Queer Compass Journal
Countries where same-sex activity is illegal: LGBTQ+ travel safety guide
A practical LGBTQ+ travel safety guide to countries that criminalise same-sex activity, including maximum reported penalties, death penalty risk, and pre-travel checks.
If you are searching for countries where same-sex activity is illegal, the short answer is that dozens of jurisdictions still criminalise private, consensual same-sex intimacy. Some carry prison terms. Some carry corporal punishment. Some include the death penalty in law or enforcement.
This LGBTQ+ travel safety guide uses the current country profiles from Human Dignity Trust, with additional travel context from official sources. It is not legal advice. Laws, enforcement and border practices can change quickly, so check official travel advice before booking.
Quick answer
- 65 jurisdictions criminalise private, consensual same-sex sexual activity, according to Human Dignity Trust.
- 12 countries have jurisdictions where the death penalty is imposed or is at least a legal possibility.
- Popular tourist destinations are not automatically safe. A country can welcome international visitors and still criminalise LGBTQ+ people under local law.
How many countries still criminalise same-sex activity?
Human Dignity Trust reports that 65 jurisdictions criminalise private, consensual same-sex sexual activity. Many of these laws use terms such as "sodomy", "buggery", "gross indecency", "unnatural offences", morality offences, or religious law provisions.
The same source reports that 41 countries criminalise private, consensual sexual activity between women. Criminalisation is often discussed as if it only affects gay men. That is misleading. Lesbians, bisexual women, trans people and gender non-conforming travellers can also face legal risk, police attention, harassment or extortion.
The U.S. State Department's travel guidance also warns that more than 60 countries treat consensual same-sex relations as a crime and tells travellers to check the "Local Laws & Customs" section for each destination.
Countries where same-sex activity is illegal: maximum reported penalties
The tables below are a travel-risk overview, not a full legal code. Penalties can depend on the act alleged, the region, the court system, religious law, nationality, and whether police use related offences such as public morality, indecency, cybercrime, prostitution, assembly, or "promotion" laws.
Asia
| Country or jurisdiction | Maximum punishment reported |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Death penalty |
| Bangladesh | Life imprisonment |
| Brunei | Death by stoning |
| Indonesia | Eight years imprisonment and 100 lashes |
| Iran | Death penalty |
| Iraq | 10 to 15 years imprisonment for same-sex relations under the 2024 anti-prostitution and homosexuality law |
| Kuwait | Seven years imprisonment |
| Lebanon | Six years imprisonment |
| Malaysia | Twenty years imprisonment and whipping |
| Maldives | Eight years imprisonment and 100 lashes |
| Myanmar | Ten years imprisonment |
| Oman | Three years imprisonment |
| Pakistan | Death by stoning |
| Palestine | Ten years imprisonment |
| Qatar | Death by stoning |
| Saudi Arabia | Death penalty |
| Sri Lanka | Ten years imprisonment and a fine |
| Syria | Three years imprisonment |
| Turkmenistan | Two years imprisonment |
| United Arab Emirates | Death penalty |
| Uzbekistan | Three years imprisonment |
| Yemen | Death penalty |
Africa
| Country or jurisdiction | Maximum punishment reported |
|---|---|
| Algeria | Three years imprisonment and a fine |
| Burkina Faso | Five years imprisonment and a fine |
| Burundi | Two years imprisonment and a fine |
| Cameroon | Five years imprisonment and a fine |
| Chad | Two years imprisonment and a fine |
| Comoros | Five years imprisonment and a fine |
| Egypt | Three years imprisonment and a fine |
| Eritrea | Three years imprisonment |
| Eswatini | Imprisonment |
| Ethiopia | One year imprisonment |
| Ghana | Three years imprisonment |
| Guinea | Three years imprisonment and a fine |
| Kenya | Fourteen years imprisonment |
| Liberia | One year imprisonment |
| Libya | Five years imprisonment |
| Malawi | Fourteen years imprisonment with corporal punishment |
| Mali | Seven years imprisonment and a fine |
| Mauritania | Death by stoning |
| Morocco | Three years imprisonment and a fine |
| Nigeria | Death by stoning in some jurisdictions |
| Senegal | Ten years imprisonment and a fine |
| Sierra Leone | Life imprisonment |
| Somalia | Death penalty |
