Two official advisories checked on 2026-05-14 tell travelers to avoid all travel to Western Sahara or warned parts of it. The strongest advice remains in force as of 2026-05-15, with security risks tied to the disputed territory and the Berm boundary.
What Is Being Advised
Avoid all travel where the official advice applies. Skip casual overland travel through Western Sahara, including add-on routes from Morocco, Mauritania, or regional desert trips. If you are already in an affected area, follow local instructions, monitor official updates, and leave if your government advice tells you to evacuate.
Check the exact area before booking transport or accommodation. One official advisory applies its avoid-all-travel advice to areas within 30km north and west of the Berm and to territory south and east of the Berm. Another official advisory keeps Western Sahara in its highest warning tier for at least part of the listed area.
Where exactly this applies
- Areas in Western Sahara within 30km north and west of the Berm boundary line.
- Territory south and east of the Berm boundary line.
- The Berm is the militarised boundary between Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara and territory to the east controlled by the Polisario Front.
- Japan MOFA lists Western Sahara in multiple warning tiers on the same 2025-02-19 notice, including Level 4, Level 3, and Level 1 entries. Treat the Level 4 and Level 3 entries as the practical constraint unless you have checked the exact Japanese area wording for your route.
Organizations issuing warnings
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, United Kingdom. Updated 2025-12-10; checked 2026-05-14.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan. Updated 2025-02-19; checked 2026-05-14.
What The Advisories Say
The UK advisory gives the clearest map constraint: avoid all travel within 30km north and west of the Berm, and avoid all travel south and east of the Berm. It describes Western Sahara as a disputed territory and identifies the Berm as the militarised boundary between Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara and Polisario Front-controlled territory. Source: FCDO Western Sahara warnings and insurance.
Japan's MOFA notice uses stronger traveler-facing language, but the extracted area scope is less simple. Its Level 4 wording tells travelers to evacuate and stop travel. The same 2025-02-19 source also includes Level 3 language telling travelers not to travel, plus a Level 1 caution entry for another listed scope. Source: Japan MOFA hazard information, 2025T019.
Practical Read
If your route crosses near the Berm, south or east of it, or through unclear territory, skip it unless you have a specific reason and current official clearance. The official inputs support three practical moves: avoid the warned areas, verify the exact scope, and build slack if your plans depend on border crossings or onward transport.
Check the newest source pages before paying for anything non-refundable. The UK page was updated on 2025-12-10 and checked here on 2026-05-14. The Japan MOFA page was updated on 2025-02-19 and checked here on 2026-05-14.
Source Notes
Official source notes
Official source notes used for this article. Native government labels are preserved when available.
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gb) (avoid all travel; native label: FCDO advises against all travel; updated 2025-12-10; checked 2026-05-14): Western Sahara: FCDO advises against all travel. Areas where FCDO advises against all travel FCDO advises against all travel to: Areas in Western Sahara within 30km North and West of ‘the Berm’ boundary line Areas in Western Sahara the territory south and east of ‘the Berm’ boundary line Western Sahara is a disputed territory. The Berm is the militarised boundary between Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara and territory to the east controlled by the Polisario Front.
- 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 2025-02-19; checked 2026-05-14): Western Sahara: 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 Western Sahara in the listed area 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 (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 2025-02-19; checked 2026-05-14): Western Sahara: 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 Western Sahara in the listed area 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.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (jp) (heightened caution; native label: レベル1：十分注意してください。（継続）; updated 2025-02-19; checked 2026-05-14): Western Sahara: レベル1：十分注意してください。（継続）. Japan MOFA keeps Western Sahara in the listed area at レベル1：十分注意してください。（継続）; travelers should exercise a high degree of caution. The update notes cite ongoing security risks and advise travelers to monitor reliable information and take sufficient safety measures.