by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 10:45 AM ET, Tue September 8, 2026
The U.S. State Department has updated travel advisories for nine different countries during the first week of September.
Here’s what you should know.
One Level 3 Travel Advisory
Macau, which is designated a “Special Administrative Region” of China, is the only place to receive a newly updated travel advisory in the Level 3 category. Level 3 travel advisories warn travelers to reconsider traveling to a destination for specific reasons.
The reasons why Americans should reconsider visiting Macau are “due to a limited ability to provide emergency consular services and arbitrary enforcement of local laws.”
The advisory also noted travel restrictions on U.S. diplomats in Macau.
Leve 2 Travel Advisories
Seven countries are listed under the Level 2 category, which encourages travelers to exercise increased precautions and stay alert while traveling to these countries and territories.
The State Department warns travelers to exercise increased precautions when visiting Sao Tome and Principe due to health risks, but the advisory update removed the potential for civil unrest.
Peru remains under a Level 2 travel advisory. Still, several regions and cities are currently listed as Level 4, the highest travel advisory level, due to risks of crime, kidnapping, terrorism and more. Travelers should note that Cusco and the major tourist area around Machu Picchu are not within this Level 4 zone.
Morocco is also at Level 2. The State Department is encouraging travelers to be aware and take precautions due to the risk of terrorism in Morocco, largely because of its geography.
Travelers heading to Tajikistan should be aware of areas of increased risk, especially where unexploded land mines might be located. Some parts of the country are at a Level 3, including its border with Afghanistan and the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast.
Nepal received an updated Level 2 travel advisory due to recent flash flooding and landslides that devastated part of the country. The State Department removed the “civil unrest” risk factor and issued a “Do not travel” alert for the Nepal-China border, where the flooding and landslides occurred.
Lastly, China and Hong Kong also received updated travel advisories, both in the Level 2 category.
China’s travel advisory explains that Americans should be cautious when traveling in mainland China because of “the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the use of exit bans without a fair and transparent process under the law, and the risk of unjust arrest or detention.”
Those heading to Hong Kong should be aware of the same things.
One Level 1 Travel Advisory
Lastly, the only level one country to receive an update in early September was Bhutan. There were no changes to risk level or indicators of risk. Still, the update encourages travelers to visit as usual, but be aware that weather events like flash flooding and landslides could occur.
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