Common menu bar links
Travel Information Program
A: Travel Reports provide Canadians travelling abroad with the Government of Canada’s official information and advice on situations that may affect their personal safety and security in foreign countries. Travel Reports may include a Travel Warning for a country, or region(s) of a country, where security conditions put Canadians at higher risk to their personal safety. Travel Reports help Canadians make their own informed decisions regarding destinations and itineraries to minimize risk while abroad.
Q: Who should read Travel Reports?
A: Travel Reports are aimed at all Canadian travellers: tourists, business travellers, students, those living overseas—in fact, anyone who ventures abroad.
Q: How are Travel Reports developed and maintained?
A: The Emergency Operations Centre receives continuous reports on safety and security situations abroad and monitors world events 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Information is gathered from a variety of sources. In addition, trends and incidents affecting international travellers are examined. Travel Reports are updated promptly to respond to events that may affect the personal safety and security of Canadians abroad.
Q: How often are Travel Reports revised?
A: Revisions are done on a cyclical basis. In addition, Travel Reports are updated as required if conditions change. The first priority is the safety and security of Canadians abroad.
Q: What do the four different risk levels mean?
A: Each Travel Report contains a graph indicating the country’s overall level of security risk. There may be more than one graph if there is a Travel Warning for a specific region or regions.
The four levels are as follows:
Exercise normal security precautions |
Exercise high degree of caution |
Avoid non-essential travel |
Avoid all travel |
There are no significant security concerns.
Exercise normal security precautions |
Exercise high degree of caution |
Avoid non-essential travel |
Avoid all travel |
There are identifiable security concerns, and travellers should be alert and vigilant to their surroundings.
Exercise normal security precautions |
Exercise high degree of caution |
Avoid non-essential travel |
Avoid all travel |
There is a specific security concern, and travellers should reconsider their need to travel at this time.
Exercise normal security precautions |
Exercise high degree of caution |
Avoid non-essential travel |
Avoid all travel |
There is an extreme risk to personal safety, and Canadians should not travel at this time.
NOTE: “Avoid non-essential travel” and “Avoid all travel” both constitute a formal Travel Warning.
Q: How do you determine the level of a country or region?
A: There is no strict formula. The level is based on an overall assessment of the current security situation in a country or region, but this assessment is not exhaustive.
Q: How do I determine whether it is safe for me to travel?
A: Travel Reports and Warnings provide advice and recommendations about safety and security conditions abroad to enable travellers to make their own informed decisions regarding destinations. The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the traveller.
Travel Warnings
A: Travel Warnings appear in individual Travel Reports and provide the Government of Canada’s official advice against travel to a country or specific region(s) of a country. A Travel Warning may be issued recommending that Canadians avoid “all travel” or “non-essential travel” to a country or region, and in some cases recommending that Canadians depart that country or region. The definition of “non-essential travel” is a personal decision, based on each individual’s family or business requirements, knowledge of a country or region, and other issues.
Q: When does the Government of Canada issue a Travel Warning?
A: There are many events that can trigger the issuance of a Travel Warning, including the threat of terrorism, civil unrest, war, rebellion, natural disasters, political instability, and health emergencies.
Q: How often are Travel Warnings revised?
A: The Government of Canada closely monitors safety and security conditions in foreign countries, particularly countries that have a Travel Warning. As new information becomes available, the threat level is reassessed, and the Travel Warning may be upgraded or downgraded.
Q: Should I cancel my trip if a Travel Warning has been issued, and can I get a refund for my cancelled trip?
A: The Government of Canada strongly recommends that Canadians follow this advice to ensure their personal safety and security. Before cancelling, check with your travel agent, your travel insurer, or the airline/tour operator, as cancelling a scheduled trip may cost you money. Travel insurers generally take the government’s Travel Warnings into account when deciding on their refund/reimbursement policy, but there is no legal or contractual obligation for them to do so. The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the traveller.
Current Issues
A: Current Issues provide Canadian travellers with time-sensitive and event-driven information and advice on matters that could affect their personal safety and security abroad for a specific period of time.
Travel Updates
Q: How can I keep track of the safety and security situation abroad?
A: Subscribe to Travel Updates to receive an email that provides a daily synopsis of changes made to Travel Reports and Current Issues. You may also call our Emergency Operations Centre at 1-800-267-6788 or 613-944-6788.
