These Are the Countries You Should Avoid Traveling to According to the Foreign Office List

When planning a trip, it’s smart to verify these three items prior to heading to the airport: your passport is current, your travel insurance remains valid, and you’re traveling to a destination deemed safe.
Department for International Development and Foreign Commonwealth Office
(
FCDO
).

Political disputes, natural calamities, and security issues are some of the factors causing concern for the UK.
Foreign Office
I will advise British citizens to avoid particular locations.

The FCDO has released multiple travel advisories, suggesting “no travel” and “only necessary travel” to whole nations or portions of them.
Europe
,
Africa
,
Asia
and
South America
.

Out of 226 nations or regions that have foreign travel guidance available online, 73 are presently marked as no-go areas because of safety concerns, health hazards, and differing laws.
UK
.

Read more:

The list of airlines prohibited from operating in the UK due to safety concerns

If you decide to proceed with the trip despite the FCDO recommendations, your travel insurance will become invalid, and you might not receive consular assistance if an emergency occurs abroad.

Below is the complete list of nations featured in the Foreign Office’s records.
‘do not travel’ list
before planning your trip, ensure you verify these details.

The FCDO recommends avoiding all travel.

Afghanistan

— “The security conditions are unpredictable.”
Belarus

You have a high chance of getting arrested.
Haiti

Because of the unstable security conditions
Iran

— “There is a considerable danger of arrest for British citizens.”
Russia

—”Because of the hazards and dangers stemming from its ongoing invasion of Ukraine”—
South Sudan

— “Because of the threat posed by armed conflict and crime”
Syria

— “Continuing violence and unstable safety situations”
Yemen

– “Unpredictable security conditions”

The FCDO recommends avoiding all trips to these areas.

Algeria

— all trips to areas within 30 kilometers of Algeria’s borders with Libya, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and Tunisia
Armenia

— within 5 kilometers of the entire eastern boundary between Armenia and Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan

– Azerbaijan-Armenia border
Benin

– Northern border regions
Burkina Faso

— barring all travel except to the capital city, Ouagadougou
Burundi

— The provinces of Cibitoke and Bubanza, as well as Kayanza province and Bujumbura Rural province
Cameroon

— The Bakassi Peninsula and areas within 40 kilometers of the borders with the Central African Republic, Chad, and Nigeria.
Central African Republic

— barring all travel except to the capital, Bangui
Chad

— The regions of Borkou, Ennedi Ouest, Ennedi Est, and Tibesti provinces, along with Kanem province, specifically including Nokou, the Lake Chad area, and zones within 30 kilometers of all other borders of Chad.
Congo

— within 50 kilometers of the border between the Republic of Congo and Central African Republic in the Likouala region
Côte d’Ivoire

– boundaries with Burkina Faso and Mali, as well as the border between Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia –
Congo Democratic Republic

– regions within the Kinshasa Province, along the border between DRC and Central African Republic, in the eastern part of DRC, the area of Mai-Ndombe Province known as Kwamouth Territory, and the Kasaï Oriental Province
Djibouti

– Djibouti-Eritrea border
Egypt

— Border between Egypt and Libya and North Sinai
Eritrea

— within 25 kilometers of Eritrea’s terrestrial boundaries
Ethiopia

– International frontier zones, Tigray area, Amhara area, Afar area, Gambella area, Oromia area, Somali area, Central zone, Southern zone, Sidama zone, Southwest zone, and Benishangul-Gumuz area
Georgia

— South Ossetia and Abkhazia
India

— within 10 kilometers of the India-Pakistan border and Jammu and Kashmir
Indonesia

– Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, Mount Sinabung, Mount Marapi, Mount Semeru, Mount Ruang, Mount Ibu
Iraq

— recommends avoiding all travel to federal Iraq
Israel

– against all travel to Gaza, the West Bank and Northern Israel
Jordan

— located less than 3 kilometers from the Syrian border
Lebanon

– regions within Beirut and the Mount Lebanon Governorate, as well as the South and Nabatieh Governorates, the Bekaa Valley area, the Baalbeck-Hermel district, the Akkar region, the city of Tripoli, and Palestinian refugee camps
Libya

