Canadians love to travel outside of Canada, and many live around the world. To help Canadians plan for safe visits and enjoy their time abroad, the Government of Canada offers advice on safe travel.
The Travel Advice and Advisories (TAAs) are official Government of Canada information and advice on safety and security conditions abroad to help travellers make informed and responsible decisions about their travel.
TAAs give travellers accurate and up-to-date information on situations that may affect their safety and well-being when they are travelling or living outside of Canada. This information may relate to health, safety or security considerations, local laws and culture, exit and entry requirements or climate and natural disasters.
The Government of Canada closely monitors safety and security conditions in foreign countries, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Based on reliable information, the TAAs are updated to respond to events that may affect the personal safety and security of Canadians abroad.
TAAs include risk levels. There are 4 risk levels, and they are colour-coded to help you identify them:
- Green: Exercise normal security precautions—like you would while in Canada
- Yellow: Exercise a high degree of caution—there are reasons to be more careful in this area
- Orange: Avoid non-essential travel—you should think seriously about whether you need to travel there
- Red: Avoid all travel—high-risk area; we recommend not going there at all
When new information on a destination becomes available, the risk level is reassessed to determine if a travel advisory should be issued, upgraded, downgraded or removed. Global Affairs Canada makes the decision to update TAAs in consultation with the Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate responsible for the foreign destination.
Canadians should know that if a Travel Advisory is issued for their destination, it may affect their travel insurance. You should carefully read the terms and conditions of your insurance policy.
As one of the government’s consular officers explains, “Before going abroad, there are a few key things that Canadians should do to avoid difficult situations. Canadians should have a good travel insurance policy, a financial situation that guarantees they have enough money to pay for a flight back home or to retain the services of a lawyer, as well as a good understanding of the laws that could impact them, including dual citizenship and import and export laws.”
Canadians are responsible for their decisions to travel to specific destinations. Following the Government of Canada’s official travel advice can help you make better-informed decisions in relation to your personal safety and security.