Travel Advice
The External Affairs Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network publishes advice for citizens of the Velocity Interoperability Network travelling beyond its boundaries. Advice is published for each area in which the Network maintains a representation, at one of four levels, and is reviewed at intervals set by the level. It was first issued on 6 September 2026.
Advice states what the Department knows and what it expects a traveller to do. It is not a prohibition: a citizen may travel to an area at any level. It does, however, affect what the Department can undertake, because assistance is given through the representation covering the area and a representation cannot always operate normally at the higher levels.
The four levels. Every area carries one level at any time. A change of level is published in the Newsroom and sent to every traveller who has recorded an itinerary for the area.
| Level | Meaning | When it is used | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Normal precautions | No risk beyond the ordinary is known to the Department. | Reviewed quarterly |
| Level 2 | Heightened caution | A specific risk has been identified, such as interrupted services, restricted movement or a requirement to carry additional documents. | Reviewed monthly |
| Level 3 | Reconsider travel | A serious risk to the safety of travellers, or to their ability to leave the area, which ordinary precautions will not remove. | Reviewed weekly |
| Level 4 | Advise against travel | The risk cannot be managed by precautions available to a traveller. Consular assistance may be limited or, for a time, unavailable. | Reviewed daily |
Current advice. The advice below was issued on 6 September 2026. Two areas stand at Level 2; the remaining five stand at Level 1. No area stands at Level 3 or Level 4.
| Area | Level | Reason | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian corridor | Level 1 | Normal precautions | 6 September 2026 |
| Coastal data region | Level 1 | Normal precautions | 6 September 2026 |
| Open protocols precinct | Level 1 | Normal precautions | 6 September 2026 |
| Northern interchange | Level 2 | Engineering works on the interchange until 30 November 2026; services interrupted at short notice and identity records checked on entry and exit. | 6 September 2026 |
| Harbour clearing area | Level 1 | Normal precautions | 6 September 2026 |
| Continental registry area | Level 1 | Normal precautions | 6 September 2026 |
| Southern freight corridor | Level 2 | Consignment records are being reissued in a new form until 31 October 2026; travellers accompanying goods should allow additional time at every clearance point. | 6 September 2026 |
Before you travel. The steps below apply to every journey beyond the boundaries of the Network.
Step 1: Check that your identity record will remain valid
It must remain valid for the whole of the journey and for thirty days after the date on which you expect to return. A record that expires while you are away cannot be renewed by a representation; only an emergency travel document can be issued.
Step 2: Read the advice for the area you are going to
The current level for each area in which the Network maintains a representation is set out in the table below. Read the reason as well as the level; at Level 2 the reason states the precaution that is called for.
Step 3: Record an itinerary with the Department
Send the Department the dates of the journey, the areas you will pass through and an email address at which you can be reached. Itineraries are held only for the period of the journey and thirty days afterwards, and are used to contact you if the advice changes.
Step 4: Note how consular assistance is obtained
Assistance is sought by writing to the Department, which passes the matter to the representation covering the area. Carry the Department's email address with you; a representation does not receive correspondence directly.
Step 5: Arrange cover for treatment and for the journey home
The Department does not pay medical costs, fares or the cost of returning to the Network. Make your own arrangements to cover treatment beyond the boundaries of the Network and an unplanned return.
Step 6: Carry the documents required for the area
Some bodies require documents in addition to an identity record, such as a certified copy of an entry in a register of the Network. Certified copies are issued by the Department within five working days and should be requested before departure.
What to carry. Four things should be with you rather than in your baggage.
- Identity record of the Network
- The primary document. Carry it on your person rather than in checked baggage, and keep a separate note of its number so that the record can be identified if it is lost.
- A note of the Department's email address for consular enquiries
- Written down and not held only on a device. A device may be lost, damaged or without power at the moment the address is needed.
- Certified copies of any registry entries required
- Where the body governing the area requires proof of an entry in a register of the Network, carry a copy certified by the Department. An uncertified copy is not accepted for that purpose.
- A record of the itinerary recorded with the Department
- Keep the reference the Department returns when an itinerary is recorded. Quoting it allows a representation to identify you at once.
If the advice changes while you are away. The Department writes to every traveller who has recorded an itinerary for the area, stating the new level, the reason and what is asked of travellers already there. Where an area moves to Level 3 or Level 4, the representation covering it will attempt to contact each traveller in turn and will report those it cannot reach to the Office of Consular Affairs.
Itineraries may be recorded, and advice enquiries sent, to contact@foreign.gov.vin. For assistance while you are away, see Consular Services; for the representation covering each area, see Representations; and for changes of level, see the Newsroom.