What do Canada's travel risk ratings and advisories actually mean?
If you’re planning a trip, it’s always a good idea to check out Canada’s travel warnings before solidifying your itinerary.
If you’re unfamiliar with them, the Travel Advice and Advisories (TAAs) are the Government of Canada’s official information source for those planning to travel abroad.
TAAs are updated daily based on the Government of Canada’s monitoring of security conditions in countries worldwide.
The TAAs also have four colour-coded risk levels to help travellers understand the dangers of travel based on the destination.
Government of Canada
Green indicates travellers should exercise normal security precautions, as you would while in Canada.
Yellow means travellers should exercise a “high degree of caution” as there are particular reasons to be more cautious for that specific area.
When a destination is coded orange, it means that one should avoid non-essential travel to that place and “think seriously” about whether one needs to go there.
Red indicates that all travel to that area should be avoided.
Navigating the travel advisories website
When you go to the Government of Canada’s official travel advice/advisories page, you’ll see a list of countries around the world with their corresponding colour-coded warnings.
For example, at the time of writing, the Central African Republic has an “avoid all travel” warning. When clicking on the country, you’ll be taken to a separate webpage with thorough details about the risks and dangers of visiting there, as well as any other important information, such as numbers for emergency services and contacts for embassies.
Government of Canada
Even with countries that are deemed safe (green), there are additional details on that country’s webpage, including possible regional warnings.
For instance, Japan is currently rated “green,” but there is a regional warning in effect for the Kagoshima district islands.
Government of Canada
Global Affairs Canada notes that as new information about a destination becomes available, risk levels are reassessed, and travel advisories can be upgraded, downgraded, or removed with consultation from the Canadian embassy, high commission, or consulate responsible for the foreign destination.
If you have travel insurance, a travel advisory could impact it.
According to Canadian Consular Services, before going abroad, Canadians should secure 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.”
The Government of Canada’s full list of travel advice and advisories by destination is available here, as well as its FAQ page.