Travel safety
Countries where being gay is illegal — and where it is legal but still risky
22 min read · Updated September 2026
Around 60-odd countries still criminalise same-sex intimacy, and a much larger group has no criminal law but also no protection — which in practice can matter just as much to a traveller.
This page is a planning tool, not a legal document. Laws change in both directions, enforcement varies wildly between a capital city and a rural province, and foreign nationals are sometimes treated more leniently and sometimes much more harshly. Always check your own government's travel advisory before you book.
Where the penalty can be death
A small group of jurisdictions retains capital punishment for same-sex acts in law, whether or not it is currently carried out: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Brunei, Mauritania, Afghanistan, and parts of Nigeria and Somalia operating under state or regional law. Uganda's 2023 law introduced capital punishment for what it calls 'aggravated homosexuality'.
For LGBTQ+ travellers these are not destinations to manage carefully. They are destinations to skip.
Criminalised, with prison sentences
Same-sex intimacy carries prison terms across much of the Middle East, North and sub-Saharan Africa, parts of South and Southeast Asia, some Caribbean states and several Pacific islands.
Middle East & North Africa
Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Egypt (prosecuted through 'debauchery' laws rather than a named statute), Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Syria.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and others. Enforcement and public hostility have intensified in several of these in recent years.
Asia
Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Brunei, the Maldives (resort islands are effectively insulated, the inhabited islands are not), and Indonesia's Aceh province under local Sharia rules.
Caribbean & Pacific
Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Guyana, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu.
Legal, but genuinely difficult
Decriminalisation is the floor, not the ceiling. These countries have no criminal ban but either restrict LGBTQ+ expression by law or carry a level of social hostility that changes how you should travel.
Russia
The 'international LGBT movement' was designated extremist in 2023 and 'propaganda' laws criminalise public expression. Venues have been raided. Treat as high risk.
Türkiye
Never criminalised — and Istanbul has a long queer history — but Pride marches have been banned and dispersed in Istanbul and Ankara for years. Discretion is advisable in public; the country is otherwise safe and welcoming for travellers.
Hungary & Poland
EU members, no criminal ban, but restrictive 'child protection' and anti-propaganda legislation and, in Poland, years of hostile municipal declarations. Budapest and Warsaw themselves are far more relaxed than the national politics suggest.
Georgia, Iraq (Kurdistan region), Indonesia
Recent legislation restricting LGBTQ+ expression or 'promotion' has moved these from neutral to risky, even where intimacy itself is not criminalised.
India & Singapore
Both have decriminalised (India 2018, Singapore 2022) without recognising same-sex marriage. Cities are generally fine; expect conservatism away from them.
Practical safety rules that actually help
Book a twin room, or a hotel chain with a global non-discrimination policy, rather than explaining yourself at reception. Use dating apps with extreme caution in criminalising countries — entrapment through apps is a documented police method in several of them, and some apps geofence themselves off in those regions.
Clean your phone before crossing a border where it could be inspected. Keep your embassy's number saved offline. Register with your foreign ministry's traveller service where one exists. And if you are travelling with medication, carry the prescription — HIV medication has been used as evidence in a small number of countries.
Where to go instead
If a destination on the risk list was on your shortlist, there is almost always an equivalent that is safe: Cape Town instead of East Africa, Taipei or Bangkok instead of Malaysia, Colombia or Mexico instead of Jamaica, Türkiye's coast or Greece instead of the Gulf, Albania or Montenegro instead of Russia's Black Sea.
Transit, layovers and digital checks
Most travellers meet these laws in transit rather than on holiday. A layover is usually low-risk, but the practical rules differ from a normal flight.
Airside transit
Staying inside the terminal generally avoids immigration entirely. Risk rises the moment you clear passport control for a stopover hotel.
Phone and device searches
Border officers in several Gulf and North African countries have searched phones. Log out of dating apps, and remove them for the crossing rather than hiding them.
Social media
Public profiles are visible to visa officers. This matters most where a visa application asks for handles.
Bookings
Two men or two women in one room is legal almost everywhere as a room booking; it is the relationship, not the bed, that these laws target.
Insurance
Check your policy still pays out if you are detained. Most travel insurance excludes anything that follows an arrest.
Countries that moved backwards recently
Rankings published before 2024 are not reliable. Several countries have hardened laws or enforcement in the last three years, and a few have softened.
Uganda's 2023 legislation introduced the harshest penalties passed anywhere this decade. Ghana and several neighbouring states debated similar bills. Meanwhile Thailand legalised same-sex marriage, and courts in India, Namibia and parts of the Caribbean struck down colonial-era sodomy laws.
The practical lesson: check a source dated this year, ideally your own foreign ministry's travel advice, and read the section on local laws rather than the headline risk level.
If something goes wrong
Contact your embassy first
Before speaking at length to police. Save the consular emergency number offline before you fly.
Do not sign anything you cannot read
Confessions in a language you do not speak are the most common route to a conviction.
Tell one person at home your itinerary
Someone who will notice within 24 hours if you go quiet.
Use a local LGBTQ+ organisation
Where one exists, it usually knows which lawyers and which police stations are workable.
Better-value alternatives, destination by destination
Instead of Dubai
Istanbul for the same long-haul hub convenience plus real history, or Tel Aviv, Lisbon and Barcelona for sun with legal protection.
Instead of the Maldives
Zanzibar is also difficult; choose the Seychelles, Mauritius, Thailand's Andaman coast or Türkiye's Kaş and Datça coast.
Instead of Egypt
Jordan is far more relaxed in practice, and Türkiye, Greece and Cyprus cover the same ancient-world interest legally and safely.
Instead of Morocco
Andalusia — Granada, Seville and Córdoba — is the same architecture and food with full legal equality.
Instead of Qatar or Saudi Arabia
Route long-haul flights through Istanbul, Singapore, Doha airside only, or Amsterdam.
How to read a country's risk level yourself
Start with the law
Criminalised, merely unrecognised, or fully equal — the difference decides how a hospital, a hotel desk or a police officer treats you when something goes wrong.
Then enforcement
A law that is never enforced and a law used for extortion feel very different on the ground. ILGA and Human Rights Watch publish current country detail.
Then the social layer
Check recent reporting from local queer organisations rather than five-year-old travel-blog rankings.
Weigh the region, not just the country
A capital can be easy while the province you are transiting is not. Plan routes accordingly.
And the exit
Know how you leave — flight schedules, land borders, and where the nearest consulate is.
How to read a risk level before you book
Check the law, then the enforcement
Some countries keep laws on the books that are rarely enforced against tourists; others enforce aggressively. Government travel advisories usually state which is which.
Check how you will be documented
Hotel registration, visa forms and entry cards may ask about relationships. Knowing in advance avoids improvising at a counter.
Check your embassy's support
Read what consular assistance actually covers in that country before travelling, and register with your embassy where that service exists.
Check digital exposure
Dating apps have been used for entrapment in several jurisdictions. Removing them for the trip is a simple precaution.
Check transit, not just destination
A long layover still places you inside a country's legal system. Choose routings through jurisdictions where this is not a concern.
Frequently asked questions
How many countries criminalise homosexuality?
Roughly 60 to 64 depending on how regional and religious-court jurisdictions are counted. The number has been slowly falling, but several countries have tightened their laws since 2023.
Is Dubai safe for gay travellers?
The UAE criminalises same-sex intimacy. Tourists are rarely targeted and the hotel bubble is insulated, but the law exists, public affection is not acceptable, and you have no legal protection if something goes wrong.
Are laws enforced against tourists?
Sometimes. Foreign nationals have been arrested, deported and, in a few countries, imprisoned. Assume the law can be used against you rather than assuming a tourist exemption.
How many countries still criminalise homosexuality in 2026?
Roughly 60, with the death penalty available in a small number of them. The figure keeps changing as courts strike down colonial-era laws and some parliaments pass new ones, which is why you should check your government's current travel advice rather than an old list.
Is a layover in Dubai or Doha safe for gay travellers?
Airside transit is generally uneventful — thousands of LGBTQ+ travellers connect there every day. The risk is public affection, dating apps and device searches after you clear immigration, so treat a stopover differently from a plane change.
Can two men share a hotel room in these countries?
Yes, almost always — twin and double rooms are booked by friends and colleagues constantly. The laws target relationships and public behaviour, not room occupancy.
Should I delete dating apps before flying?
In countries with criminal penalties, yes — delete rather than hide, and log out of associated accounts. Apps have been used both as evidence and as an entrapment tool.
Can LGBTQ+ travellers visit countries with anti-gay laws?
Many do, with precautions. The practical steps are discretion in public, separate documentation where relevant, no dating apps, and reading your own government's advisory in full before booking. Only you can weigh whether that trade-off is acceptable.
Do these laws apply to tourists?
Yes. Local law applies to visitors regardless of the law at home, and a foreign passport does not exempt you from prosecution.
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