iu travel policy

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As of fall 2022 the university returned to standard pre-pandemic procedures for employee (faculty and staff) and non-employee (visitor) international travel. Student travel continues to require some additional review and approval.

Protect IU Travel Safety

Find the latest updates and information.

International Travel Guidelines

Employees (faculty and staff).

• Employees should follow any international travel approval policy of their home department, school or campus. Check with your fiscal officer or department administrator if you are unsure whether your home unit has an approval procedure outside of the Chrome River trip authorization (TA) document.
• An approved Chrome River trip authorization (TA) report must be in place before making reservations for the trip whether you are using direct bill travel reservations in Egencia or other IU Designated Travel Agency (DTA) or will be requesting reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses associated with the trip. 

All students

• Consistent with long-standing university policy on student international travel safety , no IU funds may be used to support student travel to countries under U.S. State Department Level 4 “Do Not Travel” Advisories.
• International travel by undergraduate students is subject to approval by IU Education Abroad .

Graduate students

• Individual graduate student travelers should submit an  international travel form for each university-affiliated international trip. This is required for graduate student travel to Level 3 Advisory destinations, and strongly encouraged for Level 1 and 2 destinations as well.
• If the grad student travel is being booked through Chrome River, the signed form should be uploaded with the Chrome River pre-approval document for the trip to be authorized.
• If the travel is being supported through a cash award in SIS or by a third party, the form should be e-mailed directly to OVPIA at [email protected] prior to travel, as well as filed in the student’s home department records.
• For a graduate student traveling abroad alone, based on a faculty or staff member’s recommendation or encouragement, no further documentation is needed, even if the student has IU funding to support their travel.
• Additional approval will be required in cases where a faculty or staff member is traveling with the student, or is substantially involved in establishing or facilitating arrangements (e.g., creating opportunities for research, scheduling musical performances or sports activities or setting up other non-credit travel abroad for students). In such cases, graduate student international travel must first be approved through the IU Education Abroad short form procedure . 

International travel FAQ

What counts as “university-affiliated” travel for the purpose of iu international travel policies and guidelines.

Travel is university-affiliated if it is undertaken within the scope of the traveler’s role and responsibilities at IU, regardless of the source of funding for the trip. For faculty, examples include travel to conduct research, teach, or participate in a professional meeting; for graduate students, examples include travel for research or study at a foreign institution.

Do IU international travel policies and guidelines apply to travel for personal reasons?

No. However, international graduate students planning personal travel overseas should review IU Office of International Services travel guidelines , and all graduate students and other travelers with university employment responsibilities should keep their supervisor informed of personal international travel plans, as remote work from overseas is generally not allowed.

Do IU international travel policies and guidelines apply only to travel that is funded by IU?

No. They apply to all international travel undertaken within the scope of the traveler’s role and responsibilities at IU, even it is funded by a third party or by personal funds.

Can a graduate student seek an exception for travel to Level 4 “Do Not Travel” Advisory country?

No exceptions will be granted.

Where do I find more information about trip insurance?

OVPIA has collaborated with several IU offices to put together a resource page about travel assistance and trip cancellation/interruption insurance options for students, faculty, and staff.

Learn more about trip insurance

Updated September 1, 2023

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Travel management services.

IU Travel Management Services provides an efficient, cost-effective travel management program to assist faculty and staff with IU-sponsored travel and expense reimbursement. Find information on booking IU-paid travel, discounts, policy and procedures, and tips for faster reimbursement. Visit the  Travel Management Services website.

Related Policies

• Travel, FIN-TRV-01
• Reimbursement Under the Accountable Plan, FIN-ACC-620
• Who Can Use University Vehicles, FIN-INS-07

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Updated: Travel during the pandemic 101

By Amanda Roach

October 18, 2021

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This story was updated on Dec. 14, 2021, to reflect the most current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Travel guidelines and recommendations have changed and been updated throughout the pandemic.

Here’s what you need to know for planning travel as the holidays approach:

For any travel, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend being fully vaccinated before traveling.

Domestic travel guidelines

• Those who are fully vaccinated do not need to get tested or quarantine before or after travel, unless it’s required by your destination or method of travel. The CDC advises monitoring for symptoms following travel and, if symptoms appear, getting a symptomatic test to determine your COVID-19 status.
• If you are not fully vaccinated and must travel, get tested one to three days before traveling to ensure you do not have COVID-19. The CDC recommends getting tested three to five days after you return from your trip and self-quarantining for seven days. Even if your test is negative, you should complete all seven days of quarantine and avoid being around those at high risk for severe illness for 14 days. If you choose not to get tested, self-quarantine for 10 days after travel. If symptoms appear, get a symptomatic test to determine your COVID-19 status.
• If you are participating in IU-sponsored domestic travel , the travel policy has returned to the pre-pandemic policy. Fiscal officers, or their delegate, must approve travel through the pre-approval process in Chrome River.

