Eastern Egypt Off-Limits to Travelers

The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) today announced new advice against all travel within 20km of the Arab Republic of Egypt-Libya border, except for El Salloum, where it advises against all but essential travel.

On January 8, 2025, the U.K. confirmed travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the FCDO. 

Previously, the U.S. Department of State issued a Travel Advisory on October 15, 2024, indicating visiting Egypt was a Level 3, Reconsider Travel status due to the U.S. Embassy’s limited ability to assist dual national U.S.-Egyptian citizens.

And some areas in Egypt have increased risk, such as:

The Northern and Middle Sinai Peninsula,

The Western Desert,

Egyptian border areas.

The State Department advised keeping travel documents up to date and easily accessible and making contingency plans to leave the country without U.S. government assistance.

If you visit Egypt in 2025, enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive alerts and make locating you in an emergency easier.=

From a health perspective, the U.S. CDC advises awareness of current health issues in Egypt, such as Variant Poliovirus Type 2.

The WHO’s International Travel and Health recommends that all travelers to polio-affected areas be fully vaccinated against polio. Residents (and visitors for more than four weeks) from infected areas should receive an additional dose of OPV or inactivated polio vaccine within one to twelve months of travel.

In the U.S., polio vaccinations are offered at travel clinics and pharmacies in 2025.