Travel · Official advice · 16 October 2026
FCDO updates travel advice for Ethiopia regions and borders
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has announced updated travel guidance for Ethiopia. The advice against travel applies to specific regions and border zones, including Tigray, Amhara, and Gambela.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has published updated travel advice for Ethiopia. The guidance covers safety, security, and specific areas where travel is currently advised against. The department has outlined restrictions for several regions and border zones.
Travel is advised against to the Tigray, Amhara, and Gambela regions. Restrictions also apply within 20km of the border with Sudan and 10km of the border with South Sudan. The advice against travel extends to 20km of the border with Eritrea and 100km from the Ethiopian border with Somalia and Kenya in the Somali region.
Further restrictions are in place for the Afar and Somali regions. Travel is advised against within 50km of the boundary with Tigray in the Afar region and 30km from the Ethiopia-Somalia border in Fafan zone. In the rest of the Somali region, travel is advised against within 100km of the borders with Somalia and Kenya.
The guidance adds that travel is advised against within 10km of the border with Kenya in Oromia region. It also covers areas within 10km of the borders with South Sudan and Kenya in the Central, Southern, Sidama, and South West regions. Travel is advised against within 20km of the border with Eritrea in the Afar region.
Exceptions exist for certain routes and zones. Travel is not advised against within 10km either side of the Addis Ababa to Adaba expressway between Addis Ababa and Bishoftu. The advice against all but essential travel applies to the rest of the Afar region and the Siti zone in the Somali region.
The announcement does not state a specific start date for when these changes take effect. It also does not provide details on the current security situation that prompted the update. The guidance remains static without a stated review date or timeline for future changes.
Written by StreetOwl from Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s own announcement. It was drafted by StreetOwl’s own model, every figure and quotation was checked by code against the announcement, and it was read and approved by Michael Rossi before it went up. It says what was announced, not what anyone should do about it.
← Back to StreetOwl