International travel guidelines

Testing requirement

• All passengers traveling by air to the U.S., regardless of vaccination or citizenship status, must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test no more than one day before traveling.
• If you recently tested positive for COVID-19 and have completed your isolation, you may travel with documentation of your recovery. This includes a positive COVID-19 test result no more than 90 days old and a letter from a physician or public health official saying you are cleared to travel.

Vaccine requirement

• Anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or immigrant must show proof of being fully vaccinated (two weeks after your last dose of a COVID-19 vaccine) before traveling by air to the U.S.
• This applies to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident or traveling to the U.S. on an immigrant visa.

Travelers prohibited from entering the U.S.

• There are currently restrictions in place for those traveling from some countries to the U.S. due to the omicron variant.
• U.S. citizens and lawful residents of the U.S., certain family members and other individuals who meet specific exceptions may still enter the country as outlined in the Presidential Proclamation .

After arriving in the U.S.

• If you are fully vaccinated : Get tested for COVID-19 three to five days after travel, self-monitor for symptoms and isolate if you develop symptoms.
• If you are not fully vaccinated : Self-quarantine at home for seven days after travel and get a COVID-19 test on day three to five. If you develop symptoms, isolate and get tested.

IU-sponsored international travel

• Faculty or staff participating in IU-sponsored international travel should start by completing the IU Employee International Travel Information and Acknowledgement form .
• Undergraduate student travel must be approved by the Office of Overseas Study, and graduate student travel is reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Office of the Vice President for International Affairs.
• Masks are required for all travelers on public transportation and inside transportation hubs like airports.
• Some communities may have additional masking requirements or guidelines to be aware of and follow as you travel.
• You may also consider wearing a mask in areas that have high community spread of COVID-19, in crowded outdoor settings or if you’ll be interacting in close contact with others who may not be fully vaccinated.

Amanda Roach is a senior communications consultant in the Office of the Vice President for Communications and Marketing.

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Travel procedures for IU faculty and staff

Indiana University Travel Management Services provides comprehensive information on travel for IU faculty and staff. You can find information about air reservations, hotel reservations, and car rentals, as well as procedures for making reservations, getting discounts, and receiving reimbursements.

This is document avnp in the Knowledge Base. Last modified on 2023-07-17 12:39:55 .

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Reimbursement of Travel Expenditures

FIN-TRV-2.0

Policy Statement

Reason for policy, definitions, additional contacts.

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About This Policy

Tammy Bean Director of Travel Travel Management Services tbean@iu.edu

All travelers seeking reimbursement for travel expenses from Indiana University.

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The cost of travel authorized for official university business may be reimbursed to the university traveler:

• subject to departmental approval;
• within the Accountable Plan Policy; and
• within the prescribed limits as indicated below.

Official university rates pertaining to various types of expense reimbursements will be published by Travel Management Services on the Travel Management Services website at www.indiana.edu/~travel . 

To provide guidance regarding the type of travel related expenses that may be reimbursed from university funds.

Traveler Certification: By submitting reimbursement and or supplement documents through the IU travel system the traveler agrees to the following:

The reimbursement documentation included in the travel system documents are true and just in all respects;

• that payment of the amounts claimed has not and will not be reimbursed to the traveler from any other sources;
• that travel performed for which reimbursement is claimed was performed by the traveler on university business and that no claims are included for expense of a personal or political nature or for any other expense not authorized by Indiana University;
• And that the traveler actually incurred or paid the operating expenses of the motor vehicles for which reimbursement is claimed.

Travel Dates: Business travelers are allowed a maximum of two full days of paid travel time to and from their official business location - one day before and one day after – regardless of the method of travel. International travelers may be allowed a second day of paid travel time at the beginning and ending of the trip if the destination cannot be reached in a single day via a direct route.

Lodging: May be reimbursed to locations beyond a fifty (50) mile radius of the employee's official workstation or residence, whichever is less. Lodging claims may not exceed the single occupancy lodging rate.

Per Diem: First and last days of travel will be paid at 75% of the daily per diem allowance. Proof of lodging is required for per diem allowance unless the reservation was prepaid through the travel system’s online booking tool. If the traveler stays with an individual rather than in a hotel the dates of stay, name, and address of the individual who provided the lodging must be provided on the reimbursement document for substantiation purposes in compliance with IRS requirements. Trips lasting less than 12 hours are not eligible for per diem. Trips lasting more than 12 hours, but not overnight are eligible for 75% of the daily per diem allowance. Reimbursement for non-overnight per diem is taxable.

