FCDO issues 2026 ‘do not travel’ warning for 55 countries worldwide | World | News

The UK government has updated its travel advice, warning British passport holders against travelling to 55 destinations around the world due to factors like conflict, political instability, crime and safety concerns. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) regularly reviews global conditions and publishes guidance for every country and territory. While Brits can travel visa-free or with visas to more than 180 destinations, the government stresses that availability does not equal safety.

Before booking a holiday, the FCDO recommends travellers always check three essentials: passport validity, travel insurance cover and whether the destination is considered safe under official UK advice. Countries and regions can be added to the FCDO’s no-go list for a number of reasons, including armed conflict, terrorism, civil unrest, natural disasters or a heightened risk of arrest for foreign nationals.

Travelling against FCDO advice can invalidate travel insurance and even limit the support the UK government is able to provide if something goes wrong overseas.

As of December 2025, the total number of destinations with full or partial restrictions stands at 55, down from more than 70 earlier in the year after some regions were reassessed.

In many destinations, the FCDO advises avoiding specific regions rather than the entire country. These warnings often apply to border areas, conflict zones or regions affected by insurgency or serious crime.

Countries where the FCDO advises against all travel

• Afghanistan
• Belarus
• Burkina Faso
• Haiti
• Iran
• Mali
• Niger
• Russia
• South Sudan
• Syria
• Yemen

FCDO advises against all but essential travel

FCDO advises against all travel to parts of

• Algeria – All travel to within 30km of Algeria’s borders with Libya, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Tunisia
• Armenia – Within 5km of the full eastern border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the M16/H26 road between the towns of Ijevan and Noyemberyan
• Azerbaijan – Within 5km of the Azerbaijan-Armenia border
• Benin – Northern border regions
• Burundi – Cibitoke and Bubanza provinces, former Kayanza province, former Bujumbura Rural province and the RN5 road north of Melchior Ndadaye airport
• Cambodia – Within 50km from the border with Thailand
• Cameroon – Bakassi Peninsula, parts of the Far-North Region, North-West Region and South-West Region and within 40km of the Central African Republic, Chad and Nigeria borders
• 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 and within 30km of all Chad’s other borders
• Congo – Within 50km of the Republic of Congo-Central African Republic border in Likouala Region
• Côte d’Ivoire – Qithin 40km of borders with Burkina Faso and Mali
• Democratic Republic of the Congo – within 50km of the border with the Central African Republic, the province of Kasaï Oriental, the Kwamouth territory of Mai-Ndombe Province and provinces in Eastern DRC
• Djibouti – Djibouti-Eritrea border
• Egypt – Within 20km of the Egypt-Libya border and the North Sinai Governorate
• Eritrea – Within 25km of Eritrea’s land borders
• Ethiopia – International border areas, parts of the Tigray region, Amhara region, Afar region, Gambela region, Oromia region, Somali region, Central, Southern, Sidama and South West regions and Benishangul-Gumuz region
• Georgia – South Ossetia and Abkhazia
• India – within 10km 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 – advises against all travel to parts of Anbar province, Basra province, Diyala province, Kirkuk province, Ninawa province, Salah al-Din province, Sadr City and within 30km of federal Iraq’s borders with Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
• Israel – Against all travel to Gaza, parts of the West Bank and Northern Israel
• Jordan – Within 3km of the border with Syria
• Kenya – Kenya-Somalia border and northern parts of the east coast
• 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 – Advises against all travel to Libya except for the cities of Benghazi and Misrata
• Mauritania – Eastern Mauritania and within 25km of the Malian border
• Moldova –Transnistria
• Mozambique – Cabo Delgado Province
• Myanmar (Burma) – Chin State, Kachin State, Kayah State, Kayin State, Mon State, Rakhine State, Sagaing and Magway regions, Tanintharyi Region, Shan State North, North Mandalay Region
• Nigeria – Borno State, Yobe State, Adamawa State, Gombe State, Kaduna State, Katsina State, Zamfara State and the riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states
• Pakistan – Within 10 miles of the border with Afghanistan, areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and the Balochistan Province
• Philippines – Western and central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago
• Saudi Arabia – Within 10km of the border with Yemen
• Somalia – Advises against all travel except the western regions Awdal, Maroodijeh and Sahil
• Sudan – Against all travel except to the Hala’ib Triangle and the Bir Tawil Trapezoid
• Palestine – Against all travel to Gaza, parts of The West Bank and Northern Israel
• Thailand –Parts of the south, near the Thailand-Malaysia border, the Hat Yai to Padang Besar train line and within 50km of the whole border with Cambodia
• Togo – Within 30km of the border with Burkina Faso
• Tunisia – Parts of Western Tunisia, including the Tunisia-Algeria border and Southern Tunisia, including the Tunisia-Libya border
• Turkey – Within 10km of the Turkey-Syria border
• Ukraine – All regions of Ukraine with the exception of some western regions
• Venezuela – Within 80km of the Venezuela-Colombia border, within 40km of the Venezuela-Brazil border, Zulia State
• Western Sahara – Within 30km of ‘the Berm’ boundary line and areas south and east of the Berm boundary line