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Travel Risk Ratings – High and Elevated Risk Countries

Updated 6/14/2013

Global Support Services rates the following countries/regions as posing the greatest risk for Harvard travelers. All international travel poses risks for which travelers should prepare. However travel to these particular places requires unusual precautions, and travelers should also consider whether the benefits of their visit outweigh the risks. Click on the country name for further information. For security information about other countries, click here. (Please note that our safety and security partners maintain independent country risk ratings. For Harvard Travel Risk Ratings, refer to those indicated below.)

How the Travel Risk Rating lists are maintained

rating = 1 = High-Risk:
This category includes countries or regions with war zones, wide spread militancy, asymmetric warfare, violent separatist movements or civil war, major epidemic zones, areas of pervasive ideological, political or criminal violence regularly impacting or targeting foreigners, or places without functioning or impaired government services including emergency services with little or no rule of law.

rating = 2 = Elevated-Risk:
This category includes countries or regions with low level conflict including frequent terrorist attacks, high internal tensions (tribal or political), violence that often impacts civilians and other non combatants, violence that may be state sponsored, a rule of law that is ineffective with weak emergency services, and/or an appreciable risk of violent crime perpetrated on foreigners. Countries may be placed on this list during periods of uncertainty or volatility.

rating = 3 = Watch List:
This category includes countries or regions that are not considered High-Risk or Elevated-Risk but that face trends or upcoming events likely to result in heightened risk in the near future.

Please select a country from the drop down list below:

rating = 1

Afghanistan

State Department Travel Warning reissued 1/29/2013
rating = 2

Algeria

State Department Travel Warning reissued on 2/19/2013

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Kabilye region

Includes Tizi Ouzou, Bejaia, Bouira, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Jijel, Boumerdes, and Setif
rating = 1

Southern Algeria

Includes Tindouf, Adrar, Tamanghasset, Illizi
rating = 2

Bangladesh

 
rating = 2

Bahrain

 
rating = 2

Burundi

State Department Travel Warning reissued 4/22/2013
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Bubanza

  
rating = 1

Bujumbura Rural

  
rating = 1

Cibitoke

  
rating = 1

Central African Republic

State Department Travel Warning issued 5/10/2013
rating = 2

Chad

State Department Travel Warning issued 6/11/2013
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

All areas outside N'Djamena

  
rating = 3

Colombia

State Department Travel Warning issued 04/11/2013
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 2

Amazonas

  
rating = 2

Antioquia

Note: Includes the city of Medellin
rating = 1

Arauca

  
rating = 1

Caqeutá

  
rating = 1

Chocó

  
rating = 1

Huila

  
rating = 1

Meta

  
rating = 1

Nariño

  
rating = 2

Norte De Santander

 
rating = 1

Putumayo

  
rating = 2

Valle Del Cauca

 
rating = 2

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

State Department Travel Warning issued 4/24/2013
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Equateur

  
rating = 1

Katanga

  
rating = 1

Maniema

  
rating = 1

North Kivu

  
rating = 1

Orientale

  
rating = 1

South Kivu

  
rating = 2

Cote d'lvoire

State Department Travel Warning issued 5/16/2013
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

All areas outside of Abidjan

  
rating = 2

Egypt

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Areas within 5km of the Gaza border

 
rating = 1

North Sinai Region

 
rating = 1

Port Said

 
rating = 1

Ismailia

 
rating = 1

Suez governorates

 
rating = 3

El Salvador

State Department Travel Warning issued 1/23/2013
rating = 2

Eritrea

State Department Travel Warning issued 5/10/2013
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Ethiopian

 
rating = 1

Sudanese

  
rating = 1

Djiboutian borders

 
rating = 2

Ethiopia

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Afar Region: Zones 1 and 2

 
rating = 1

Amhara Region: N. Gonder Zone

 
rating = 1

Beneshangul Region: Tongo, Asosa, and Metekel Zones

 
rating = 1

Gambella Region

 
rating = 1

Somali Region: Jijiga, Degehabur, Fik, Korahe, Warder, Gode, Afder, and Liben Zones

 
rating = 1

Southern Oromia: Borena Zone

 
rating = 2

Southern Region: South Omo and Bench Maji Zones

 
rating = 1

Tigray Region

 
rating = 1

Western Ormomiya Region: W. Wellega
and Illubabor Zones

 
 

Georgia

 
 

rating = 2 Click for Elevated-Risk Regions

  

Tier

Region

 
rating = 2

Abkhazia

 
rating = 2

South Ossetia

 
rating = 2

Guatemala

 
rating = 1

Guinea (Bissau)

 
rating = 2

Guinea (Conakry)

State Department Travel Warning issued 3/14/2013
rating = 1

Haiti

State Department Travel Warning issued 12/28/2012
rating = 2

Honduras

State Department Travel Warning issued 11/21/2012
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

San Pedro Sula

  
rating = 1

Tegucigalpa

 
rating = 3

India

 
 

rating = 1rating = 2 Click for High- and Elevated-Risk Regions

  

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Asom (Assam)

 
rating = 2

Bihar

 
rating = 2

Chhattisgarh

 
rating = 1

Jammu

 
rating = 2

Jharkhand

 
rating = 1

Kashmir

 
rating = 1

Manipur

 
rating = 1

Nagaland

 
rating = 1

Tripura

 
rating = 2

Andhra Pradesh north of the city of Warangal

 
rating = 2

Maharashtra State east of the city of Wardha

 
rating = 2

border districts of Orissa

 
rating = 2

Western districts of West Bengal

Includes East and West Medinipur, Bankura, Puruliya, Bardhaman, and Birbhum
rating = 3