— recommends avoiding all trips to Libya with the exception of Benghazi and Misrata cities
Mali

— warns against traveling anywhere except to Bamako
Mauritania

— Eastern Mauritania along with the border region between Mauritania and Mali
Moldova

–Transnistria
Mozambique

– Cabo Delgado Province
Myanmar (Burma)

— Chin State, Kachin State, Kayah State, Kayin State, Mon State, Rakhine State, Sagaing and Magwe regions, Tanintharyi Region, Northern Shan State, Northern Mandalay Region
Niger

– for all trips except those heading to the capital city of Niamey
Nigeria

– Borno State, Yobe State, Adamawa State, Gombe State, Kaduna State, Katsina State, Zamfara State, along with the coastal regions of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states
Pakistan

— located within 10 miles of the Afghan border, these regions include parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and Balochistan Province
Philippines

— Western and Central Mindanao as well as the Sulu Archipelago
Rwanda

— Rubavu District and Rusizi District
Saudi Arabia

– Saudi Arabia-Yemen border
Somalia

— Eastern Somaliland and Western Somaliland
Sudan

– excluding all travel except for destinations within the Hala’ib Triangle and the Bir Tawil Trapezoid
The Occupied Palestinian Territories

– against all travel to Gaza, The West Bank and Northern Israel
Togo

– Togo-Burkina Faso border
Tunisia

— Western Tunisia, encompassing the region near the Tunisia-Algeria border, as well as Southern Tunisia around the area of the Tunisia-Libya border
Turkey

— within 10 kilometers of the Turkey-Syria border
Ukraine

— all areas of Ukraine except for certain western regions
Venezuela

– Within 80 kilometers of the Venezuela-Colombia border, within 40 kilometers of the Venezuela-Brazil border, located in Zulia state
Western Sahara

— located within a 30-kilometer radius from ‘The Berm’ boundary line and situated to the south and east of this boundary line

The FCDO recommends avoiding non-essential trips.

Regarding the term ‘essential travel,’ the FCDO states: “The determination of whether travel is necessary remains yours. This could be due to pressing familial obligations or critical business responsibilities that require your attention. Ultimately, only you can assess these factors along with potential risks and come to a well-informed conclusion.”

New Caledonia

– “Given ongoing tensions”
North Korea

— “The security circumstances may alter rapidly without prior notice.”
Mayotte

– Cyclone Chido

The FCDO recommends avoiding non-essential trips to these areas.

Angola

— Cabinda Province, frontier regions in Lunda Norte Province
Bangladesh

– Chittagong Hill Tracts
Bolivia

– Chapare region
Brazil

– Amazonas State
Colombia

– boundaries, the coastline along the Pacific and portions of central Colombia
Ecuador

— seven coastal province regions and within 20 kilometers of the Ecuador-Colombia border
Ghana

– Bawku Municipality
Guatemala

— located within 5 kilometers of the Mexican border and near the towns of Santa Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista, and La Democracia
Kenya

— Border region between Kenya and Somalia as well as the northeastern coastal areas
Kosovo

— Zvečan, Zubin Potok, and Leposavić, as well as the northern section of Mitrovica city
Laos

– Xaisomboun Province
Malaysia

— Coastal Islands of Eastern Sabah
Mexico

– Baja California, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Jalisco, Colima, Guerrero, Chiapas
Papua New Guinea

— Hela and Southern Highlands provinces
Peru

– within 20 kilometers south of the Peru-Colombia border and near the Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro rivers
Tanzania

— The Mtwara Region located near the Tanzania-Mozambique border
Thailand

—portions of the southern area, close to the Thailand-Malaysia border
Uganda

— The region directly southwest of Kasese town, including Queen Elizabeth National Park and Semuliki National Park,

To stay updated with additional travel news and tips, tune into Simon Calder’s podcast.

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