The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has issued stark warnings for British tourists planning trips abroad in 2026, explicitly advising against all travel to 55 specific countries and territories. The official guidance states that journeying to these destinations will invalidate standard travel insurance policies, leaving holidaymakers without financial protection and potentially in serious danger.
Insurance Void and Severe Risks
Travelling to any country on the 'do not travel' list automatically invalidates your holiday insurance, the FCDO has confirmed. This means individuals could face enormous personal costs for medical emergencies, repatriation, or other crises without any support from their insurer. Officials stress that visitors to these locations are also jeopardising their personal safety, with consular assistance likely to be extremely difficult or impossible to obtain on the ground.
The Foreign Office emphasises that no foreign travel can be guaranteed safe and that travellers must take personal responsibility for their decisions. The level of risk can vary significantly based on a person's gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or health, and the FCDO provides specific guidance for different types of traveller to help assess these dangers.
Understanding the Travel Advice Levels
The FCDO uses two critical levels of formal advice: 'advise against all but essential travel' and the more severe 'advise against all travel'. The latter is reserved for situations where the risk to British nationals is deemed unacceptably high. This judgement is based on several factors, including active armed conflict, military coups, widespread civil unrest, major disease outbreaks, or natural disasters.
For terrorist threats, the office only advises against travel where there is an extreme and imminent danger or where the threat is specific, large-scale, or widespread enough to severely affect British nationals. These warnings can apply to entire countries or specific regions within them.
Countries on the 'Do Not Travel' List
The FCDO currently advises against all travel to the following nations, as of December 2025. The list is subject to change, and travellers are urged to check for updates.
- Afghanistan – due to a volatile security situation.
- Belarus – where there is a significant risk of arrest.
- Burkina Faso – due to the threat of terrorist attacks and kidnap.
- Haiti – because of a volatile security situation.
- Iran – where British nationals face a significant risk of arrest.
- Mali – due to unpredictable security conditions.
- Niger – owing to a rise in reported terrorist and criminal kidnappings.
- Russia – due to risks and threats from the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
- South Sudan – because of the risk of armed violence and criminality.
- Syria – due to ongoing conflict and unpredictable security.
- Yemen – because of unpredictable security conditions.
Essential Steps for Travellers
British nationals are strongly urged to consult the official FCDO travel advice pages for any destination before booking a trip or departing. The 'Warnings and insurance' section of each country page details all areas where travel is not advised. To stay informed, you can sign up for free email alerts to receive immediate notifications about any changes to the advice for your chosen destinations.
The core message from the Foreign Office is clear: the decision to travel rests solely with the individual, but ignoring official advice carries profound consequences for both safety and financial security.
