The UK Foreign Office provides travel advice for 226 countries and territories worldwide, covering everything from entry requirements to safety advisories. More than just keeping travellers informed, its updates have the power to shape travel plans and even invalidate travel insurance.
Drawing on information from intelligence services, media reports and diplomatic insight, the UK government has been providing travel advice to its citizens since 1990. It’s one of the most important public services provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which was known as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) until its merger with the Department for International Development (DFID) in 2020. Alongside information on entry requirements and vaccine considerations, the FCDO also issues safety advisories on issues ranging from political instability to natural disasters to help British travellers make informed decisions about their trips abroad. Here’s how it can affect your trips.
A travel advisory is a safety report that the US State Department compiles on countries and territories around the world, first introduced in 1978. It’s designed to inform US travellers of the risks of visiting a destination, but it does not forbid them from travelling even when risk levels are at their highest.
The UK government provides a similar service through the FCDO, a department known colloquially as the Foreign Office. Its safety advisory sits under the broad umbrella of foreign travel advice and provides practical information for travellers before they set off, and support once they’re in the destination. Like the US travel advisories, the FCDO’s travel advice cannot prevent you from travelling — but travelling against Foreign Office advice can invalidate your travel insurance (more below).
(Related: The U.S. travel advisory system, explained.)
The content and format of the FCDO’s travel advice pages have changed a lot over the years. Currently it’s divided into five themes: warning and insurance; entry requirements; safety and security; health; and getting help.
While most of the advice covers practical information on visiting a destination, you should pay particular attention to the ‘warning and insurance’ section. This is where the FCDO will issue safety advisories when it thinks the risk to British nationals is ‘unacceptably high’ due to situations such as armed conflict, military coups, civil unrest, disease outbreaks and national disasters.
There are two levels of risk, which might apply to a whole country or just part of a country. If the FCDO advises against ‘all but essential travel’, you should certainly avoid any leisure travel. However, you may decide that a business trip or family emergency is worth the increased risk. When the FCDO advises against all travel, you should comply. Although nothing legally prevents you from travelling against the FCDO’s advice, doing so may invalidate your travel insurance, and there may be limited consular support available at the destination.
Destinations without these risk labels are considered ‘safe’. But as the FCDO makes clear, no travel is considered risk-free and you must decide for yourself whether it’s safe to travel.
You shouldn’t rely solely on the FCDO’s advice either, says travel expert Simon Calder. “I find the FCDO to be patchy and some judgements questionable,” he says. “For specifics, such as the areas of a big city to avoid, I often also look at Australian and US advice, too. But nothing beats on-the-ground information from the locals.”
It’s also worth noting that the FCDO’s travel advice is written for those travelling with a standard British passport. Citizens of other nations residing in the UK, and those travelling with a British overseas passport, may face additional restrictions.
“If the FCDO advises against travel to your destination, most insurance policies won’t cover claims linked to the reason for that advice,” says Tim Riley, managing director of travel insurer The True Traveller and chairman of the UK Travel Industry Association. “In many cases your airline or tour operator will be responsible for refunds or rebooking,” he continues.
It’s important to check the specifics of your policy. While standard travel insurance policies won’t cover travelling against FCDO advice, some specialist insurers do.
Timing is important, too. “If travel advice changes while you’re already abroad, your insurance policy will usually remain valid for the trip you’ve started,” says Tim. “However, cover may become more limited for claims directly linked to the reason behind the advisory.”
If you book your trip or start your journey after the FCDO’s advice has changed, your travel insurance policy is unlikely to cover you. It’s one reason why you might want to check the FCDO’s travel advice pages while planning your trip, before you book and travel. However, there are exceptions — war and conflict, for example, are often excluded from coverage regardless.
Conflict, political unrest, natural disasters and security incidents can all develop with no warning, triggering updates to the FCDO’s safety advisory. You should read any updates carefully as it usually includes advice on what to do as well as important contact details.
In general, you should contact your travel provider for guidance and monitor local news and announcements by the local authorities. It’s also wise to sign up for the FCDO’s email alerts for your destination. In some cases, you may be asked to register your presence with the FCDO so they can provide you consular support, including details on evacuation flights.
If the FCDO advises against all travel or all but essential travel to a destination after you’ve booked, you’ll be able to postpone a trip that’s booked as a package holiday or cancel it for a full refund. A package holiday means a single booking inclusive of accommodation plus one other element, such as a flight, car rental or train journey.
Things are trickier if you’ve booked each of the elements separately. You’ll need to refer to your travel provider’s cancellation policy but, depending on the situation, your travel insurance may be able to cover out-of-pocket costs.
If there are no safety advisories in place, and you simply no longer wish to travel, you’re unlikely to receive a refund or be covered by your travel insurance.
(Travelling in the UK and your flight’s cancelled? Here's what to do.)
