Template:Warningbox/doc

When to use
This template is meant for non-obvious dangers to life and limb, and should be used sparingly. If a government agency has listed a travel warning for an area (see ), a warning box is appropriate. Other appropriate uses include:
 * "civil war in this region"
 * "military launched coup d'état"
 * "devastated by earthquake last week"
 * "Ebola virus outbreak"
 * "death penalty for marijuana possession"

Warningboxes can be used in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters, but should be removed as soon as the destination becomes reachable again (airports open, hotels available, no more plague victims). Be sure to use the warningbox to provide specific information relevant to travellers rather than a generic warning: "Area damaged by earthquakes" is less helpful than "Hotels and transportation infrastructure in the downtown area have been damaged by the November 2012 earthquake and may not be available, although the suburbs remain mostly unaffected".

Do not use this for minor announcements ("closed for repairs"), minor dangers ("fine for littering", "do not feed the monkeys"), obvious dangers ("do not walk on expressways", "do not wander down dark alleys while intoxicated"), or for news events that have short-term impact and will not affect those planning travel ("hostage situation in the town hall today", "50-car accident on the freeway this afternoon").

Warnings should be dated as, in times of natural or man-made disaster, the situation on the ground and available information change rapidly. For instance, an initial: will attract multiple updates from other editors as the extent of the devastation becomes known and aid is urgently dispatched to rebuild the shattered city.

Article placement
If the danger affects the entire region, the warning box can be placed at the very top of the article. If the danger is localized or avoidable, place it under "Stay safe" or on top of the localized page.

Template usage
This template adds mainspace pages with warnings to Category:Has warning box.
 * If no lastedit entered will also add page to Category:Has warning box with no date.
 * lastedit=permanent can be used if warning not time limited.
 * If lastedit older than 6 months will also add page to Category:Has warning box with out of date warning

The template can be invoked as follows:

...which produces the following warning box:

To add advisories, insert full, direct URLs of a government's country specific information using one or more of the following template parameters:
 * Australia:
 * Belgium:
 * Canada:
 * Germany:
 * France:
 * Hong Kong:
 * Ireland:
 * India:
 * Netherlands:
 * New Zealand:
 * China:
 * Singapore:
 * South Africa:
 * United Kingdom:
 * United States:

To add last updated dates, insert a date in the YYYY-MM-DD format after adding a  template parameter. You should update the  date every time you change the information in the warning or check the information and it is still accurate.

Only add a  parameter on warning boxes with information likely to change or go out of date quickly. For example, a destination with a war currently ongoing, like Syria or where there has been a natural disaster recently, like a major flood or hurricane.

Travel advisories
The template allows the addition of government travel advisories. Use the following links to help find URLs of official advisories on government websites.
 * Australia: See Smartraveller
 * Austria: See BMEIA (in German)
 * Belgium: See Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs (in Dutch and French)
 * Brazil: See Portal Consular (in Portuguese)
 * Canada: See Travel.gc.ca (in English and French)
 * China: occasionally mentions travel alerts in a "Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Regular Press Conference" at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, e.g.: here - "...the Chinese government has lifted all "travel alert" on the Philippines...".
 * Denmark: See Um.dk (in Danish)
 * European Union: See Consular Protection
 * Finland: See Matkustustiedotteet (in Finnish and Swedish)
 * France: See www.diplomatie.gouv.fr
 * Germany: See Auswärtiges Amt Reisewarnungen
 * Hong Kong: See Outbound Travel Alert
 * India: See mea.gov.in travel advisories, and press releases.
 * Ireland: See Dfa.ie
 * Italy: See Viaggiare Sicuri (in Italian)
 * Malta: See Foreign and EU
 * Netherlands: See Nederland Wereldwijd.nl
 * New Zealand: See Safetravel.govt.nz
 * Singapore posts travel advisories on https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Where-Are-You-Travelling-To
 * South Africa: The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (dirco.gov.za) posts a limited amount of information.
 * United Kingdom: See Foreign & Commonwealth Office
 * United States:
 * US State Department travel warnings
 * Center for Disease Control travel health notices