Maximum Insurance / Alerts / Divergences

United States, France, United Kingdom, Switzerland: one country, four different advisories

Our reading: · the sources are re-read every day

On 27 September 2026, Maximum Insurance compares the national travel advice four states publish on the same countries: the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Of 212 readable countries, 41 get a different advisory depending on which state publishes it. The numbered level shown across this site is the American one, from 1 to 4; the French and British readings are added on top, each with its own rules; the Swiss advisory is the one the Maximum policy cites. Every row cites the official source and links to it.

How to read this page — one reference level, two readings added on top, one common question

① First — the reference level

Across this whole site, a country's level is the one set by the U.S. State Department, from 1 to 4. That number, and only that one, is what you see on every country page.

1normal precautions2increased caution3reconsider travel4do not travel

② Then — what is added on top

France and the United Kingdom publish their own advice, and not under the same rules. France classifies areas as red or orange inside a country, and sometimes advises against the whole country. The United Kingdom publishes travel statuses. None of the three grades like the others.

③ To compare — a single question

Different scales cannot be compared as they stand. So we ask them all the same question:

Is the whole country advised against?

It has only three possible answers — below.

The three possible answers — this is the notation every cell of the table carries

From one answer to the next is one band. From “No” to “Yes” is two — the widest gap two states can have.

Nono restriction on the whole country
Except for imperative reasonsthe whole country is advised against, unless the reason is imperative
Yesthe whole country is formally advised against

And when we could not read

Not read todaythis is not an answer: the source could not be read today

A red area does not raise the answer. If France advises against a border strip but not the country, the answer stays No — and the area is shown alongside, as a qualifier. Example: Thailand carries French red areas along a border and stays at level 1 on the American side. That is not a disagreement: the scope is geographic, not national.

