FCDO Advice and Travel Insurance Cover

FCDO Advice and Travel Insurance Cover

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office publish travel advice on a constantly updated basis. In most cases, this advice is reviewed daily, but in countries where the situation is rapidly changing, this can be more often.

There are some countries which the FCDO advise against all travel, or all but essential travel. In the case of threats such as coups, civil unrest, or natural disaster, the FCDO will advise against travel when they consider there to be an unacceptably high risk. In the case of a terrorist threat, they will advise against travel in situations of extreme and/or imminent danger. This does not mean that they advise against travel to all countries where there is a risk of terrorist operations.

As well as showing information on whether a country is advisable to travel to, the FCDO also show travel guides for each country. These guides specify local laws and customs, entry requirements, and details of natural events and political situations.

What is “essential travel”?

Circumstances for essential travel vary on an individual basis, and only you are able to determine whether your travel plans are essential or not.

Does the FCDO advice affect travel insurance?

It might. Some policies cannot provide cover if you travel to a country the FCDO advises against travel, or against all but essential travel, to. When comparing quotes, you will need to check the policy wording.

The FCDO’s travel advice can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice