Before you leave, check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs safety advisory once, and do not go anywhere marked "Do not travel for now"

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sorts safety risks abroad into 4 levels. The highest is called "Do not travel for now." From September (9) 15, 2026, staying away from high-risk countries and regions is written into an administrative regulation. When you apply for documents and when you go through exit checks, staff will also remind you, and when needed they will urge you not to go. Reading that page before you leave takes a few minutes.

Cost

No money. Open the China Consular Service website and read through that page. It takes a few minutes.

Benefit

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes safety advisories for foreign countries, ranked by risk. From low to high there are about 4 levels: "Pay attention to safety," "Strengthen safety precautions," "Travel with caution," and "Do not travel for now." The new rule in force from September (9) 15, 2026 also writes a personal duty into an administrative regulation. The original text says: "Chinese citizens shall pay attention to safety advisories for foreign countries and to safety-risk notices for tourist destinations, and shall avoid traveling to and remaining in high-risk countries or regions." The new rule also requires the immigration authorities (the departments that issue entry and exit documents and run border inspection), when handling documents and at exit border inspection, to remind people who are heading to high-risk areas. The original text of that part says: "For a Chinese citizen preparing to go to a country or region whose risk level is the highest, or where cases that seriously endanger personal safety have suddenly become frequent, they shall, when necessary, dissuade that person from going."

Notes

Advisories change with the situation. This book does not copy the list. Check that page yourself once before you travel. As of September (9) 7, 2026, that column still carried these "Do not travel for now" advisories: Eswatini (2026-08-25), Palestine (2023-10-10), and Sudan (2023-04-17). Another 4 are Afghanistan (2023-02-17), Syria (2023-01-04), Peru (2022-12-29), and Somalia (2022-11-24). There are also special advisories for northern Myanmar and for some provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Travel agencies also have a duty to tell you. The Tourism Law says that when a package-tour contract is signed, the agency must tell you the safety points to watch and the laws, customs, and religious taboos of the destination. A package-tour contract has to be in writing. Before you join a group, you can ask them to write down the risks at the destination. That last point is the author's suggestion.

Sources · 2

1. 国务院 (2026). 关于出境入境管理的规定（国令第 841 号）. gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202607/content_70771…（第二条）；国务院 (2023). 领事保护与协助条例（国令第 763 号）. gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202307/content_68917…（第十九、二十一条）；外交部领事司. 安全提醒. cs.mfa.gov.cn/zggmzhw/lsbh/aqtx/
2. 全国人大常委会 (2018). 旅游法（2018 年修正，第五十八、六十二条）. zwgk.mct.gov.cn/zfxxgkml/zcfg/fl/202105/t2021…（文化和旅游部政府信息公开转载）