As of 2026-05-15, multiple official advisories tell travelers to avoid all travel to the United Arab Emirates; others advise postponing tourist and non-urgent trips because of military activity, regional escalation, possible flight disruption, border disruption, and security conditions that may change without notice.
What Is Being Advised
Avoid all travel to the UAE if your home government has issued its highest-level warning. If your advisory is softer, skip tourist and non-urgent trips, postpone flexible travel, and verify airline, airport, border, and local authority updates before moving.
If you are already in the UAE, monitor official updates daily, stay away from security or military facilities, avoid places linked to the United States or Israel, and follow shelter-in-place instructions if local authorities issue them. Flights and land borders may change quickly: Spain notes partially open airspace with safe corridors, plus possible temporary closures, delays, and cancellations.
Where exactly this applies
- The highest-level advisories apply to the United Arab Emirates nationwide.
- Italy separately flags the Tonb islands and Abu Musa area for particular caution.
- The UK warning names areas around security or military facilities and US- or Israeli-linked organisations, businesses, facilities, and institutions.
- Italy's current update concerns border restrictions and flight disruption.
- Spain notes regional volatility, partly open airspace, possible temporary closures, delays, and flight cancellations.
Organizations issuing warnings
- 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 Advice Is Strong
Japan, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand currently advise avoiding travel to the UAE. Canada cites ongoing military activities and warns that the security situation could deteriorate without notice. New Zealand cites the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East and the current risk from military strikes and armed conflict.
Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, the UK, and Spain advise avoiding non-essential or tourist travel. Spain tells travelers to postpone travel to the UAE until further notice. Switzerland advises against tourist and non-urgent travel.
The UK adds a specific location warning: regional escalation has created significant security risks and travel disruption, and Iran has publicly stated an intention to target locations associated with the United States and Israel. Avoid security or military facilities and US- or Israeli-linked organisations, businesses, facilities, and institutions.
Flights, Borders, And Delays
Italy's current update covers security, flights, and the land border. Spain says airspace is partly open with safe corridors, but temporary closures, delays, and cancellations remain possible. For essential movement, add slack, check airline status directly, and keep enough cash, medication, and accommodation flexibility for a delayed departure.
The UK says commercial flights to the UK have resumed from the UAE and that it has paused its "register your interest in flights from UAE" scheme. UK nationals still in the UAE can register their presence for updates and should check commercial airline availability if they need to leave.
Source Notes
The advisories do not all use the same wording. Four use avoid-all-travel language or equivalent, five advise avoiding non-essential travel, and one has an active heightened-caution security update. For traveler decisions, follow the strongest relevant home-government warning.
The update dates differ: Japan updated on 2026-05-13, Australia on 2026-05-11, Ireland on 2026-05-07, Canada and Italy's current disruption update on 2026-05-04, France on 2026-04-24, Switzerland on 2026-04-22, the UK on 2026-04-14, and New Zealand on 2026-03-01. Listed advisories were checked on 2026-05-14 where a checked date was supplied.
Official source notes
Official source notes used for this article. Native government labels are preserved when available.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (jp) (avoid all travel; native label: レベル３：渡航は止めてください。（渡航中止勧告）《継続》; updated 2026-05-13; checked 2026-05-14): United Arab Emirates: レベル３：渡航は止めてください。（渡航中止勧告）《継続》. Japan MOFA keeps United Arab Emirates nationwide at レベル３：渡航は止めてください。（渡航中止勧告）《継続》; travelers should not travel. The update notes cite ongoing security risks and advise travelers to monitor reliable information and take sufficient safety measures.
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (au) (avoid all travel; native label: Do not travel; updated 2026-05-11; checked 2026-05-14): Smartraveller advisory for United Arab Emirates: Do not travel. Australia Smartraveller lists United Arab Emirates at "Do not travel" on its current destinations index. The destination entry was updated on 2026-05-11.
- Global Affairs Canada (ca) (avoid all travel; native label: Avoid all travel; updated 2026-05-04; checked 2026-05-14): United Arab Emirates - Avoid all travel. Avoid all travel to the United Arab Emirates due to the ongoing military activities. The security situation could deteriorate further without notice. Shelter in place if instructed to by local authorities.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (nz) (avoid all travel; native label: Do not travel; updated 2026-03-01; checked 2026-05-14): United Arab Emirates: Do not travel. Do not travel to the United Arab Emirates, due to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East and the current risk posed by military strikes and armed conflict (Level 4 of 4).
