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Travel Alerts and Travel Warnings

The Bureau of Consular Affairs of the US Department of State provides many services to US citizens who are preparing to travel, live, work, or study abroad. It provides Consular Information Sheets for every country of the world and issues travel advisories to alert Americans abroad to a variety of conditions or concerns, such as Travel Alerts, Worldwide Cautions, and Travel Warnings.

According to the Bureau, Travel Alerts are "a means to disseminate information about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term and/or transnational conditions posing significant risks to the security of American travelers." Worldwide Cautions are a form of Travel Alerts.

Travel Warnings, however, are "issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country."

The Office for Study Abroad monitors the Bureau's website frequently and encourages study abroad participants and their parents to do so as well. If a US Department of State Travel Alert or Travel Warning is in effect for their destination, students are urged to consult the Office for Study Abroad to determine if any restrictions on their participation are in force or if a security release form is required. Students may view the list of current Travel Alerts and Travel Warnings online.