U.S. Department of Treasury Sanction Programs and Country Information
The Office of Foreign Assets Control administers and enforces economic sanctions programs primarily against countries and groups of individuals, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers. The sanctions can be either comprehensive or selective, using the blocking of assets and trade restrictions to accomplish foreign policy and national security goals. Most sanctioned countries have a DOS Travel Advisory of Level 3 or 4. Student travel for university related purposes to a sanctioned country requires a petition for an exemption to the Policy on Student International Trave and consultation with UVA's Office of Export Controls.

Note: Cuba is a sanctioned country, and travel to Cuba remains highly regulated by both the U.S. and Cuban governments. Students or GME trainees planning travel to Cuba for university related purposes that is not part of an approved study abroad program should contact the International Health, Safety, and Security Manager in the International Studies Office ([email protected]) at least 12 weeks prior to the planned departure date. A petition for an exemption to the Policy on Student International Travel is required.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html

The U.S. Department of State has revised Consular Safety and Security Messaging. Changes were implemented 1/10/18. The new messaging replaces what were previously known as Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Emergency Messages. The new advisories employ four levels of advice: Level 1 “Exercise Normal Precautions” – color code blue, Level 2 “Exercise Increased Caution” – color code yellow, Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” – color code orange, and Level 4 “Do Not Travel” – color code red.  A Travel Advisory has been published for every country. A Travel Advisory may also be issued for a particular region of a country. A region of a country may also be assessed as “High Risk”. For more information on the new travel advisory levels and recommendations, click here.

Travel to Countries with an Advisory of Level 3 or Level 4
UVA students or GME trainees traveling outside the United States for University-related purposes are required to submit a petition for an exemption to the University’s Policy on Student International Travel if they plan to travel to a country for which the U.S. Department of State has published a travel advisory of Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” – color code orange or Level 4 “Do Not Travel” – color code red.

Travel To or Through Regions Assessed as "High Risk" and Regions with an Advisory of "Reconsider Travel" or "Do Not Travel"
In addition, students and GME trainees must submit a petition for an exemption to the Policy on Student International Travel if they intend to travel to or through a region assessed as “High-Risk” or for which there is an advisory of "Reconsider Travel" or "Do Not Travel". Student and GME trainees travelers should note that while the overall advisory for a country may be Level 1 or Level 2, a region or regions within the country may pose a higher level of risk to travelers. On the Travel.State.Gov online map,  stripes indicate that travel to a particular region or regions within a country pose a higher level of risk to travelers than does travel to the country in general. In such cases, it is critical to review the text in the country's Travel Advisory for details. In these cases, a petition for an exemption to the Policy on Student International Travel is necessary only if the student traveler will visit or transit through a region which is listed as “High-Risk” or has an advisory of "Reconsider Travel" or "Do Not Travel".