212
Countries compared
at least two sources read
41
Countries in disagreement
13 of them two bands apart
0
Countries set aside
fewer than two sources read
Countrysorted from largest disagreement to smallestUnited StatesOur reference level — the one shown across this siteFranceAdds to the US level, with its own rules: red or orange AREASUnited KingdomAdds to the US level, with its own rules: travel statusesSwitzerlandAdvisory cited by the Maximum policyGapin plain words, then in bands
Myanmar
2-band gap: the United States and France (formally advised against, whole country) versus the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country). Area-level advice on record: parts of the country on the UK side.
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
Yes
Security page, France Diplomatie“l’intégralité du territoire birman demeure formellement déconseillée ou déconseillée sauf raisons impératives.”
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Except for imperative reasons
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against tourist travel
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and France say yes · the United Kingdom says no · Switzerland says except for imperative reasons
Gap: 2 bands
DR Congo
2-band gap: the United States (formally advised against, whole country) versus France and the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Except for imperative reasons
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against tourist travel
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States says yes · France and the United Kingdom say no · Switzerland says except for imperative reasons
Gap: 2 bands
North Korea
2-band gap: the United States and France (formally advised against, whole country) versus Switzerland (no national restriction).
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
Yes
Security page, France Diplomatie“L’intégralité du territoire nord-coréen est formellement déconseillée (rouge sur la carte des Conseils aux voyageurs).”
French original, as published
Except for imperative reasons
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all but essential travel to the whole country (avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_whole_country)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against no travel
the United States and France say yes · the United Kingdom says except for imperative reasons · Switzerland says no
Gap: 2 bands
Iraq
2-band gap: the United States and Switzerland (formally advised against, whole country) versus France and the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Yes
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against all travel to the country
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and Switzerland say yes · France and the United Kingdom say no
Gap: 2 bands
Lebanon
2-band gap: the United States and Switzerland (formally advised against, whole country) versus France and the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Yes
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against all travel to the country
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and Switzerland say yes · France and the United Kingdom say no
Gap: 2 bands
Libya
2-band gap: the United States, France and Switzerland (formally advised against, whole country) versus the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country). Area-level advice on record: parts of the country on the UK side.
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
Yes
Security page, France Diplomatie“tout déplacement en Libye est formellement déconseillé (hormis à Benghazi et Misrata où les déplacements sont déconseillés sauf raison impérative) en…”
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Yes
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against all travel to the country
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States, France and Switzerland say yes · the United Kingdom says no
Gap: 2 bands
Uganda
2-band gap: the United States (formally advised against, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side.
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
FCDO status
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States says yes · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 2 bands
Central African Republic
2-band gap: the United States, France and Switzerland (formally advised against, whole country) versus the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country). Area-level advice on record: parts of the country on the UK side.
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
Yes
Security page, France Diplomatie“L’intégralité du territoire est formellement déconseillée ou déconseillée sauf raison impérative.”
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Yes
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against all travel to the country
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States, France and Switzerland say yes · the United Kingdom says no
Gap: 2 bands
Somalia
2-band gap: the United States and Switzerland (formally advised against, whole country) versus France and the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Yes
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against all travel to the country
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and Switzerland say yes · France and the United Kingdom say no
Gap: 2 bands
Sudan
2-band gap: the United States, France and Switzerland (formally advised against, whole country) versus the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country). Area-level advice on record: parts of the country on the UK side.
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
Yes
Security page, France Diplomatie“Il est formellement déconseillé de se rendre dans l’ensemble du territoire soudanais, y compris à Khartoum et à Port-Soudan.”
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Yes
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against all travel to the country
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States, France and Switzerland say yes · the United Kingdom says no
Gap: 2 bands
South Sudan
2-band gap: the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (formally advised against, whole country) versus France (no national restriction, but red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side.
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
Yes
FCDO statusour reading: advises against ALL travel to the whole country (avoid_all_travel_to_whole_country)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Yes
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against all travel to the country
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say yes · France says no
Gap: 2 bands
Chad
2-band gap: the United States and Switzerland (formally advised against, whole country) versus France and the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Yes
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against all travel to the country
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and Switzerland say yes · France and the United Kingdom say no
Gap: 2 bands
Ukraine
2-band gap: the United States, France and Switzerland (formally advised against, whole country) versus the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country). Area-level advice on record: parts of the country on the UK side.
Yes
State Department advisoryLevel 4/4 · “Do Not Travel”
Yes
Security page, France Diplomatie“l’intégralité du territoire ukrainien est formellement déconseillé.”
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Yes
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against all travel to the country
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States, France and Switzerland say yes · the United Kingdom says no
Gap: 2 bands
Saudi Arabia
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against no travel
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Azerbaijan
1-band gap: the United States and France (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country). Area-level advice on record: parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
Except for imperative reasons
Security page, France Diplomatie“Il est donc déconseillé sauf raison impérative aux ressortissants français, y compris binationaux, de se rendre en Azerbaïdjan.”
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and France say except for imperative reasons · the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Bahrain
1-band gap: the United States and Switzerland (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France and the United Kingdom (no national restriction).
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: no advised-against area
French original, as published
No
FCDO status
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Except for imperative reasons
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against tourist travel
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and Switzerland say except for imperative reasons · France and the United Kingdom say no
Gap: 1 band
Burundi
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Colombia
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all but essential travel to parts (avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Guatemala
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country). Area-level advice on record: parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: no advised-against area
