[category]
[title]
Update, March 2026: This month, many Middle Eastern countries have been added to Australia's 'do not travel' list due to the volatile security situation and military strikes, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
You know that saying, “safety first”? When it comes to travel, it’s one of the best pieces of advice you can follow. Exploring an unfamiliar country is exciting, but can also be an overwhelming experience, so the last thing you want is to find yourself in a risky situation. To help keep your adventures stress-free this year, we’ve pulled together a handy guide on all the destinations Smarttraveller is warning Australian travellers to avoid in 2026.
The Australian government's Smartraveller website is known for providing up-to-date travel advice for 178 destinations worldwide. Each country is assigned an ‘advice level’ that reflects the risk for Aussie travellers, ranging from ‘Level one: Exercise normal safety precautions’ to ‘Level four: Do not travel’.
Currently, Smarttraveller is urging Australians to steer clear of 31 countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. Meanwhile, as of March 12, 2026, Aussies are also being advised to 'Reconsider their need to travel to' 12 destinations. Some of these inclusions are long-standing, such as Nigeria, Ethiopia and Pakistan, while others pop up momentarily due to unforeseen events, like political strikes. It’s worth checking the list frequently to stay up-to-date on any movers and shakers. You can see the current list of destinations to avoid below.
The destinations Australian travellers should avoid in 2026
- Bahrain (as of Mar 12)
- Israel (as of Mar 12)
- Kuwait (as of Mar 12)
- Kuwait (as of Mar 12)
- Qatar (as of Mar 12)
- United Arab Emirates (as of Mar 11)
- Lebanon (as of Mar 11)
- Iran (as of Mar 10)
- Iraq (as of Mar 10)
- Palestine (as of Mar 10)
- Yemen (as of Mar 10)
- Syria (as of Mar 10)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (as of Mar 6)
- Mali (as of Mar 2)
- Afghanistan (as of Mar 1)
- Ukraine (as of Feb 27)
- Haiti (as of Feb 26)
- Russia (as of Feb 20)
- Belarus (as of Feb 20)
- North Korea (as of Feb 19)
- Niger (as of Feb 12)
- Myanmar (as of Feb 4)
- Libya (as of Jan 28)
- Somalia (as of Jan 28)
- South Sudan (as of Jan 23)
- Sudan (as of Jan 23)
- Central African Republic (as of Jan 21)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (as of Jan 21)
- Burkina Faso (as of Jan 20)
- Venezuela (as of Jan 9)
- Chad (as of Nov 10, 2025)