Travelers, Listen Up! State Department Unveils New Travel Advisory System 

WASHINGTON – The State Department unveiled a new system Wednesday for communicating security risks associated with foreign travel in an effort to reduce confusion and protect U.S. citizens abroad.

"The Department of State is improving our communications with U.S. citizen travelers to provide clear, timely and reliable safety and security information worldwide," Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Carl Risch said.

The existing guidance system will be replaced by a four-tiered advisory system, whereby every country will be assigned one of the following security levels:

Level 1 - Exercise normal precautions: This is the lowest advisory level for safety and security risk. There is some risk in any international travel. Conditions in other countries may differ from those in the United States and may change at any time. 

Level 2 - Exercise increased caution: Be aware of heightened risks to safety and security. The Department of State provides additional advice for travelers in these areas in the travel advisory. Conditions in any country may change at any time

Level 3 - Reconsider travel: Avoid travel due to serious risks to safety and security. The Department of State provides additional advice for travelers in these areas in the travel advisory. Conditions in any country may change at any time.

Level 4 - Do not travel: This is the highest advisory level due to greater likelihood of life-threatening risks. During an emergency, the U.S. government may have very limited ability to provide assistance. The Department of State advises that U.S. citizens either not travel to the country or leave as soon as it is safe to do so. The Department of State provides additional advice for travelers in these areas in the travel advisory. Conditions in any country may change at any time.

The levels are meant to communicate the risk of travel to each country but are advisories only. Citizens will not be forbidden from traveling to Level 4 countries unless otherwise barred by the U.S. government.

The specific risk factors the State Department will consider and highlight are crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health, natural disaster and time-limited events such as elections or protests. Other factors may be noted as well.

"We wanted it to be an easier to understand system," Risch said.

The department's newly-redesigned hub for traveler information, travel.state.gov, will host all travel advisories, recent alerts issued for each country, and an interactive map in mobile-friendly formats. 

The process to assign levels to countries is ongoing and will be unveiled sometime in January.