Air Transportation:

• Commercial Airfare : Reimbursement is limited to the cost of economy coach class round trip airfare. The flight must originate from the closest airport to the traveler’s official IU workstation, unless travel from a different airport is more economical. In these instances, price quotes must be obtained at the time the airfare is reserved that demonstrate that travel from an airport other than the closest one to the traveler’s workstation is more economical. The price quotes must include airfare and ground transportation costs to and from both the airport closest to the traveler’s workstation and the alternative airport and must accompany the supporting documentation of the reimbursement document. Any upgrades from economy coach must be paid for using IU Foundation funds (unless allowed for certain international travel or by medical exception as specified below). If personal travel is included with the business travel and the flight contains a personal segment(s), a price quote must be obtained at the time the airfare is reserved showing only the round trip cost of the business portion of the travel. The traveler will be reimbursed for the round trip quote to and from the business destination unless the travel that includes the personal segment is more economical.
• International Travel : Business Class travel may be allowable for international flights where a single segment of the trip in each direction exceeds eight (8) hours of continuous flight time to a destination outside of the contiguous United States. Federal Grants or other external grants may not allow business class travel as they may require the most restrictive class of travel. If traveling on Federal Funding, it is the traveler’s responsibility to determine if Business Class Travel is allowed in advance of booking the flight.
• Privately Owned Aircraft: Travel on a privately owned aircraft will be limited to the reimbursement cost of a 30-day advance purchase round trip economy class airfare ticket and may be subject to additional restrictions as disseminated by Travel Management Services and Office of Insurance, Loss Control, & Claims (INLOCC).
• Charter travel by the President is governed by Board of Trustee process
• Senior administrators who wish to use a charter flight because of emergency, time or scheduling conflicts, or fiscal responsibility (lower cost than alternatives) must obtain written approval from the Office of the President prior to using a charter flight.
• The Athletic Director or his delegate shall approve, in writing, all charter flights paid by the University for Athletic Teams and coaches.
• Exceptions to Requirements for Economy Coach Air Travel;  Exceptions may be allowed for a documented medical reason or International Business Travel as qualified above. Either exception, whether Medical or International Business Class Travel, require a written approval for exception to the standard business requirement to use economy coach travel and must be approved by the Organization Leader (definition below). This approval must be included with the supporting documentation on the reimbursement document.
• Travel to international destinations using federal funding must comply with the Fly America Act and the Open Skies Act when that travel is supported by federal funds. These Acts restrict the selection of carriers to US carriers or those based in countries with which the US has an applicable agreement.
• Require circuitous or excessively prolonged travel;
• Is not reasonably adequate for the traveler’s medical needs. In this case, the traveler must justify and document the conditions on a case-by-case basis in order for the use of first-class or business-class airfare to be allowable.

Ground Transportation –

• Rental Vehicles: Reimbursement is limited to the cost of an economy size vehicle unless there is a business or medical need for a larger vehicle. Justification for a larger vehicle must be included on the reimbursement document. Insurance on the rental vehicle will not be reimbursed for domestic rentals.
• Taxi/Shuttle: Reimbursement is allowed for transportation between airport and the site(s) of official university business including the lodging site if different from other official business locations. Taxi to the closest airport may be reimbursed from the traveler’s official workstation (not their home) unless their home is closer to the airport. Reimbursement will be subject to prescribed limits as noted on the Travel website.
• Limo: Reimbursement is limited to the shared ride cost. The additional costs associated with a private limousine service is not reimbursed by IU.
• Personal Vehicles: Reimbursement will be based on official state highway maps showing the shortest, most widely used travel route from the traveler’s official workstation to their business destination unless travel from their home is closer. Reimbursement for mileage costs is limited to the cost of a comparable 30-day advance purchase round trip economy class airfare ticket if the airfare is more economical than reimbursing mileage. Mileage costs up to 500 miles is reimbursed at the full rate and mileage between 501 and 3,000 miles is reimbursed at fifty percent of the full rate. Mileage cost reimbursement is capped at 3,000 miles.
• Train: Reimbursement is limited to the coach fare rate and will not exceed the cost of a comparable 30-day advance purchase round trip airfare ticket.
• Airport Parking: Reimbursement is limited to long-term parking rates.

Exceptions to the above may be approved subject to documentation procedures and requirements established by Travel Management Services and with departmental approval.

Organization Leader: The director or vice president for an administrative unit, the dean of an academic unit, or the Vice-Chancellor of administrative services of the campus, or their delegate.

Segment of the trip: non-stop in flight continuous travel from one point to another point.

Failure to comply could result in lower reimbursement rates to the traveler.

Falsification of travel expenses submitted may subject travelers to disciplinary procedures according to university policies

Business Class Travel on International Trips where a single segment of the trip is over eight (8) hours, may not be allowable on federally funded or other external grants. If a traveler books a business class trip when not allowed, the departmental account will be required to reimburse the grant funding.

This policy was updated June 1, 2016.

This policy was established on October 1, 1990.

Previous Version 10/01/1990-06/01/2016

Please note: This is an archived version of the policy. View the current version.

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Travel Management Services Purchasing | Supplier Diversity

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Travel forms and calculators.

• ADA Accomodation Approval : used by departments to confirm doctor statement(s) are on file that support ADA accomodations for a traveler.
• Private Car Request : used to request private car service. Some restrictions apply.
• Travel Mileage Record : used to track mileage for multiple destinations. For example, traveling from Bloomington, to Kokomo, to Indianapolis, and back to Bloomington. Another example would include trips within a city from building to building.
• Non-Employee Traveler Form : Use this one-page PDF form to collect necessary contact information from your non-employee travelers to establish a supplier record in BUY.IU for use in Chrome River, or to establish a guest traveler account in Egencia.
• Traditional Non-Employee Traveler Worksheet : This PDF form solicits contact information and travel preferences from non-employee travelers.
• Select the following options:
• I am a... Traveler or Arranger
• I need help with: Non-Employee Travel
• Choose a topic: Request an Egencia Guest Profile

Calculators

• Individual Cash Advance Calculator : complete this Excel table to calculate total Cash Advance allowance. Instructions are located in the Excel file.
• Student Group Travel Cash Advance Calculator : a similar Excel table used to calculate total Cash Advance allowance for student group travel. Similarly, instructions are located in the Excel file.

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Back from your trip and ready to get reimbursed for your business-related travel expenses? This page has everything you need from expense reporting walkthroughs to receipt documentation resources.

Click a button below to view documentation on that topic.

Common Reimbursements

Non-employee travel.

This section contains training resources that walk through requesting travel reimbursements through Chrome River. IU’s travel policy , managed by Travel Management Services , defines what travel expenses are eligible for reimbursement.

• Initiate a Travel Expense Report : Get started with your reimbursement request.
• Import a Trip Authorization : SOP-TVL-12 explains the different methods you can use to import a Trip Authorization report and the effects and use-cases of each method.
• Conference Registration
• Ground transportation including rentals, shuttles, and Ubers/Lyfts/Taxis
• Editing Imported “Other” Expenses : Learn how to reassign “Other” expenses to a specific expense type on an expense report.
• Is it Reimbursable : A quick reference guide on frequently asked reimbursement questions.

Travel Management Services defines receipt requirements , but these resources show you how to get your receipts into Chrome River.

• Upload and Attach Receipts : Learn how to submit receipts via email, via the CR SNAP App, or by manual upload.
• Finding Travel Receipts in Egencia : Grants may require that you include travel receipts on expense reports even if they’re prepaid by IU. Learn how to find receipts in Egencia.

This section contains training and reference materials that highlight the steps that are unique to the non-employee travel experience.

• Expense Reports for Non-Employee Guests : Learn how to create an expense report for a non-employee guest traveler.
• Wire Transfers in Chrome River : Learn how to collect wire transfer details from a non-employee traveler and enter them into Chrome River.

Additional links and resources

INDIANA UNIVERSITY Financial Training & Communications

Cyber Infrastructure Building (CIB) 2709 E 10th St Bloomington, IN 47408 Email: [email protected]

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Important Policy Update on Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs

 By Collin Rich, Chief Research Security Officer

I'd like to inform you about a significant policy update regarding participation in Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs (MFTRPs) , following new federal regulations.

As per §10631 of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (Act) federal research agencies are required to implement policies prohibiting "covered individuals" from engaging in MFTRPs. This will directly impact university research activities funded by these agencies. Agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), have implemented such policies. (See ORA guidance on NSF policy.)

DoD’s policy further requires institutions receiving DoD funding to implement a policy addressing participation in MFTRPs. At Indiana University, participation in an MFTRP is strictly prohibited under Policy UA-17 (Conflicts of Interest and Commitment) for all faculty, staff, students and others engaged in sponsored research. §10638 of the Act defines a "covered individual" as “an individual who (A) contributes in a substantive, meaningful way to the scientific development or execution of a research and development project proposed to be carried out with a research and development award from a Federal research agency; and (B) is designated as a covered individual by the Federal research agency concerned.” For any questions or further clarifications, please refer to the full policy or contact the Research Security Office at [email protected] .

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