International Travel F&S

The U.S. Department of State provides guidance for reimbursement rates for meals and lodging. Travelers will be expected to follow these guidelines unless university departments or granting agency regulations are more restrictive.  Individual UNI academic and administrative units may reimburse at rates lower than those established by the U.S. Department of State or not at all so long as written notice is provided to the traveler before they incur the expenses.  Written notice may be by a printed document, a web page, or an email. Receipts for hotel, car rental, registration, and other transportation are always required to substantiate the actual cost. Other receipts are required only for expenses that exceed $75. The maximum travel allowances for foreign areas are listed on the U.S. Department of State website. 

If a traveler requires paid lodging, she/he may claim the full lodging allowance (unless a lower amount or no amount is established by their unit as described above) for that city (if city is not listed, choose “other”).  A receipt is required showing a zero balance due.  The actual cost to the traveler need not be calculated.  If a traveler does not require paid lodging, no lodging allowance will be allowed. 

According to the Internal Revenue Service, lodging for the entire trip must calculated based on allowance rates or actual cost.  Every day must be calculated the same way.  Some granting agencies restrict reimbursements for lodging to the lesser of actual or allowance rates. 

For partial days of travel, the allowable reimbursement rate (or lower approved amount) will be prorated based on the percent of time the traveler was in travel status for that day. 

The traveler may be reimbursed up to 150% of the allowable lodging reimbursement rate approved by the U.S. Department of State with adequate justification and appropriate approvals. The traveler must provide an explanation of the extenuating circumstances and original receipts supporting all lodging and meal expenditures.  Reimbursements in excess of the U.S. Department of State rates will not be approved if prohibited by granting agency regulations. 

A traveler may claim a meal allowance (unless a lower amount or no amount is established by their unit as described above), even though he or she does not claim lodging. 

Passport and visa charges are reimbursable with itemized receipts.

The travel request and expense report must be completed in U.S. currency by date and each item should show the rate of exchange used for conversion.  Exchange rates may be obtained from the website OANDA.com, a local financial institution, or a copy of a credit card statement showing the conversion to USD.  Receipts for currency conversion transactions, if available, should be turned in with receipts, the exchange rate and source must be referenced on the voucher, and receipts should be individually labeled (hotel, meal, taxi, etc.) with the U.S. dollar equivalency.

According to the Fly America Act, employees are required to use U.S. Flag Air Carriers for international air transportation funded by a federal grant. It is highly recommended that you book your international travel through our travel booking partner.  Use of foreign-flag carriers is only permissible under certain circumstances. There will be times when an exception may be appropriate. To document exceptions, we rely on the Fly America Act Waiver.  Visit the GSA website for the current Open Skies Agreement for details. 

International travelers need to be aware of federal export control regulations which restrict the export or transfer of information, goods, equipment, technology, related technical data and certain services to foreign countries and nationals in order to protect national security and the domestic economy. For additional information please visit: https://www.uni.edu/rsp/export-control-travel-handout

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

• Trips must always be fully approved in workflow prior to incurring any expenses.

• International trips should be requested at least 3 months in advance.

  • Anyone incurring reimbursable expenses should have their own Travel Request created in Service Hub.

• Travelers are encouraged to use the most economical and appropriate means of travel.

• Travel & Hospitality cards should be used for travel whenever possible.

TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY (T&H) CARD

• All allowable travel expenses may be charged to a University of Northern Iowa Travel & Hospitality (T&H) card.

• Travel & Hospitality (T&H) cards may be obtained for any UNI employee who travels on a regular basis for University business and receives proper departmental approval.

COMBINING BUSINESS AND PERSONAL TRAVEL

• When an employee combines vacation with business travel, reimbursement for car rental, lodging, mileage, parking, etc. will not be granted during vacation days.

• Individuals not on University-related business may accompany, at their own expense.

• Travelers are allowed one travel day prior to and one day after an event; any additional days will be considered personal travel without proper justification or pre-approval from the Office of Business Operations.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL LAPTOP 

All UNI personnel traveling internationally for UNI business have the opportunity to check out a laptop for their International Trip.

• UNI office laptops are not permitted for international travel.  Please use Service Hub to check out a laptop for international travel. Please see the International Travel Laptop Check Out link for guidelines.  

HEALTH INSURANCE-CULTURAL INSURANCE SERVICES INTERNATIONAL (CISI)

There are requirements for health insurance for the duration of stay overseas on a UNI program. 

• Inter­na­tional health insur­ance and emer­gency ser­vices through the Cultural Insur­ance Ser­vices Inter­na­tional (CISI) pro­vides cov­er­age for University of Northern Iowa students, faculty and staff traveling internationally. The UNI Study Abroad Center will enroll travelers around 30 days before departure. For information on costs and CISI cov­er­age, visit the fol­low­ing link: https://uni.edu/studyabroad/international-health-insurance-cisi

SMART TRAVELER ENROLLMENT PROGRAM (STEP)

International travelers must register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). For more information, visit the following link: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/step.html