Official advisories say to avoid all travel to Afghanistan nationwide as of 2026-05-15. The newest update in the source set was Germany's 2026-05-14 advisory, which also tells German nationals to leave and says local German consular support is unavailable because the embassy in Kabul is closed.
What Is Being Advised
Avoid all travel to Afghanistan. If you are planning a trip, postpone it. If you are already in Afghanistan, check your own government's departure advice, confirm whether commercial transport is still operating, and monitor official updates before any movement.
The advice applies nationwide, including Kabul, Kandahar, Bamiyan, border regions, and overland routes. Official advisories name volatile security conditions, terrorist attacks, armed conflict, kidnapping, arbitrary arrest and detention, high crime, human rights violations, Afghanistan-Pakistan border clashes, and disruption to border crossings or flights.
Organizations issuing warnings
- Auswartiges Amt (Germany)
- Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland)
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia)
- Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (Switzerland)
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (United Kingdom)
- Global Affairs Canada
- Ministere de l'Europe et des Affaires etrangeres (France)
- Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Union Europea y Cooperacion (Spain)
- Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (Italy)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand)
Why The Advisories Are So Firm
Germany's 2026-05-14 update warns against all travel, calls on German nationals to leave, and says the German embassy in Kabul is closed. It cites recent Afghanistan-Pakistan border fighting, strikes on Kabul and Kandahar, possible renewed air attacks, and regional volatility linked to the Iran conflict.
Canada's 2026-05-06 advisory lists volatile security conditions, terrorist attacks, ongoing armed conflict, kidnapping, arbitrary arrest and detention, high crime, and widespread human rights violations by the de facto authorities. Ireland's 2026-05-05 advice points to an extremely volatile security situation, terrorism risk, and severe limits on human rights.
Spain's 2026-04-24 advisory says not to travel to Afghanistan under any circumstances. It names kidnapping or attack risk across the country and cites the May 2024 terrorist attack against tourists in Bamiyan.
The United Kingdom's 2026-02-27 advice says travel throughout Afghanistan is extremely dangerous. It says several border crossings are currently closed, Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions have caused violent clashes in border regions, and British nationals face a heightened detention risk.
Japan keeps Afghanistan at Level 4, with advice to evacuate and not travel. New Zealand lists Afghanistan as level 4 of 4, "Do not travel." Switzerland advises against all travel and any stays in Afghanistan.
Border And Transport Notes
Check borders, flights, and departure options before making any movement plan. The source material mentions closed border crossings and flight disruption. It does not support a broader claim that flying is safer than overland travel or that one route is the safer choice.
Italy's March 2026 current update concerns armed conflict and flight disruption, and advises Italian nationals present to consider leaving where commercial options remain available. The UK advisory separately notes that some border crossings are currently closed.
Source Notes
Eleven issuing governments in the source set advise avoiding all travel to Afghanistan, with no softer overall traveler action in the packet. Italy and the UK each contribute more than one current Afghanistan item, so the source material contains 13 individual official notices.
Official source notes
Official source notes used for this article. Native government labels are preserved when available.
- Auswartiges Amt (de) (avoid all travel; native label: Reisewarnung; updated 2026-05-14; checked 2026-05-14): Afghanistan: Reisewarnung. Germany warns against all travel to Afghanistan and calls on German nationals to leave; the German embassy in Kabul is closed and local consular support is not available. The current page cites recent Afghanistan-Pakistan border fighting, strikes on Kabul and Kandahar, possible renewed air attacks, and regional volatility linked to the Iran conflict.
- Global Affairs Canada (ca) (avoid all travel; native label: Avoid all travel; updated 2026-05-06; checked 2026-05-14): Afghanistan - Avoid all travel. Avoid all travel to Afghanistan due to the volatile security situation, terrorist attacks, ongoing armed conflict, the risk of kidnapping, arbitrary arrest and detention, the high crime rate, and widespread violations of human rights by the de facto authorities.
