Active conflict or extreme danger; travel is strongly discouraged. Civil liberties are tightly restricted and political expression can carry risk.
Regional breakdown
The picture inside Eritrea shifts a lot depending on where you are. The capital, Asmara, is where most foreign visitors stay. It is also where the international Embassy and other diplomatic staff are based. Movement outside Asmara is tightly controlled. Travellers need internal permits from Eritrean authorities to leave the city, and these are not always granted. The official advisory guidance warns against all travel within 25km of every land border. That covers the frontiers with Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti. The official advisory guidance flags a longer list of named places. These include Nakfa, Adi Keih and Arezza in the highlands, plus the 25-mile strip between the Setit and Mereb rivers. Areas north and west of Keren are also called out. Other named locations under heightened US caution include the Red Sea port of Massawa. The town of Ghinda on the Asmara–Massawa road, and the western lowland centres of Agordat and Barentu. Dekemhare south of Asmara and the area south of Tessenei near the Sudanese border round out the list. Landmines left from past wars remain a documented hazard in many of these zones, and roads can be closed without warning.
Recent advisory changes
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office last updated its Eritrea page on 27 January 2026. The official advisory guidance advises against all travel within 25km of Eritrea's land borders. It also flags rising tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and warns the situation could change fast. If a crisis develops, official advisory guidance notes that the ability to move inside the country, or to leave it, may be cut off quickly. travellers travelling against official advisory guidance advice may find their travel insurance invalid. The official advisory guidance currently rates Eritrea at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution. That advisory was last reissued on 31 July 2023, so it has not been refreshed in some time. Washington cites travel restrictions, limited consular help, landmines and wrongful detentions as the main reasons. US government staff need special authorisation to leave Asmara. The official advisory guidance also records cases where travellers were arrested without formal charges, and where Eritrean authorities blocked consular access. Neither government has issued an ordered departure for diplomatic staff at the time of this review.
What travellers should know
Consular support in Eritrea is thin. The international Embassy in Asmara cannot send staff into areas where official advisory guidance advises against travel. Embassy officers themselves need Eritrean government permits to move outside the capital. In some past cases, Eritrean authorities have refused consular access to detained foreign nationals. international-Eritrean dual nationals get no UK consular help at all, and may be treated as Eritrean citizens. That can mean tax obligations and call-up for national service. Practical planning matters more here than in most destinations. Travellers should expect to apply for internal travel permits before leaving Asmara, and accept that requests can be refused. Mobile data and international card payments are unreliable, so cash in small denominations is useful. Landmines are a known risk off main roads in the regions named above. So travellers are typically advised to stick to sealed routes and use local guides. Anyone planning a trip should check official advisory guidance and official advisory guidance pages close to departure. Register with their embassy on arrival, and confirm that their travel insurance covers the regions they intend to visit.