As the new year continues to unfold, and we dream of places to go, these are the counties that the United States Department of State website lists as level 4 destinations. This level succinctly means: Do Not Travel. The reasons for this level advisory may be for different reasons, from civil unrest to health contagions, but the reasons can all be categorized as a high risk to encountering life-threatening risks. Travelers who opt to go anyway need to know that the United States government may not be able to help them in an emergency – a primary reason for advising against travel in the first place.
Right now there are 20 countries that American citizens simply should not travel to. The list below shows those countries in alphabetical order with the date of the last update notated.
- Afghanistan (January 13, 2025)
- Belarus (December 18, 2024)
- Burkina Faso (July 31, 2023)
- Burma – Myanmar (June 6, 2024)
- Central African Republic (December 26, 2024)
- Haiti (September 18, 2024)
- Iran (August 14, 2024)
- Iraq (November 22, 2024)
- Lebanon (December 27, 2024)
- Libya (August 1, 2024)
- Mali (July 31, 2023)
- North Korea (July 24, 2023)
- Russia (June 27, 2024)
- Somalia (July 23, 2024)
- South Sudan (July 31, 2023)
- Sudan (April 22, 2023)
- Syria (July 10, 2024)
- Ukraine (November 14, 2024)
- Venezuela (September 24, 2024)
- Yemen (July 10, 2024)
Before you travel, you can go the https://travel.state.gov/ website and enroll online in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive alerts while out of the country.
STEP is a free service to allow US citizens and nationals to enroll their trip abroad so the Department of State can accurately and quickly contact them in case of emergency. You can plan ahead by using information from the local US embassy, and it will help the local US embassy or consulate to contact you in case of emergency like a natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency.
While you’re abroad, you’ll get real time updates about health, weather, safety, and security in the country you’re visiting. In an emergency, US citizens are advised to contact the nearest US Embassy or call 1-202-501-4444.