Foreign Travel Policy

• Policy
• Basis for Policy
• Sponsor Guidelines
• Travel Warnings
• Documentation Requirements for Travelers
• International Travel Assistance
• Transportation
• Meals, Lodging and Incidental Expenses
• Canada

Any person employed by, representing or acting on behalf of the Research Foundation (RF) must follow the RF’s policies for travel outside the United States and for reimbursement of expenses specific to foreign/international travel. These policies are in addition to domestic travel policies, procedures and responsibilities.

The RF established foreign/international travel policies to respond to complex and ever-changing travel regulations.

Travelers should review sponsor regulations, award terms and conditions before traveling outside the United States. Many sponsors have different requirements for foreign travel, and some have certain programs that award funds for international research and/or training. These programs may have special requirements in addition to those imposed by the sponsor and the general award terms and conditions.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs decides, based on relevant information, to issue travel warnings to U.S. citizens, recommending that Americans avoid travel to certain counties. The countries and dates the travel warnings were issued are listed on the Current Travel Warnings Web site.

Travelers going to any country indicated by the U.S. Department of State with a travel warning must have advance written approval from the campus operations manager and campus president, with written notice to the RF's central office (RFInternationalTravel@rfsuny.org), before traveling. For foreign travel by central office staff, prior approval must be obtained in writing from the executive vice president.

It is the responsibility of the traveler to check the Current Travel Warnings list before traveling, to obtain the necessary authorization, and to read and abide by the information contained in the travel warning. Travelers should also read the Department of State’s “Tips for Traveling Abroad.”

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires that by January 1, 2008, travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the U.S. by:

• December 31, 2006 – requirement will apply to all air and sea travel
• December 31, 2007 – requirement will apply to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel

The RF’s board of directors authorized the RF to provide international travel assistance coverage for all persons traveling overseas on official RF business.

For foreign travel, travelers should contact the appropriate campus travel/sponsor compliance office to assure compliance with sponsor guidelines.

All air travel on federally funded projects must comply with the Fly America Act.

If a traveler plans to rent a vehicle while in a foreign territory, the Office of General Counsel and Secretary should be notified beforehand. Refer to the "Travel in Foreign Territories" section in Insurance Guidelines for Rental Vehicles.

Travel costs must comply with A-21 requirements, specific sponsor regulations, and must be in accordance with all export control regulations and RF travel policies.

Payment for foreign travel is calculated using Method I. No receipts are required for lodging or meals. The rates are per diem allowances including meals, lodging, and incidental expenses. When sponsors allow foreign travel but do not provide a schedule of allowance, the U.S. State Department's Maximum Travel Per Diem Allowances for Foreign Areas must be used. The rates for Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico are established by the Department of Defense in Official DoD Per Diem Rates. Both sites (DoS and DoD) can be accessed from the General Services Administration (GSA) Travel Management Policy Division's page Per Diem Rates. These rates are subject to change monthly.

The eligibility for meals is the same as for domestic travel (see Meal Eligibility).

When adjustments need to be made to the meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) portion of the per diem, campuses may choose one of these options:

Examples of circumstances that would cause an adjustment to the per diem rate include the following circumstances:

• The traveler is not entitled to a specific meal because the meal is provided by another source.
• The timing of the travel allows or disallows a specific meal, as described in Meal Eligibility. (See examples under Method I.)

Some sponsors consider Canadian travel to be domestic travel while others consider it foreign travel. Travelers should check sponsor guidelines to determine how their sponsor classifies Canadian travel and categorize it accordingly for payment purposes. Even when travel to Canada is considered domestic by the sponsor, travelers should claim foreign rates for payment unless the award instrument or sponsor regulation provides otherwise.