FCO Amends Tunisia Travel Advice - Advice For Travellers

Summary: The FCO continues to advise against any non-essential travel to within 40km of the Libyan and Tunisian borders.

There is also a change in curfew times.

The curfew, which was put in place on 7 May 2011, has been amended to between 22:00 and 06:00 until further notice.

The curfew times do not affect the main tourist resorts in Tunisia.

British nationals may see more details below.

Last Updated: 9 May 2011

Summary: The FCO is advising all British nationals against non-essential travel to any areas within 40km of the Libya and Tunisia border. A curfew between 9 pm and 5 am has been in place since 7 May 2011 in the capital and suburbs of Tunis.

Please note that these restrictions do not affect the main tourist resorts in Tunisia.

Travellers In The Area Are Advised To:

• Obtain assistance from the British Consulate in Tunisia by calling +216 71 108 713.
• Stay up to date with advice issued by the FCO and follow the FCO Twitter feed
• Watch the latest local news for developments and stay in touch with your tour operator
• Follow instructions given by the local security authorities
• Avoid demonstrations, public gatherings or rallies
• Respect the curfew imposed in the Greater Tunis area between 6 pm and 5 am.

More Information On The Situation

There have been incidents of live fire and shells landing on Tunisian soil at the western Libya and Tunisia border crossing of Dehiba.

The curfew is in place after two days of protests that saw some incidents of violence and damage to property.

Last Updated: 7 February 2011

Summary: The FCO no longer advises against all but essential travel to Tunisa, declaring it safe for British holidaymakers. Please note that even though all major groups have ended their demonstrations, further unrest remains possible.

The amendments in more detail:

The change of the FCO's travel advice to Tunisia comes after the new government was voted into power, signalling its commitment to a path of political reform. These events indicate a reduced threat to British nationals.

However, despite this progress, further unrest in the region remains possible. We therefore advise all travellers to exercise caution and keep a close eye on the situation. Please also obey the nightly curfew between 10pm and 4am, which remains in place in the Greater Tunis area until further notice.

Tunisia evacuation:

It is estimated that approximately 5,000 Britons were in Tunisia when the situation deteriorated. At this stage, the FCO altered its travel advice to "all but essential travel" on January 14. Following this announcement, over 3,000 British nationals left Tunisia on additional flights arranged by their tour operators.

Tunisia Demonstrations - Advice For Travellers

Last Updated: 15 January 2011

Summary: The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have advised against all travel to Tunisia and advise all British nationals to leave Tunisia.

What to do if you are in Tunisia:

If you are a British national in Tunisia you should make arrangements to leave the country as soon as possible, unless you have a pressing need to remain.

What to do if you are due to travel to Tunisia:

If you are due to travel to Tunisia in the near future you should contact your tour operator or your airline without delay.

You should not travel to Tunisia so long as the FCO continue to advise against all but essential travel to Tunisia.

Travel Insurance cannot provide cover for your trip if you travel to any country which the FCO advises against travel to.

Why are British nationals being advised to leave Tunisia?

British nationals are advised to leave Tunisia for their personal safety. This is due to the unstable political climate of Tunisia at present, and the possibility of large scale violent political protest.

Anti-government rioting has taken place in cities across Tunisia in protest against the 23 year presidency of Ben Ali. These protests have brought political instability. Due to this instability, a national state of emergency was declared on 14th January.

Demonstrations have taken place in Tunisian cities including, but not limited to, the following:

• Tunis
• Sousse
• Sfax
• Nabul
• Hammamet
• Douze
• Kasserine
• Requeb
• Thia