High-Risk Areas

In our Travel Advisories, we suggest you do not travel to high-risk destinations. These places are dangerous. By visiting, you may be putting yourself at extreme risk, and we may have limited ability to help you.  

You are subject to the local laws of the country you are visiting. If you violate that country’s laws, you could be arrested and prosecuted, even if your actions would not have been against the law in the United States.  Some countries have a known elevated risk for the wrongful and arbitrary detention of U.S. nationals. This is even when the same action would not be considered a crime in the United States.

We have limited or no ability to help you in many high-risk destinations, even during an emergency.

• The United States does not have a diplomatic or consular presence in some areas, or we may need to suspend services for U.S. citizens with very short notice.  We cannot provide any consular services in most of these places.   
• In some of these countries, the United States works with another country’s embassy or consulate to serve as an official protecting power. This can provide limited consular assistance to U.S. citizens.   
• We may have limited or no ability to help you if there is a crisis in the country you are visiting. Please review our crisis response and evacuation information on what we can and cannot do in a crisis. 
• It may be too unsafe for you to travel within the area to seek assistance, including travel to the U.S. embassy or consulate. 

After careful consideration, if you still decide to go to high-risk areas, we urge you to:  

• Enroll in the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).   
• Develop a communication plan with your loved ones. Make sure you have a phone or other smart device(s) that will work in your destination. Use your device to share your location with your trusted friends and family while you are abroad.  
• Share important documents, logins, and contacts with loved ones before you travel. They will need them if you cannot return to the United States as planned.   
• Discuss a plan with loved ones about care and custody of children and property. Draft a will and name appropriate insurance beneficiaries and power of attorney.   
• Make a personal security plan with your employer or host organization. You may want to consider consulting a professional security organization.   
• Identify key sources that may be able to help in case of an emergency. These may include the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, the FBI, and the State Department’s Office of American Citizen Services. They may also include your employer and local friends and family in the high-risk area.  
• Appoint one family member to serve as the point of contact if you are taken hostage or detained. Set up a proof-of-life protocol. If you become a hostage, that person will know what questions to ask and answers to expect. This will help them be sure that you are alive.   
• Leave DNA samples with your medical provider and dental records with your family in case it is necessary for your family to access them to identify your remains.   
• Erase sensitive photos, comments, or other materials from your social media pages. Do the same for your cameras, laptops, and other devices. The materials could be seen as controversial or provocative by local groups.   
• Leave your expensive or sentimental belongings behind.    
• Make sure your U.S. passport and any other critical documents have not expired.  

• For destination-specific information, including local laws, security considerations, U.S. embassy contact information and more, review our destination information pages.  
• The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) is a public and private partnership of major U.S. corporations with the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security.  OSAC publishes Country Security Reports on their website.