- Department of Foreign Affairs (ie) (avoid non-essential travel; native label: Avoid Non-Essential Travel; updated 2026-05-07; checked 2026-05-14): Ireland DFA: Avoid non-essential travel - United Arab Emirates. Ireland DFA currently advises avoiding non-essential travel to United Arab Emirates. Tourists should avoid non-essential trips unless the journey is essential.
- Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (it) (avoid non-essential travel; native label: ultimaora - EMIRATI ARABI UNITI: SICUREZZA, SITUAZIONE VOLI, FRONTIERA VIA TERRA – AGGIORNAMENTO.; updated 2026-05-04; checked 2026-05-14): EMIRATI ARABI UNITI: SICUREZZA, SITUAZIONE VOLI, FRONTIERA VIA TERRA – AGGIORNAMENTO.. Official Viaggiare Sicuri current update for Emirati Arabi Uniti: transport or border disruption. It concerns border restrictions and flight disruption. The official advice is to avoid non-essential travel, postpone travel, or reassess planned trips.
- Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (ch) (avoid non-essential travel; native label: none — Von touristischen und nicht dringenden Reisen wird abgeraten; updated 2026-04-22; checked 2026-05-14): FDFA travel advice for United Arab Emirates. The FDFA advises against tourist and non-urgent travel to United Arab Emirates. The current FDFA update note was published on 2026-04-22.
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gb) (avoid non-essential travel; native label: FCDO advises against all but essential travel; updated 2026-04-14; checked 2026-05-14): United Arab Emirates: FCDO advises against all but essential travel. FCDO advises against all but essential travel to United Arab Emirates Find out more about why FCDO advises against travel.
- Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Union Europea y Cooperacion (es) (avoid non-essential travel; native label: SE ACONSEJA APLAZAR SU VIAJE A EAU HASTA NUEVO AVISO.; checked 2026-05-14): United Arab Emirates: postpone travel until further notice. Spain advises postponing travel to the UAE until further notice due to regional volatility. It notes partially open airspace with safe corridors, but possible temporary closures, delays, and flight cancellations.
- Ministere de l'Europe et des Affaires etrangeres (fr) (heightened caution; native label: Dernières minutes; updated 2026-04-24; checked 2026-05-14): Émirats arabes unis - Situation sécuritaire. France Diplomatie has an active 'Dernières minutes' update for Émirats arabes unis, titled 'Situation sécuritaire'. The update concerns security or civil disruption; the original French excerpt is included for exact official wording.
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gb) (heightened caution; native label: FCDO travel warning; updated 2026-04-14; checked 2026-05-14): United Arab Emirates: Register your presence. Register your presence With commercial flights resuming to the UK from United Arab Emirates (UAE), we are pausing our ‘register your interest in flights from UAE’ scheme. If you are still in UAE and need to get back to the UK, please check availability with the commercial airlines. You can still register your presence if you are in UAE for further updates.
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gb) (heightened caution; native label: Current FCDO warning; updated 2026-04-14; checked 2026-05-14): United Arab Emirates: Regional escalation. Regional escalation Regional escalation poses significant security risks and has led to travel disruption. The Iranian regime has publicly stated its intention to target locations associated with the United States and Israel. This includes US or Israeli-linked organisations, businesses, facilities and institutions. Stay away from areas around security or military facilities, and US or Israeli-linked locations.
- Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (it) (heightened caution; native label: sicurezza - Area di particolare cautela; updated 2026-01-01; checked 2026-05-14): Area di particolare cautela. Official Viaggiare Sicuri marks Emirati Arabi Uniti-Isole Tonb e Abu Musa in Emirati Arabi Uniti for above-baseline travel caution due to security risks. Travelers are advised to use heightened caution and follow local authority instructions.
- Ministere de l'Europe et des Affaires etrangeres (fr) (heightened caution; native label: Dernières minutes; checked 2026-05-14): Émirats arabes unis - Situation sécuritaire. France Diplomatie has an active 'Dernières minutes' update for Émirats arabes unis, titled 'Situation sécuritaire'. The update concerns security or civil disruption; the original French excerpt is included for exact official wording.