People and movement
How to use FCDO travel advice
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice helps British travellers understand conditions in a country or territory. Read it before booking, before departure and while away. Use the detailed country sections alongside local information, your own needs and your travel provider's advice when deciding where and how to travel.
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Last checked: 7 November 2026 How we evaluate sources
Start with the whole route
Find every country or territory on your itinerary, including transit stops. Read the warnings and insurance section first, including any map and regional restrictions. Advice against travel can apply to a particular area, rather than the whole country, and can include airport transit.
Then read entry requirements, safety and security, health, and getting help. Record anything that changes your route, documents, medication arrangements or activities. A country page cannot tell you whether every street, excursion or individual journey is safe.
Understand warnings and insurance
FCDO may advise against all travel or against all but essential travel. Read the exact areas covered and reasons given. Where only essential travel is advised, you must assess your individual circumstances; a holiday booking does not resolve the risks.
Travelling against FCDO advice may invalidate insurance. Ask your insurer about the specific route, activities and circumstances, and keep its response. If plans change, contact your travel company about bookings and your insurer about claims. Travel advice alone does not settle a refund or insurance claim.
How FCDO travel advice works (opens in a new tab)FCDO travel insurance guidance (opens in a new tab)
Before-you-go checklist
- Check passport validity, visa and other entry requirements for your documents and nationality.
- Check health advice and rules for carrying any prescribed medicine.
- Confirm insurance covers your destinations, activities and medical circumstances.
- Save the local emergency number, insurer's assistance number and British consular contact details.
- Share an itinerary and an agreed contact plan with someone you trust.
- Keep key documents and contact information accessible offline.
Keep advice current while away
Subscribe to email updates on each country's advice page. Read the change itself when an alert arrives, especially if it affects your location or route. Keep a way to check updates from the responsible service if your normal phone or connection fails.
In a developing crisis, check accommodation procedures, keep relatives informed and contact your airline or tour operator. Use local emergency instructions for immediate decisions. Government evacuation is not guaranteed, so keep your own practical options for leaving safely.
Prepare for and deal with crises abroad (opens in a new tab)
Make the advice fit your circumstances
Consider access needs, health, travelling alone and the people travelling with you. Check destination authorities' requirements if you use an emergency document or a nationality other than British citizen. FCDO's standard entry information mainly covers travel from the UK on a full British citizen passport.
Common questions
How do I get alerts for my destination?
Open its page in the FCDO foreign travel advice directory and use the email updates option. Subscribe for transit countries too where relevant.
Can FCDO decide whether my trip is safe?
FCDO provides risk information and warnings. Your decision also needs to account for your itinerary, personal circumstances and reliable local advice.
Make your next step practical
Keep preparing
Evidence and service information
Sources behind this guidance
We develop our guidance using the sources below. Check the named organisation for current service details, live warnings and local instructions. Sources checked 7 November 2026.