In a written reply published on 4 February 2026 (hib 92/2026), the Federal Foreign Office told parliament that it collects no aggregate data on how many German citizens visit so-called “risk areas” each year, nor does it maintain an official list of such destinations. The statement came in response to an AfD query that sought figures for travel to Somalia and other high-threat countries.
Instead of a formal classification, the ministry reiterated that it issues individual, regularly updated Travel & Safety Advisories for every country. Those advisories, it said, are designed to give citizens and companies the information they need to make their own risk assessments. Because outbound travel is not subject to notification requirements, Berlin has “no legal basis” for systematic monitoring of trip volumes or incident rates.
![Government admits it keeps no statistics on German tourist travel to global risk zones]()
For global-mobility and travel-security teams this clarification matters. Many corporate policies reference “government-designated risk areas” when triggering extra approvals, duty-of-care briefings or enhanced insurance. The absence of an official German list means companies must rely on third-party intelligence or build their own matrices using the Foreign Office advisories, ISO 31030 guidelines and insurer ratings.
VisaHQ, an online visa and travel-services platform, can streamline that process. Through its Germany-focused portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/), travellers and mobility managers can check visa rules, document requirements and up-to-date safety alerts for virtually every destination—information that dovetails neatly with the Foreign Office advisories to create a more comprehensive risk picture.
The reply may also complicate union proposals that Germany follow France in creating a register of nationals in crisis zones. The ministry warned that compulsory registration would require new legislation and raise data-protection issues. Until then, employers sending staff to high-risk markets should document how they determine residual risk and prove that travellers were briefed on the latest advisory updates.
Instead of a formal classification, the ministry reiterated that it issues individual, regularly updated Travel & Safety Advisories for every country. Those advisories, it said, are designed to give citizens and companies the information they need to make their own risk assessments. Because outbound travel is not subject to notification requirements, Berlin has “no legal basis” for systematic monitoring of trip volumes or incident rates.
For global-mobility and travel-security teams this clarification matters. Many corporate policies reference “government-designated risk areas” when triggering extra approvals, duty-of-care briefings or enhanced insurance. The absence of an official German list means companies must rely on third-party intelligence or build their own matrices using the Foreign Office advisories, ISO 31030 guidelines and insurer ratings.
VisaHQ, an online visa and travel-services platform, can streamline that process. Through its Germany-focused portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/), travellers and mobility managers can check visa rules, document requirements and up-to-date safety alerts for virtually every destination—information that dovetails neatly with the Foreign Office advisories to create a more comprehensive risk picture.
The reply may also complicate union proposals that Germany follow France in creating a register of nationals in crisis zones. The ministry warned that compulsory registration would require new legislation and raise data-protection issues. Until then, employers sending staff to high-risk markets should document how they determine residual risk and prove that travellers were briefed on the latest advisory updates.