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all but essential travel to parts (avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Guinea-Bissau
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but orange areas and parts of the country). Area-level advice on record: orange areas on the French side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ orange areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas advised against except for imperative reasons (orange)
French original, as published
No
FCDO status
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Guyana
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
FCDO status
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against no travel
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Honduras
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but orange areas). Area-level advice on record: orange areas on the French side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ orange areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas advised against except for imperative reasons (orange)
French original, as published
No
FCDO status
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against no travel
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Israel
1-band gap: the United States and Switzerland (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country). The French advisory could not be read. Area-level advice on record: parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
Not read today
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: Security page not retrieved right now
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Except for imperative reasons
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against tourist travel
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and Switzerland say except for imperative reasons · the United Kingdom says no
Gap: 1 band
Jordan
1-band gap: the United States and Switzerland (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France and the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Except for imperative reasons
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against tourist travel
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and Switzerland say except for imperative reasons · France and the United Kingdom say no
Gap: 1 band
Kuwait
1-band gap: the United States and Switzerland (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France and the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
FCDO status
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Except for imperative reasons
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against tourist travel
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and Switzerland say except for imperative reasons · France and the United Kingdom say no
Gap: 1 band
Macau
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction). The French advisory could not be read.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
Not read today
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: Security page not retrieved right now
French original, as published
No
FCDO status
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against no travel
the United States says except for imperative reasons · the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Mauritania
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Nicaragua
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but orange areas). Area-level advice on record: orange areas on the French side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ orange areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas advised against except for imperative reasons (orange)
French original, as published
No
FCDO status
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against no travel
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Nigeria
1-band gap: the United States and Switzerland (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France and the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Except for imperative reasons
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against tourist travel
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and Switzerland say except for imperative reasons · France and the United Kingdom say no
Gap: 1 band
Oman
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country).
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: no advised-against area
French original, as published
No
FCDO status
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Pakistan
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Papua New Guinea
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but orange areas and parts of the country). Area-level advice on record: orange areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ orange areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas advised against except for imperative reasons (orange)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all but essential travel to parts (avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Qatar
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction).
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: no advised-against area
French original, as published
No
FCDO status
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against no travel
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Rwanda
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country). Area-level advice on record: parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: no advised-against area
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all but essential travel to parts (avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Tanzania
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all but essential travel to parts (avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against no travel
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Trinidad and Tobago
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction).
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: no advised-against area
French original, as published
No
FCDO status
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against no travel
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Venezuela
1-band gap: the United States and Switzerland (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France and the United Kingdom (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Except for imperative reasons
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against tourist travel
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and Switzerland say except for imperative reasons · France and the United Kingdom say no
Gap: 1 band
United Arab Emirates
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
FCDO status
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against no travel
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Ethiopia
1-band gap: the United States (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country and red areas). Area-level advice on record: red areas on the French side and parts of the country on the UK side.
Except for imperative reasons
State Department advisoryLevel 3/4 · “Reconsider Travel”
No
+ red areas
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: areas formally advised against (red)
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all travel to parts of the country (avoid_all_travel_to_parts) · advises against all but essential travel to parts…
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States says except for imperative reasons · France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no
Gap: 1 band
Bangladesh
1-band gap: France (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland (no national restriction, but parts of the country). Area-level advice on record: parts of the country on the UK side.
No
State Department advisoryLevel 2/4 · “Exercise Increased Caution”
Except for imperative reasons
Security page, France Diplomatie“Tout déplacement au Bangladesh est déconseillé sauf raison impérative, du fait du risque terroriste.”
French original, as published
No
+ parts of the country
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all but essential travel to parts (avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_parts)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
No
+ parts of the country
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against travel to certain regions
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland say no · France says except for imperative reasons
Gap: 1 band
Cuba
1-band gap: the United Kingdom and Switzerland (advised against except for imperative reasons, whole country) versus the United States and France (no national restriction).
No
State Department advisoryLevel 2/4 · “Exercise Increased Caution”
No
Security page, France Diplomatieour reading: no advised-against area
French original, as published
Except for imperative reasons
FCDO statusour reading: advises against all but essential travel to the whole country (avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_whole_country)
source ↗reviewed by the FCDO on
Except for imperative reasons
Travel advice, FDFAour reading: advises against tourist travel
source ↗published by the FDFA on
the United States and France say no · the United Kingdom and Switzerland say except for imperative reasons
Gap: 1 band

