line.
• Ukraine: western Ukraine, parts further than 50km from the border with Belarus.
• Uganda: Queen Elizabeth National Park, area south-wesdt of Kasese town, Semuliki National Park.

What happens if I travel to a country advised against by the FCDO?

Most standard travel insurance policies include clauses that exclude coverage if you travel to a destination where the Foreign Office advises against travel, even if you’re not aware of a change to FCDO advice.  

You can set up alerts for the country that you’re planning to visit, so that you can stay up to date with any government safety warnings. You can do this by visiting the FCDO website.

This article has been updated and was originally published on January 16, 2025.

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