| South Sudan | Fourteen years imprisonment and a fine |
| Sudan | Life imprisonment |
| Tanzania | Life imprisonment |
| The Gambia | Life imprisonment |
| Togo | Three years imprisonment and a fine |
| Tunisia | Three years imprisonment |
| Uganda | Life imprisonment; the death penalty is legally possible for certain offences under Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act framework |
| Zambia | Life imprisonment |
| Zimbabwe | One year imprisonment and a fine |
Caribbean and the Americas
| Country or jurisdiction | Maximum punishment reported |
|---|---|
| Grenada | Ten years imprisonment |
| Guyana | Life imprisonment |
| Jamaica | Ten years imprisonment with hard labour |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Ten years imprisonment |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Five years imprisonment |
Pacific
| Country or jurisdiction | Maximum punishment reported |
|---|---|
| Kiribati | Fourteen years imprisonment |
| Papua New Guinea | Fourteen years imprisonment |
| Samoa | Five years imprisonment |
| Solomon Islands | Fourteen years imprisonment |
| Tonga | Ten years imprisonment |
| Tuvalu | Fourteen years imprisonment |
Which countries have the death penalty risk?
Human Dignity Trust identifies 12 countries with jurisdictions where the death penalty is imposed or is at least a legal possibility for private, consensual same-sex sexual activity.
It reports that the death penalty is implemented in Iran, northern Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Yemen. It remains a legal possibility in Afghanistan, Brunei, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Uganda.
That list should change how you judge risk. Enforcement varies, and foreign visitors may be treated differently from citizens. But where death is part of the legal framework, LGBTQ+ travellers should treat the destination as high risk.
Why some popular holiday destinations are still risky for LGBTQ+ travellers
Tourism can hide legal risk. A destination may have luxury hotels, direct flights, international events and a large expat scene while still criminalising same-sex activity or gender expression.
Commonly visited or widely marketed destinations on the criminalisation list include:
- Dubai / United Arab Emirates: Dubai is one of the most heavily marketed destinations for British travellers, but it is part of the United Arab Emirates, which Human Dignity Trust lists under death penalty risk. Popularity, luxury branding and stopover convenience do not remove the legal risk for LGBTQ+ people.
- Qatar: A major aviation hub and event destination where Human Dignity Trust reports death by stoning as the maximum punishment.
- Malaysia: A popular long-haul travel destination where Human Dignity Trust reports a maximum punishment of 20 years imprisonment and whipping.
- Maldives: A luxury honeymoon and resort destination where Human Dignity Trust reports eight years imprisonment and 100 lashes.
- Jamaica: A major Caribbean holiday destination where Human Dignity Trust reports ten years imprisonment with hard labour.
- Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia: Popular destinations from the UK and Europe where Human Dignity Trust reports prison penalties.
The risk often appears at the point where private life becomes visible: a shared hotel room, a dating app, a phone search, public affection, a social media post, a medical question, or a police report after theft, assault or harassment.
For destination-specific advice, see our planned guides to LGBTQ+ travel safety in Dubai and the UAE, LGBTQ+ travel safety in the Caribbean, and LGBTQ+ travel safety in North Africa.
Women, trans people and gender expression
Same-sex criminalisation is often written and reported through laws targeting sex between men. That is only part of the picture.
Some laws use broader language such as "same-sex relations", "unnatural offences", "gross indecency", "lesbianism", or "sexual relations with a person of the same sex". Human Dignity Trust reports that 41 countries criminalise private, consensual sexual activity between women.
Trans and gender non-conforming travellers can face separate risks. Human Dignity Trust reports that 13 countries criminalise gender identity or expression through laws on "cross-dressing", "impersonation", or "disguise". Other laws on public order, vagrancy, morality, identity documents, healthcare or LGBTQ+ "promotion" may also be used.
For a practical pre-trip process, see our planned LGBTQ+ travel safety checklist.
