With outbound travel expected to top 10 million Australian trips in 2026, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has issued a high-profile reminder of countries carrying its strictest “Do Not Travel” advisory. In a 28 December *Nine News* explainer, DFAT lists 23 destinations—including Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, Myanmar, Palestine and Yemen—where the security environment or risk of arbitrary detention makes tourism unacceptably dangerous. The article underscores that Russia now views Australia as an “unfriendly” state and urges any Australians still in the country to leave immediately.
DFAT’s *Smartraveller* platform updates advisories continually, but media amplification signals heightened concern that pent-up demand and aggressive marketing could tempt Australian tourists into unstable regions. The warning also comes ahead of a January senate hearing on whether statutory travel-insurance minimums should apply to trips into Level-4 (“Do Not Travel”) locations.
For travellers who still need to navigate complex entry requirements—whether for essential business, family emergencies or humanitarian work—VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers a one-stop interface to check visa rules, track changing advisories and submit applications online, helping to reduce paperwork errors and ensure compliance with both host-country and DFAT guidelines.
![DFAT Reminds Australians of 23 ‘Do-Not-Travel’ Destinations Ahead of 2026 Holiday Boom]()
From a corporate-mobility standpoint, the refreshed list is a compliance touch-point: employers remain legally responsible for worker safety when sending staff overseas. Firms should confirm that their travel-risk management policies align with DFAT advisories, ensure evacuation plans are current, and verify that insurance covers political-risk extraction.
DFAT notes that advisories may affect visa processing for dual nationals and can trigger higher security screening on re-entry to Australia. Frequent travellers should enrol in *Smartraveller* email alerts and monitor security intelligence feeds, especially when transiting through neighbouring countries that border Level-4 zones.
Parliament is also considering new offences for Australians who knowingly ignore Level-4 advisories, a move that could see fines or even jail for organising commercial tours to banned destinations.
DFAT’s *Smartraveller* platform updates advisories continually, but media amplification signals heightened concern that pent-up demand and aggressive marketing could tempt Australian tourists into unstable regions. The warning also comes ahead of a January senate hearing on whether statutory travel-insurance minimums should apply to trips into Level-4 (“Do Not Travel”) locations.
For travellers who still need to navigate complex entry requirements—whether for essential business, family emergencies or humanitarian work—VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers a one-stop interface to check visa rules, track changing advisories and submit applications online, helping to reduce paperwork errors and ensure compliance with both host-country and DFAT guidelines.
From a corporate-mobility standpoint, the refreshed list is a compliance touch-point: employers remain legally responsible for worker safety when sending staff overseas. Firms should confirm that their travel-risk management policies align with DFAT advisories, ensure evacuation plans are current, and verify that insurance covers political-risk extraction.
DFAT notes that advisories may affect visa processing for dual nationals and can trigger higher security screening on re-entry to Australia. Frequent travellers should enrol in *Smartraveller* email alerts and monitor security intelligence feeds, especially when transiting through neighbouring countries that border Level-4 zones.
Parliament is also considering new offences for Australians who knowingly ignore Level-4 advisories, a move that could see fines or even jail for organising commercial tours to banned destinations.