Indonesia

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

  

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Aceh

 
rating = 1

Maluku

 
rating = 1

Papua

 
rating = 1

West Papua

 
rating = 2

Iran

State Department Travel Warning reissued 5/24/2013

 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Sistan-e Baluchistan

  
rating = 1

Iraq

State Department Travel Warning issued 2/25/2013
rating = 2

Israel

State Department Travel Warning issued 12/20/2012
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

The Gaza Strip and surrounding areas within 10 kms.

  
rating = 1

Within 10 km of the Syrian border

  
rating = 1

Within 10kms of the Israel/Egypt border

  
 

Jordan

  
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Within 10 km of the Syrian border

  
rating = 2

Kenya

State Department Travel Warning issued 1/14/2013.

 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Lamu District

  
rating = 1

North Eastern Province

Includes El Wak, Wajir, Garissa, Mandera, Dadaab, and Liboi.

rating = 1

Korea (North)

State Department Travel Warning issued 3/14/2013.
rating = 3

Korea (South)

 
rating = 2

Kyrgyzstan

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Batkin Province

 
rating = 1

Jala-Abad Province

  
rating = 1

Osh Province

  
rating = 1

Lebanon

State Department Travel Warning issued 4/1/2013
rating = 1

Libya

State Department Travel Warning issued 6/7/2013
rating = 1

Mali

State Department Travel Warning issued 3/22/2013
rating = 2

Mauritania

State Department Travel Warning issued 5/21/2013
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

All areas outside of Nouakchott

  
rating = 2

Mexico

State Department Travel Warning issued 11/20/2012
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Aguascalientes

  
rating = 1

Baja California

  
rating = 1

Chihuahua

  
rating = 1

Coahuila

  
rating = 1

Colima

  
rating = 1

Durango

  
rating = 1

Guerrero

  
rating = 1

Jalisco

  
rating = 1

Michoacan

  
rating = 1

Morelos

  
rating = 1

Nayarit

  
rating = 1

Nuevo Leon

  
rating = 1

San Luis Potosi

  
rating = 1

Sinaloa

  
rating = 1

Sonora

  
rating = 1

Tamaulipas

  
rating = 1

Veracruz

  
rating = 1

Zacatecas

  
rating = 3

Myanmar

 
 

rating = 2 Click for Elevated-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 2

Rakhine State

  
rating = 3

Nepal

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Terai

  
rating = 2

Niger

State Department Travel Warning issued 6/14/2013
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Mali border area

  
rating = 1

Nigeria border area

  
rating = 1

Any area north of the towns of Tahoua, Tanouf, and Ngourti

  
rating = 1

Nigeria

State Department Travel Warning updated 6/3/2013
rating = 1

Pakistan

State Department Travel Warning issued 4/9/2013
rating = 2

Palestinian Territories

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Gaza Strip

  
rating = 2

Papua New Guinea
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Any area outside Port Moresby

  
rating = 3

Philippines

State Department Travel Warning issued 1/30/2013
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Mindanao island

  
rating = 1

Sulu archipelago

  
rating = 3

Russia

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

  

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Chechnya

 
rating = 1

Dagestan

 
rating = 1

Ingushetia

 
rating = 1

Kabardino-Balkaria

 
rating = 1

Karachaevo-Cherkessia

 
rating = 1

North Ossetia

 
rating = 3

Rwanda

 
 

rating = 2 Click for Elevated-Risk Regions

  

Tier

Region

 
rating = 2

Western border with Burundi

 
rating = 2

border with Congo (DRC)

 
rating = 2

Saudi Arabia

State Department Travel Warning issued 11/19/2012
rating = 3

Senegal

 
 

rating = 2 Click for Elevated-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 2

Casamance

  
rating = 1

Somalia

State Department Travel Warning issued 12/26/2012
rating = 2

Sudan

State Department Travel Warning issued 4/16/2013
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Blue Nile

  
rating = 1

Darfur

  
rating = 1

Southern Kordofan

  
rating = 1

Abyei Special Administrative District

  
rating = 1

Sudan (South)

State Department Travel Warning issued 3/29/2013
rating = 1

Syria

State Department Travel Warning issued 3/1/2013
rating = 2

Tajikistan

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

  

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Garm

 
rating = 1

Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast

  
rating = 1

Tavildara

 
rating = 1

Afghanistan border areas

 
rating = 3

Thailand

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

  

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Narathiwat

 
rating = 1

Pattani

 
rating = 1

Yala

 
rating = 1

Tunisia

State Department Travel Warning issued 3/13/2013
 

rating = 2 Click for Elevated-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 2

Tunis

 
 

Turkey

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Within 10 km of the Syrian border

  
rating = 2

Uganda

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

  

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Karamoja

 
rating = 1

Border areas with Congo (DRC)

 
rating = 1

Border with South Sudan

 
rating = 2

Uzbekistan

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

  

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Fergana Valley

 
rating = 1

Afghanistan border areas

 
rating = 1

Kyrgyzstan border areas

 
rating = 2

Venezuela

 
 

rating = 1 Click for High-Risk Regions

Tier

Region

 
rating = 1

Colombian border areas

 
rating = 1

Yemen

State Department Travel Warning issued 11/19/2012
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