Travel Warnings & Advice

For the latest travel advice and warnings, contact the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Travel Advice Unit
Consular Directorate
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Old Admiralty Building
London SW1A 2PA

Telephone: 0845 850 2829
Fax: 020 7008 0155

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently advising against all travel to Central Sulawesi Province and Maluku Province, especially Ambon, as both provinces have been subject to outbreaks of internal violence and the security situation continues to remain unsettled.

Caution must also be exercised when travelling to Aceh, which is emerging from a long-running internal conflict, and to any remote areas.

There is also a high threat from terrorism in Indonesia, including attacks against Westerners and Western interests. Foreigners, and locations and buildings frequented by foreigners, continue to remain attractive potential targets to terrorists. The attacks in Jakarta on the Australian Embassy in September 2004 and the Marriott Hotel in August 2003, and the attacks in Bali in October 2005 and October 2002 show that terrorists have the means and the motivation to carry out successful attacks.

Indonesia is located in an active earthquake zone, and major earthquakes can occur at any time - 2 major earthquakes took place in 2007; the March 2007 earthquake measured 6.3 on the Richter scale hit the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia, and there were reports that over 50 people were killed.

Outbreaks of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) in Indonesia have resulted in a number of human fatalities. Visitors should avoid poultry farms, live animal markets and other places where they may come into close contact with domestic, caged or wild birds. Travellers should also ensure poultry and egg dishes are thoroughly cooked.

Possession, trafficking and manufacture of illegal drugs are serious offences in Indonesia, and those caught face lengthy prison sentences or the death penalty. Even the possession of small amounts of drugs such as ecstasy or marijuana can lead to prison sentences longer than four years. The Indonesian police have recently launched a campaign against drug use, which has included raids of nightclubs across Indonesia, including Bali and Jakarta, and urine tests of suspected drug users. A number of foreigners have been arrested in these raids.

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