Do not travel
Iran
The FCDO advises against all travel to Iran due to significant risk of arbitrary detention for British and dual nationals, and ongoing regional tensions and attacks.
Official sources · Last checked 22 Jul 2026
Countries currently flagged by UK, US and other Western governments. This is where the visa is only half the question — the other half is whether you can, or should, actually go.
The FCDO advises against all travel to Iran due to significant risk of arbitrary detention for British and dual nationals, and ongoing regional tensions and attacks.
The FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Federal Iraq and against all but essential travel to other parts of Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq due to regional tensions following recent strikes and retaliatory attacks.
FCDO advises against all travel to Gaza, areas near Gaza, parts of the West Bank, Northern Israel, and the Occupied Golan Heights, and against all but essential travel to other parts of the West Bank due to regional tensions and the risk of missile and drone attacks.
The FCDO advises against all travel to many areas of Lebanon due to security concerns, regional tensions, and conflict, and advises against all but essential travel to other parts.
Governments advise against all travel to Russia due to risks from the war in Ukraine, including security incidents, risk of arbitrary detention of foreign nationals, terrorism, and severely limited consular support.
The FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Ukraine (Crimea, border with Belarus, and most other regions) and against all but essential travel to western regions, due to the ongoing Russian invasion and frequent attacks.
Advisory levels reflect what the UK FCDO and US State Department currently say. Check each destination page for the exact wording, regional detail, and last-checked date — advisories change fast and often apply to specific areas rather than the whole country. When in doubt, the official government page linked on each destination is the source of truth.