Somalia
Warnings and insurance
Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
Areas where FCDO advises against travel
Parts of Somalia, including eastern Somaliland
FCDO advises against all travel to Somalia, including the 3 eastern regions of Somaliland – Togdheer, Sanaag and Sool – and excluding the 3 western regions of Somaliland – Awdal, Maroodijeh and Sahil. This is due to the threat from terrorist groups and continuing violence.
Western Somaliland
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the 3 western regions of Somaliland – Awdal (including Boorama), Maroodijeh (including Hargeisa) and Sahil (including Berbera).
Find out more about why FCDO advises against travel.
Support from FCDO
Support from FCDO is severely limited in Somalia, including Somaliland, with no support in person from staff at the British Embassy Mogadishu or the British Office Hargeisa.
If you need urgent help from the UK government, for example if you’ve been arrested or you’re concerned about forced marriage, contact:
- the British High Commission Nairobi, Kenya if you are in Somalia, excluding Somaliland
- the British Embassy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia if you are in Somaliland
If you’re in the UK and are concerned about a British national in Somalia, including Somaliland, call FCDO on 020 7008 5000.
People of Somali descent, including Somaliland descent
The government of Somalia and the authorities in Somaliland will consider any British national of Somali (including Somaliland) descent to be a dual national. FCDO can offer only limited consular support in these cases.
Before you travel
No travel can be guaranteed safe. Read all the advice in this guide. You may also find it helpful to:
- see general advice for women travellers
- read our guide on disability and travel abroad
- see general advice for LGBT+ travellers
- read about safety for solo and independent travel
- see advice on volunteering and adventure travel abroad
Travel insurance
If you choose to travel, research your destinations and get appropriate travel insurance. Insurance should cover your itinerary, planned activities and expenses in an emergency.
About FCDO travel advice
FCDO provides advice about risks of travel to help you make informed decisions. Find out more about FCDO travel advice.
Follow and contact FCDO travel on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also sign up to get email notifications when this advice is updated.
Update history
2024-11-28 16:44
Updated information about Togdheer, Sanaag and Sool (‘Regional risks’ page)
2024-11-12 16:24
Information added about extra security presence throughout Somaliland during the election period (‘Safety and security’ page)
2024-10-18 10:53
New information about Somaliland elections taking place on 13 November (‘Safety and security’ page)
2024-08-27 16:53
Removal of information following the attack on Lido Beach in Mogadishu on 2 August (See ‘Warnings and Insurance’ page).
2024-08-04 14:20
Update following attack on Lido Beach in Mogadishu on 2 August (See ‘Warnings and Insurance’ and ‘Safety and Security’ pages).
2024-03-26 11:10
This travel advice has been rewritten to make it easier to read and understand.
2024-01-12 00:19
Update to Safety and Security page
2023-08-21 11:52
Information on localised political disputes in Somaliland (‘Safety and security’ page).
2023-07-03 14:03
Information regarding political violence (‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages) and updates to guidance on disease outbreaks (‘Health’ page).
2023-06-22 12:11
Information about the global terrorism risks to British nationals abroad on all FCDO travel advice pages
2023-06-05 10:45
Information on ongoing rains in some areas, most notably Beledweyne in the Hiran region (‘Natural disasters’ page).
2023-02-08 09:19
Addition of information about exercising extreme caution and disruption to transport links in the Sool region (‘Safety and security’ page).
2022-11-23 12:03
Addition of information about an outbreak of dengue fever reported across Somaliland (‘Health’ page).
2022-10-30 11:37
Latest update:Update on the 29 October terrorist attack on the Ministry of Education in Mogadishu (‘Terrorism’ page).
2022-10-25 15:21
Update on a recent terrorist attack in the city of Kismayo (‘Terrorism’ page).
2022-08-23 17:05
Update on recent terrorist attacks in central Mogadishu (‘Terrorism’ page)
2022-08-11 11:38
Addition of information on sporadic protests across Somaliland, including in Hargeisa, on 11 August (‘Safety and security’ page)
2022-08-02 16:55
Updated information on the risk of terrorist activity across the Ethiopia-Somalia border, including kidnapping (‘Terrorism’ page)
2022-07-12 11:03
Updated information on terrorist attacks in Somalia and domestic COVID-19 restrictions (‘Terrorism’ and ‘Coronavirus’ pages)
2022-06-21 16:40
Updated information on entry to Somaliland if you’re fully vaccinated (‘Entry requirements’ page)
2022-06-16 11:27
Updated information on entry requirements for Somalia (‘Entry requirements’ page)
2022-06-06 15:07
Updated information on screening on arrival for entry to Somaliland (‘Entry requirements’ page)
2022-04-29 16:12
Updated information on religious holidays (‘Terrorism’ page)
2022-04-26 17:03
This advice has been updated to reflect changes to COVID-19 related entry and exit requirements (‘Entry requirements’ page).
2022-03-08 15:22
This advice has been reviewed and reissued with minor edits to the ‘Summary’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages.