Foreign Travel
- General Information
- Passport, Visa and Immunization
- Credit Cards
- World Airport Information
- Trip Tips, Tactics and Reminders
- Transportation
- Lodging and Meal Per Diems
- Receipts
- Phone charges - cell and prepay cards
- Exchanging Foreign Currency
- Documenting Conversion
- Travel Warnings
- Medical Matters
- Helpful Links
General Information
UW-System’s Travel Web site has numerous links related to traveling abroad.
UW-System also has a section of regulations on foreign travel that should be perused. All general travel regulations apply to foreign travel as they do for domestic travel.
Passport, Visa and Immunization
Rules vary from country to country so it’s important to know, prior to making arrangements for a trip, what foreign entry requirements are for the destination.
Reasonable charges for passports, visas and associated required photographs are reimbursable when incurred in connection with official UW business. The cost of inoculations and other routine medical procedures required for entry into certain foreign countries, which is not covered by insurance, is also reimbursable. Receipts are required if the claim exceeds $25.
Credit Cards
Traveling to Europe soon? Be aware that many countries throughout Europe, including the UK, Ireland, France, and others, have recently introduced a chip and pin payment system that utilizes cards embedded with a chip and protected through the use of a personal identification number. Some merchants in Europe have mistakenly refused to accept Visa cards issued by U.S. financial institutions because the cards do not have an embedded chip that can be read at the point of sale.
The good news is that US Bank cardholders visiting Europe can continue to use their magnetic stripe Visa card in countries with this system. The merchants’ terminals are designed to recognize and prompt appropriately, and you should still be able to sign a transaction receipt.
For more information please click on US Bank European Travel
US Bank Travel Visa card(UW-System) is available to all employees and well accepted worldwide. As a reminder, airfare, lodging and car rental must be charged to this card.
Tips: In some of the less developed countries cards of any kind aren’t accepted. With the US Bank Travel Visa Card's cash advance feature there's no need to carry large amounts of cash. The advance is normally limited to $200/month however this limit can be increased on an 'as needed' basis. Please contact Linda in Accounting Services (x2155) prior to departure to discuss the issue.
With all credit cards there's a chance of a computer mix-up and a card could be suspended. Because of this it's a good idea to carry both the US Bank Travel Visa card and another card.
World Airport Information
World airports is a great site for information for before-hand knowledge of taxis, shuttle services or any ground transportation. Maps showing terminal layouts can not only make transferring between terminals easier they can also help a traveler locate where to find the ground transportation.
TIP: Select airport by clicking on country and selecting city. To access the map of that specific airport, click the icon in the upper right corner of the map.
Trip Tips, Tactics and Reminders
All the general guidelines for submitting an expense report apply to TERs involving foreign travel but there are also a few others. This section is meant to expedite reimbursement of the traveler’s expense.
- Get organized even before leaving! Knowing the need for providing receipts for expenses some of our travelers take manila envelopes. They date them and put receipts in each day. Writing a reminder on the receipt at the time its received will help when filing a TER.
- Purpose of trip needs to be clearly defined.
- If going to a conference there's usually the necessary documentation to indicate dates and location of an event.
- If visiting foreign schools a daily itinerary needs to be included along with names, dates and purpose of visit
- Include emails, letters, etc. confirming dates of meetings
- Expenses must be listed in chronological order (UW-System).
- Language translations
- If the receipt is in a foreign language traveler must translate it when submitting TER.
- The more information that is provided with the TER, the less time it should take to do the audit. The UW-System online TER should be used when submitting travel expenses.
- Use the description area to explain expenses - including miscellaneous expenses. If lumping miscellaneous expenses together its important to indicate a breakdown of expenses in the description area of the TER (i.e. $5-phone, $2 maid tip, etc).
Transportation
Airfare
Documentation required is:
- Passenger receipt portion of ticket or original E-ticket
- Itinerary showing traveler’s name, destination, departure and return dates
- Documentation showing amount of fare, routing, class of travel
- Proof of personal purchase by US Bank card
Rail Passes
Reimbursement will be allowed for the most economical type of pass suitable for conducting University travel. Be sure to research this with your travel agency or by accessing one of the numerous web sites offering information.
- Europass - This offers travel within the five most frequently traveled countries in Europe
- Eurail pass allows travel within 17 different countries
- BritRail allows travel within England, Scotland and Wales
- Single country passes
NOTE: If the audit process shows a less expensive rail pass could have been purchased for University business travel the reimbursement will be limited to that amount.
Bus Travel
Bus fares for University travel are reimbursable.
- To/from information is required on the TER
- Receipts are required if conversion rate is over $5
Tips:
- Write on the receipt when it's purchased regarding the to/from information.
- Most tickets are dated however if they aren't, write it on the ticket
Car Rental
Our contract car rental company(UW-System) offers contract pricing for international and Canadian travel. Be sure to check with them prior to making arrangements.
National will afford Eligible Renters with International Flat Rates, which are quoted in local currency. A complete set of rates for National Rental's (US) Inc. global system exists in countries throughout Europe, Middle East Africa (EMEA), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Asia and the Pacific Basin. Rates are accessible through all reservation systems worldwide.
Important to know:
International discounts are subject to change without notice and may differ wherever local government restrictions limit or prohibit these discounts.
International Flat Rates include the minimum required amount of liability protection as determined by the applicable laws of each country. The rates also include coverage for damage and/or theft (where applicable). These rates do not include personal accident insurance.
Using the US Bank Travel Visa card (UW-System) will provide full primary collision insurance on car rentals
Important to remember:
As with travel within the U.S., a rental car can only be reimbursed if it complies with regulation guidelines.
Prior to renting a car it’s imperative the traveler reviews the terms and conditions of our contract at the above link.
Lodging and Meals
Prior to making hotel reservations please review UW-System lodging and meal maximums. As with travel within the States, there are city maximums in foreign countries. Meal maximums as well vary from city to city. If the destination city is not indicated the per diem rate used is 'other'.
As a reminder, when seeking reimbursement for meals the reimbursement is to be what was actually spent while not exceeding the maximum.
Receipts
Traveler needs to submit original, itemized receipts. If in doubt as to if a receipt is needed or not, get one. It will be far easier to obtain one at the time of travel than later. When necessary, translate the expense into English.
Be sure to number the receipt to correspond with the conversion worksheet.
VAT Recovery UW-System has contracted a firm to enable us to regain VAT taxes in some countries. Whenever possible, please obtain receipts showing the VAT tax.
Phone Charges - Cell and Prepay cards
Cell phone and prepay phone cards are reimbursable only if they do not exceed the $5/night of travel status allowed by UW-System travel regulations. Examples for a five night stay follow:
- If cell phone cards are less than $25 we can reimburse them
- If cell phone cards exceed that amount we can only reimburse up to the $25
Employees making official business phone calls must provide an explanation for the call as well as a receipt if the charge is over $5.
Exchanging Foreign Currency
Usually exchanging money at a bank in the destination country affords the best rate of exchange. When submitting the TER, all receipts must be converted to the U.S. equivalents. Please review the conversions section of this article for further instructions.
Tip: Any foreign currency not spent should be converted prior to leaving that country. Exchanging foreign currency upon returning to the States involves producing a State ID (driver's license) and a $20 flat fee (per Bremer Bank in 2003). Since the traveler has the option to do conversions prior to returning home any conversion fees incurred here are the responsibility of the traveler and not a reimbursable expense.
How to Obtain the Exchange Rate
All expenses claimed on a TER must be converted to U.S. dollar. Source of conversion rate must be stated on TER and documented. Conversions rates can be done by:
- Exchanging money in destination country.
Retain original receipts to submit with expenses.
- If exchanging more than once, use average of all exchange rates
- NOTE: Commission charged must be claimed as a separate line item
- Wait for credit card statement and use the amount billed by the company.
- NOTE: Since credit card companies often tag-on a service charge the exchange rate they reference may be higher than the actual exchange rate was during that time period. Because of this, expenses not on the credit card need to be converted by the actual exchange rate.
- When submitting expenses a copy of credit card statement must be included as documentation of exchange rate.
- Use the Oanda currency converter to find the conversion rate for dates of travel.
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There's no need to specify the conversion rate for each day of travel. Selecting a date in the middle of the trip and using that for all conversions will suffice. Print screen of Oanda must be attached to TER as documentation.
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Documenting the Conversions
Realizing converting currency is time consuming Accounting Services has created a currency conversion worksheet.
- Reduces time spent completing TER since conversions are done automatically
- Reduces audit time so traveler receives reimbursement more quickly
- It is for those reasons this spreadsheet is now required when submitting foreign travel expenses.
To utilize the conversion worksheet the traveler will need to:
- Customize the built-in formula to reflect the correct exchange rate for the period of time they were traveling
- If help is needed for customizing the formula, contact Linda O'Connell at x2155
- Complete worksheet online so formulas do the calculating
- Indicate in the appropriate cell on the worksheet the exchange rate used and attach documentation confirming the rate
- Number receipts to correspond with number on the worksheet
- Attach the worksheet and exchange rate documentation to the TER when submitting
Travel Warnings
Prior to making any travel plans travelers need to check for possible travel warnings in their destination countries.
Medical Matters
Travelers should contact Safety and Risk Management regarding Medex medical emergency assistance coverage. This program isn’t a health insurance program; employees are covered by worker's compensation while in travel status on University business.
Medex is designed to:
- Ensure the availability of competent health care as promptly as possible in situations where health care may not be available or not be up to U.S. standards.
- This coverage is free to the traveler and could prove to be enormously valuable if the need for medical services should arrive.
Warnings:
- Some U.S. medical insurance policies are not valid outside the United States.
- While employees are covered under worker's comp individuals accompanying employee are not. Uninsured travelers who require medical care overseas may face extreme difficulties so check before leaving!
- U.S. Medicare and Medicaid programs do not provide payment for medical services outside the United States.
- Please check with your own insurance company to confirm whether your policy applies overseas. Other questions to ask are:
- Are there provisions for medical evacuation?
- Will payment be made to the overseas hospital/doctor or the traveler be reimbursed later for expenses that you incur?
- Some insurance policies also include coverage for psychiatric treatment and for disposition of remains in the event of death.
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Useful information on medical emergencies abroad, including overseas insurance programs, is provided in the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs brochure, Medical Information for Americans Traveling Abroad, available via the Bureau of Consular Affairs home page.
Special note on group travel
Whenever travel includes groups of students there are liability issues involved with ground transportation, lodging, etc No arrangements should be made without contacting Purchasing Services.
Helpful Links
- Currency Conversion Worksheet - Excel Spreadsheet for Currency Conversions.
- Oanda Currency Converter - Online currency converter
- Foreign Entry Requirements - US Department of State travel information
- How to get a Visa - U.S. Department of State travel information
- Foreign Per Diem - U.S. Department of State per diem rates
- Medex for Foreign Travel - UW-System insurance information
- Cultural Insurance Services Intl (CISI) [PDF] -
- Freetranslation.com - Free translating service
- Dictionaries.travlang.com - Multilingual dictionary
- World Time Clock - Time Zone calculation
- VAT recovery guidelines - UW-System VAT recovery guidelines