Three of the governments that publish travel advice on Guatemala in English are the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Global Affairs Canada and the US State Department. They do not use the same scale, they do not name the same places, and they change on different days. This page reads all three from each government’s own data feed every day and puts them side by side.
The three, today
Pulled Sep 25, 2026 at 12:48 Guatemala time from GOV.UK, Global Affairs Canada and the US State Department.
| Government | Overall advice | Areas it advises against | Last updated | Latest change note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) | Advises against all but essential travel to parts of Guatemala |
| Aug 13, 2026 | Removal of information about Fuego volcanic activity ('Warnings and insurance' page). |
| Canada Global Affairs Canada | Exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories) | Regional advisories - Avoid non-essential travel: Avoid non-essential travel to the following areas due to very high levels of violent crime: Within Guatemala City: Zone 1 Zone 3 Zones 5–7 Zone 18 Zone 21 The following municipalities: in Guatemala Department: San Pedro Ayampuc Villa Canales in Escuintla Department: San José Siquinilá Tiquisate Border crossings on the following highways: CA-01: La Mesilla border with Mexico San Cristobal border with El Salvador CA-02: Tecun Uman border with Mexico El Carmen border with Mexico La Hachadura border with El Salvador CA-10: Agua Caliente border with Honduras CA-11: El Florido border with Honduras CA-12: Anguiatu border with El Salvador CA-13: Melchor de Mencos border with Belize CA-13: El Corinto border with Honduras PET-13: El Ceibo border with Mexico | September 24, 2026 08:53 EDT | Health – editorial change |
| United States U.S. Department of State | Level 3: Reconsider Travel |
| Mar 11, 2026 | There was no change to the advisory level. The “terrorism” risk indicator was added. Advisory summary was updated. Reconsider travel to Guatemala due to crime and terrorism . Some areas have higher risks. Please read the full Travel Advisory. |
Each row is read from that government's own data feed; the wording is theirs, with formatting removed. "Last updated" is the date each government gives for its own last change (Canada's includes editorial edits).
Where they agree and where they differ (as of 25 September 2026)
Read on 25 September 2026, the three lists name different kinds of places: the US names whole departments, the UK a border strip and three towns, Canada city zones, municipalities and border crossings. Each cell below is that government’s own list:
| Kind of area | US State Department | UK FCDO | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole departments | Do not travel: San Marcos, Huehuetenango | None | None |
| Guatemala City | Do not travel: Zone 18 | None | Avoid non-essential travel: Zones 1, 3, 5 to 7, 18 and 21 |
| Other towns and municipalities | Do not travel: the city of Villa Nueva | Against all but essential travel: Santa Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista and La Democracia (Huehuetenango) | Avoid non-essential travel: San Pedro Ayampuc, Villa Canales (Guatemala department); San José, Siquinilá (sic), Tiquisate (Escuintla) |
| Border areas | None beyond the two departments | Against all but essential travel: within 5 km of the Mexican border from the Pacific coast up to and including the Gracias a Dios crossing | Avoid non-essential travel: eleven named crossings on highways CA-01, CA-02, CA-10, CA-11, CA-12, CA-13 and PET-13 |
The lists overlap more than their headlines suggest. Zone 18 of Guatemala City is named by both the US and Canada. Canada’s La Mesilla crossing (CA-01) lies in Huehuetenango and its Tecún Umán and El Carmen crossings (CA-02) in San Marcos, the two departments the US lists as Do Not Travel; and the UK’s three named towns are in Huehuetenango too. Antigua, Lake Atitlán and Tikal appear in none of the three area lists; the US advisory itself says US government employees can visit popular destinations like Tikal, Antigua, Lake Atitlán and the Pacific coast areas in Santa Rosa and Escuintla.
How the UK advice has changed
The FCDO publishes a dated change log with each update:
Pulled Sep 25, 2026 at 12:48 Guatemala time from GOV.UK, Global Affairs Canada and the US State Department.
| FCDO update (UTC) | What changed, in the FCDO's words |
|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2026 | Removal of information about Fuego volcanic activity ('Warnings and insurance' page). |
| Aug 6, 2026 | New information about Fuego volcanic activity ('Warnings and insurance' page). |
| Aug 4, 2026 | New information about Fuego volcanic activity ('Warnings and insurance' page). |
| Jul 29, 2026 | This travel advice has been reviewed for accuracy with minor updates made throughout, including updated information about crime, buses and coaches, alcohol laws and bans and driving rules and safety ('Safety and security' page). |
| Jun 17, 2026 | Removal of information about Tropical Storm Cristina. |
| Jun 9, 2026 | Addition of information about Tropical Storm Cristina ('Warnings and insurance' page). |
On 24 September 2026 the FCDO’s Guatemala page opened with a warning that travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against its advice.
What each government’s words mean
- US: numbered levels; Guatemala as a whole carries the level in the table, and named departments or places can carry a higher one (the Do Not Travel areas are marked Level 4).
- UK: the FCDO’s Guatemala advice has no numbered level. It lists the areas it advises against all but essential travel to, and the rest of the country guide covers everywhere else.
- Canada: an overall risk level for the country plus regional advisories for named areas.
Australia’s Smartraveller advice is not on this page: we have not found a machine-readable source for it that we could test.
Related pages
- Guatemala safety: crime data and the US level in context.
- US Embassy security alerts: dated alerts about specific events and places.
- UK citizen services in Guatemala and US citizen services.
- Is it safe to travel to Guatemala right now?: storms, volcanoes and earthquakes.
Where the data comes from
UK: the GOV.UK content API for the FCDO’s Guatemala travel advice (update time, change note, change history and the area list on its Warnings and insurance page). Canada: Global Affairs Canada’s open data file for Guatemala (advisory text, date and regional advisories). US: the State Department’s travel advisory API (level, update date and the Do Not Travel list). Each is read once a day; if one government’s feed cannot be read, its last good row stays and is marked as not refreshed. The comparison table in the middle of the page is a dated reading of 25 September 2026 and does not update by itself.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (UK FCDO travel advice, via GOV.UK). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Global Affairs Canada travel advice). US State Department advisory text is public domain; the State Department asks that it be cited as the source.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) advise about Guatemala?
The table on this page shows the FCDO’s current wording, read daily from GOV.UK. On 25 September 2026 the FCDO advised against all but essential travel to two areas: within 5 km of the Mexican border from the Pacific coast up to and including the Gracias a Dios crossing, and the towns of Santa Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista and La Democracia in Huehuetenango. Its last update was on 13 August 2026.
What is Canada's travel advisory for Guatemala?
On 25 September 2026 Global Affairs Canada’s advice was to exercise a high degree of caution in Guatemala, with regional advisories to avoid non-essential travel to several Guatemala City zones, five municipalities in Guatemala and Escuintla departments, and eleven border crossings it names by highway. The live wording is in the table on this page.
What level is the US travel advisory for Guatemala?
On 25 September 2026 the US State Department’s advisory was Level 3: Reconsider Travel, last updated on 11 March 2026, with Do Not Travel for San Marcos Department, Huehuetenango Department, Zone 18 of Guatemala City and the city of Villa Nueva. The table on this page is refreshed daily.
Does travelling against FCDO advice affect UK travel insurance?
The FCDO’s Guatemala page opens with the warning that travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice. Check your own policy’s terms for the areas listed on this page.
