FCDO Updates DRC Travel Advice: All Travel Banned to Eastern Provinces
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) updated its Democratic Republic of the Congo travel advice on 16 September 2026, with the latest change being the removal of information about protests planned in Kinshasa on 15 September 2026. The advice maintains all-travel bans across eastern provinces including North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, Haut-Uélé, Maniema, Tanganyika and Haut-Lomami, and all-travel bans for parts of Kinshasa Province, sections of the N1 road, within 50km of the Central African Republic border, and Kwamouth territory in Mai-Ndombe Province. M23 rebels and Rwanda Defence Forces have captured Goma and Bukavu, and Uvira was captured in December 2025 before withdr…
Impact and considerations
The security situation in eastern DRC continues to deteriorate, with commercial flights suspended at Goma and Bukavu airports, Rwanda border crossings liable to close at short notice, and severely limited UK government support outside Kinshasa. Business travel, supply chains and personnel deployments involving the reg…
Key points
- The FCDO updated its DRC travel advice on 16 September 2026, with the latest change being the removal of information about protests planned in Kinshasa on 15 September 2026.
- All travel is advised against in eastern provinces including North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, Haut-Uélé, Maniema, Tanganyika and Haut-Lomami.
- All travel is advised against in Kinshasa's N'djili and Kimbanseke districts, sections of the N1 road, within 50km of the Central African Republic border, and Kwamouth territory in Mai-Ndombe Province.
- M23 rebels and Rwanda Defence Forces have captured Goma and Bukavu; Uvira was captured in December 2025 and withdrawn from in January 2026, though clashes continue in surrounding areas.
- Commercial flights no longer operate from Goma and Bukavu airports after attacks, and Rwanda-DRC border crossings at Gisenyi-Goma and Ruzizi-Bukavu could close at short notice.
- Bangoka International Airport in Kisangani is subject to all-but-essential-travel advice due to multiple drone attacks, with flights already disrupted.
- UK government support is severely limited outside Kinshasa, and travellers should not assume FCDO can assist with departure during serious unrest or crisis.
- Travelling against FCDO advice could invalidate travel insurance.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 29 Jul 2026, 23:56
- Page published
- 12 Aug 2026, 14:17
- Last updated
- 26 Aug 2026, 17:19
- Original links
- FCDO Travel Advice：Democratic Republic of the Congo travel advice (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 5 Mar 2013, 08:00