U.S. State Department Issues Level 4 'Do Not Travel' Warning for Chad Due to Safety Risks

The U.S. State Department keeps an thorough log of travel advisories for all foreign countries, regularly updating the registry and keeping citizens up to date on the risks of going abroad.

United States travel advisories have four levels to them, with Level 4 being the most severe. This week, the State Department issued a new Level 4 warning for a Central African Nation.

The four travel warning levels, explained

Travel advisories range from Level 1 –"Exercise normal precautions"–to Level 4–"Do Not Travel."

Here's a look at what each level means:

• Level 1: "Exercise normal precautions" – The lowest risk level, reserved for countries that are generally safe. Countries in this group include Australia, Canada, Greece and Japan.
• Level 2: "Exercise increased caution" – Certain areas of the country may carry increased risks such as theft, crime, terrorism or political unrest. Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy and India are all currently under Level 2.
• Level 3: "Reconsider travel" – Here is where it starts getting more serious. U.S. citizens are urged to reconsider travel plans, due to "serious risks and security." This advisory level includes Colombia, Guatemala, Israel and the West Bank, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar and Uruguay.
• Level 4: "Do not travel" – The most severe advisory level, due to possible "life-threatening risks." The United States may not be able to help guests in case of an emergency, and asks citizens not to visit or leave as soon as possible. Countries in this category include Haiti, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Ukraine.

Chad now under Level 4 travel advisory

Chad, the fifth-largest country in Africa, is now under a Level 4 travel warning. Among the risks in the nation of 19,000,000 are crime, terrorism, political unrest, kidnapping, and landmines.

A section on Chad's inadequate healthcare was also added to the advisory.

"Outside of N'Djamena [the capital city], the U.S. government has extremely limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Chad," the State Department wrote. "U.S. government employees working in Chad need special authorization to travel outside of the capital due to safety risks. Embassy N'Djamena has implemented in-city restrictions for U.S. government employees, to include limits on areas acceptable for night driving and requirements for mandatory armored vehicle use."

You can find the full updated travel advisory for Chad here, along with the entire U.S. State Department travel database here.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 9:56 AM.