- Department of Foreign Affairs (ie) (avoid all travel; native label: Do Not Travel; updated 2026-05-05; checked 2026-05-14): Ireland DFA: Do not travel - Afghanistan. Ireland DFA currently rates Afghanistan as Do Not Travel. Ireland DFA strongly advises against all travel to Afghanistan due to the extremely volatile security situation, high risk of terrorism, and the severe limitation of human rights in the country.
- Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (it) (avoid all travel; native label: sicurezza - Area di particolare cautela; updated 2026-05-03; checked 2026-05-14): Area di particolare cautela. Official Viaggiare Sicuri marks Afghanistan in Afghanistan for above-baseline travel caution due to security risks. The official advice is to avoid travel there.
- Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Union Europea y Cooperacion (es) (avoid all travel; native label: SE RECOMIENDA NO VIAJAR BAJO NINGUNA CIRCUNSTANCIA A AFGANISTÁN.; updated 2026-04-24; checked 2026-05-14): Afghanistan: do not travel under any circumstances. Spain recommends not traveling to Afghanistan under any circumstances. The advice cites a high risk of kidnapping or attack across the country, including the May 2024 terrorist attack against tourists in Bamiyan.
- Ministere de l'Europe et des Affaires etrangeres (fr) (avoid all travel; native label: Dernières minutes; updated 2026-03-19; checked 2026-05-14): Afghanistan - Situation sécuritaire. France Diplomatie has an active 'Dernières minutes' update for Afghanistan, titled 'Situation sécuritaire'. The update concerns security or civil disruption; the original French excerpt is included for exact official wording.
- Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (it) (avoid all travel; native label: ultimaora - AFGHANISTAN: sicurezza.; updated 2026-03-17; checked 2026-05-14): AFGHANISTAN: sicurezza.. Official Viaggiare Sicuri current update for Afghanistan: transport or border disruption. It concerns armed conflict and flight disruption. Italian nationals present are advised to consider leaving where commercial options remain available.
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (au) (avoid all travel; native label: Do not travel; updated 2026-03-01; checked 2026-05-14): Smartraveller advisory for Afghanistan: Do not travel. Australia Smartraveller lists Afghanistan at "Do not travel" on its current destinations index. The destination entry was updated on 2026-03-01.
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gb) (avoid all travel; native label: FCDO advises against all travel; updated 2026-02-27; checked 2026-05-14): Afghanistan: FCDO advises against all travel. FCDO advises against all travel to Afghanistan You should not travel to Afghanistan. The security situation is volatile and tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have previously resulted in violent clashes in border regions. Travel throughout Afghanistan is extremely dangerous and a number of border crossings are not currently open. There is a heightened risk of British nationals being detained in Afghanistan.
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gb) (avoid all travel; native label: FCDO advises against all travel; updated 2026-02-27; checked 2026-05-14): Afghanistan: Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions. Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions There are heighted tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, including clashes in border areas. FCDO advises against all travel to Afghanistan. Sign up to get email notifications when this travel advice is updated.
- Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (ch) (avoid all travel; native label: general — Von Reisen nach Afghanistan und von Aufenthalten jeder Art wird abgeraten; updated 2026-01-22; checked 2026-05-14): FDFA travel advice for Afghanistan. The FDFA advises against all travel to Afghanistan and any stays there. The current FDFA update note was published on 2026-01-22.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (jp) (avoid all travel; native label: レベル4：退避してください。渡航は止めてください。（退避勧告）（継続）; updated 2025-08-13; checked 2026-05-14): Afghanistan: レベル4：退避してください。渡航は止めてください。（退避勧告）（継続）. Japan MOFA keeps Afghanistan nationwide at レベル4：退避してください。渡航は止めてください。（退避勧告）（継続）; travelers should evacuate and not travel. The update notes cite ongoing security risks and advise travelers to monitor reliable information and take sufficient safety measures.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (nz) (avoid all travel; native label: Do not travel; updated 2024-11-27; checked 2026-05-14): Afghanistan: Do not travel. Do not travel to Afghanistan (level 4 of 4).