Is It Safe to Travel to Eritrea?Advisories checked 9 November 2026. Check the official advisory on the day you travel: governments change them often, sometimes weekly.
The US rates Eritrea Level 2 (Exercise increased caution). The UK advises against all travel to some parts of Eritrea and all but essential travel to others. Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel, with stricter advisories for some regions.
The governments disagree: the strictest advice comes from Canada (level 3), the mildest from the US and the UK (level 2). Some regions carry stricter warnings than the rest of the country.
The three advisories side by side
US Department of State
2Level 2“Exercise increased caution”
“Exercise increased caution in Eritrea due to travel restrictions, limited consular assistance, landmines, and wrongful detentions. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Eritrea, as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel outside of Asmara.”
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
2Level 2“Advises against travel to parts of the country”
“FCDO advises against all travel to within 25km of all of Eritrea’s land borders. FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the rest of Eritrea.”
Government of Canada
3Level 3“Avoid non-essential travel (with regional advisories)”
“Editorial change”
Why the advice differs
Each government uses its own scale. The US and Canada each have four levels for the whole country. The UK only states whether it advises against travel to the whole country or to parts of it. We place all three on a common 1 to 4 scale (see below); the scales are not identical, so the same level can mean slightly different things.
The UK’s level 2 for Eritrea comes from advice against travel to parts of the country, not the whole country.
Specific areas with stricter advice are named by: UK and Canada. A country-wide level can stay low while one region carries a stricter warning.
The advisories were last updated on different dates: US 30 July 2023, UK 12 October 2026, Canada 21 October 2026. An older advisory may not reflect recent events.
Regions with stricter warnings
These are the governments’ own words. We do not add or change any region names.
FCDO advises against all travel to within 25km of all of Eritrea’s land borders. FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the rest of Eritrea.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, updated 12 October 2026.
Canada also gives regional advisories for Eritrea on its official page (updated 21 October 2026). Read the Canadian advisory
What the levels mean
TravelDecl places each government’s advice on a common 1 to 4 scale so the three can be compared. The wording in each column is the government’s own.
| Level | Meaning | US | UK | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Level 1 | Normal precautions | Level 1: Exercise normal precautions | No advice against travel | Exercise normal security precautions |
| 2Level 2 | Increased caution | Level 2: Exercise increased caution | Advises against travel to parts of the country | Exercise a high degree of caution |
| 3Level 3 | Reconsider or avoid non-essential travel | Level 3: Reconsider travel | Advises against all but essential travel to the whole country | Avoid non-essential travel |
| 4Level 4 | Do not travel | Level 4: Do not travel | Advises against all travel to the whole country | Avoid all travel |
Related
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- How to get citizenship of Eritrea
- Travel advisories for every country
Questions
What level is the Eritrea travel advisory?
The US rates Eritrea Level 2 (Exercise increased caution). US advisory updated 30 July 2023. The UK advises against all travel to some parts of Eritrea and all but essential travel to others. UK advisory updated 12 October 2026. Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel, with stricter advisories for some regions. Canadian advisory updated 21 October 2026.
Does the UK advise against travel to Eritrea?
Not for the whole country. The UK advises against all travel to some parts of Eritrea and all but essential travel to others. UK advisory updated 12 October 2026. In its words: “FCDO advises against all travel to within 25km of all of Eritrea’s land borders. FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the rest of Eritrea.”
Is Eritrea safe for tourists?
TravelDecl does not give its own verdict. Here is what the governments say: The US rates Eritrea Level 2 (Exercise increased caution). The UK advises against all travel to some parts of Eritrea and all but essential travel to others. Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel, with stricter advisories for some regions. Advisories checked 9 November 2026. Check the official advisory on the day you travel.
Check the official advisory on the day you travel. Each card above links to it.
Sources and methodology
- US Department of State: travel advice for Eritrea, updated 30 July 2023. US Department of State: public domain (US Government work).
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: travel advice for Eritrea, updated 12 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Government of Canada: travel advice for Eritrea, updated 21 October 2026. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Levels on the common 1 to 4 scale are mapped from each government’s own rating: US levels 1 to 4 as published; UK: no advice against travel = 1, against travel to parts = 2, against all but essential travel to the whole country = 3, against all travel to the whole country = 4; Canada: its four risk levels in order. We do not combine them into a single score.
Advisories checked 9 November 2026. This page has not yet been checked by hand.