The table scrolls to the right.

The table shows disagreements only. A date under a British advisory is the FCDO's own review date, not the date of our reading.

How to read this table

The numbered level shown across this whole site comes from the United States. The State Department publishes four levels, from 1 to 4, mixing crime, terrorism and conflict: that is the level carried by all 207 country pages, by the alerts page and by the colours on the map. France and the United Kingdom are added on top, each with its own rules: France publishes a Security page where AREAS are classified red or orange, and sometimes an advisory covering the whole country; the United Kingdom publishes textual statuses. None of the three grades like the others.

To compare them, we ask all three the same question: is the whole country advised against? It has only three answers, and it is that answer — in words, with its three-step meter — that every cell of the table carries. The number in brackets below is the code used by the CSV and JSON exports; it is not a grade and does not compare to the American level.

Areas are never folded into the answer. A country where France classifies a border strip as red is not a country formally advised against: the scope is geographic, not national. The answer stays No, and the area-level advice appears as a qualifier alongside ("red areas", "orange areas", "parts of the country"), never inside it. Without that separation, dozens of ordinary countries — Thailand first among them — would show maximum disagreement with the United States, a disagreement manufactured by our own reading.

An unreadable source is never read as "no advisory". It is taken out of the calculation, and named. A country is compared as soon as two sources have been read: a disagreement between two states is still a disagreement if the third could not be retrieved, and the row summary then says which one is missing. Below two readings the country leaves the table and the counters entirely — it appears by name in the list of set-aside countries further down. A failed reading — moved page, unknown status, partial response — says nothing about a state's position; inferring "no advisory" from it would publish a clearance nobody gave. For the same reason, a British status we cannot translate voids the reading instead of being ignored.

The table above lists disagreements only. The exports carry every country, including those where all states agree and those excluded, with the reason.

Reusing this data

This comparison is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0), like the site's other datasets. You may copy, quote, republish and use it commercially, including modified, on one condition: credit the source and link to it.

How to credit

Minimum attribution, as text or link:

Source: Maximum Insurance — maximum-insurance.com/divergences, CC BY 4.0

Both exports, with no key and no account: /divergences.csv · /divergences.json

Upstream sources: U.S. Department of State (federal government work, public domain), France Diplomatie and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Open Government Licence v3, commercial use allowed). The three-band normalisation is our editorial work, and it is what you are citing.

Full CC BY 4.0 licence text →

Frequently asked questions

Where does the level shown on this site's country pages come from?

From the U.S. State Department, and from it alone. Every country page shows its level from 1 (exercise normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel): that is the site's reference level, and the only level number we publish. The French and British advisories are added on top, each with its own rules, and this page compares all three.

Why don't the United States, France and the United Kingdom give the same advice on a country?

Because a travel advisory is an act of foreign policy as much as a risk assessment: it depends on the issuing state's diplomatic presence, on how many of its nationals are on the ground and who they are, on bilateral relations, and on its own rating scale. The three administrations often read the same facts and draw different instructions from them.

How can four different scales be compared?

We do not compare the scales: we ask all three the same question — is the whole country advised against? It has only three answers: no (no restriction on the whole country), except for imperative reasons, or yes (formally advised against). Advisories that only target areas within a country stay visible alongside, as a qualifier, and never count as a national restriction.

Is a country with French red areas "formally advised against"?

No. France can classify a border strip as red without advising against the country: the scope is geographic, not national. Conflating the two would manufacture disagreements that do not exist, and would suggest a whole country is off limits. The table keeps them apart, row by row.

Which source should I follow when the three disagree?

The one your policy names. Most French policies refer to the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs; Anglo-Saxon policies cite the FCDO. A disagreement between these states voids no cover by itself — your policy's clause, and the source it designates, are what decide.

May I republish this table?

Yes. The dataset is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (CC BY 4.0): copying, quoting, republishing and commercial use are allowed, including modified, provided you credit Maximum Insurance and link to the page. The CSV and JSON exports need no key and no account.

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