Social media and digital border checks
Your online life can become part of the travel risk. There is no single reliable public count of countries that review social media during visa or border screening, but the practice is now common enough to plan for.
The United States is the clearest example. Since May 31, 2019, the U.S. Department of State has requested social media identifiers from most U.S. visa applicants worldwide. In December 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection published a Federal Register notice proposing to make social media a mandatory data element for ESTA applications, requiring applicants to provide social media used in the previous five years.
At the border, CBP says all travellers crossing the U.S. border are subject to inspection and that officers may search electronic devices. CBP also says this is rare: in FY2024 it reported 47,047 electronic device searches out of more than 420 million travellers, or less than 0.01% of arriving international travellers. For foreign nationals, refusal to present a device in a condition that allows inspection can be considered in an admissibility decision, according to CBP's border search guidance.
For LGBTQ+ travellers, the concern is obvious. A profile that openly identifies you as LGBTQ+, or posts about Pride, drag, queer relationships, gender-affirming care, HIV activism, protest, sex work, dating apps or LGBTQ+ nightlife, may be read very differently by a visa officer or border official.
Do not lie on visa forms or omit required information. False answers can create separate immigration problems. But do treat social media as part of your pre-travel risk review, especially when visiting or transiting through countries that criminalise same-sex activity. This deserves a full guide, so we have added a placeholder for LGBTQ+ travellers and digital border searches.
A short note on the United States
The United States does not criminalise consensual same-sex intimacy. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas in 2003, and Bostock v. Clayton County in 2020 confirmed that Title VII employment discrimination "because of sex" covers discrimination against gay and transgender workers.
The risk profile is still uneven. The Movement Advancement Project's nondiscrimination maps show that protections vary sharply by state. Recent federal actions have also narrowed or challenged protections for trans people, including the January 20, 2025 White House order on "gender ideology", the January 21, 2025 order targeting DEI and DEIA programmes, and the April 2026 Department of Education decision to rescind parts of earlier Title IX resolution agreements.
That is a different issue from countries that jail people for same-sex intimacy, so it should not dominate this guide. For the detailed companion piece, read Is the United States safe for LGBTQ+ travellers in 2026?.
What LGBTQ+ travellers should check before booking
Before booking, check:
- whether consensual same-sex activity is criminalised
- whether the law applies to men, women, or all same-sex relations
- whether trans identity, gender expression, or "cross-dressing" is criminalised
- whether LGBTQ+ "promotion", public advocacy, Pride events, or online expression are restricted
- whether same-sex couples can safely share accommodation
- whether police have a record of dating-app entrapment or extortion
- whether visa forms ask for social media handles or online identifiers
- whether border officers can inspect phones, laptops, photos, messages, or app content
- whether HIV medication, PrEP, hormones, or other medication may be questioned
- whether your passport gender marker will be accepted
- whether public affection could trigger legal or practical risk
- whether your embassy, consulate, or foreign office has specific LGBTQ+ travel guidance
If a destination appears on the criminalisation list, ask a hard question before booking: what would you do if a private relationship, hotel issue, phone search, medical need, dating-app message, or police interaction exposed your sexuality or gender identity?
Sources to check directly
Reliable sources for pre-travel research include:
- Human Dignity Trust: Map of Jurisdictions that Criminalise LGBT People
- ILGA World: Sexual orientation law maps
- U.S. State Department: Gay and Lesbian Travelers
- U.S. State Department: Collection of Social Media Identifiers from U.S. Visa Applicants
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Border Search of Electronic Devices
- Federal Register: ESTA and I-94 proposed social media data collection
- Movement Advancement Project: U.S. nondiscrimination laws
- White House: Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity
- the foreign office, state department, or consular travel advice issued by your own country
- local LGBTQ+ organisations, where it is safe for them to publish guidance
The bottom line
Countries where same-sex activity is illegal can pose serious risks for LGBTQ+ travellers, even when they are popular holiday, business, religious, or stopover destinations.
Check the law before you book. Check how it is enforced. Check what your phone, passport, medication, hotel booking and social media might reveal. Then decide whether the trip is worth the risk.