University Travel Guidelines

All guidelines presented here are approved by the Office of the Provost. The University has set these guidelines to ensure the safety and well being of students, faculty and staff traveling abroad for official reasons.

Trip Registration: International SOS, the University’s duty of care provider maintains a travel registration system that acts as the official Travel Registry for the University of Pittsburgh. Per the Office of the Provost Travel Registry Guidelines: “All staff and undergraduate, graduate, and professional students traveling on University business, conducting research intended to be submitted for academic credit, representing the University (e.g., extracurricular activities, attending academic conferences), and/or using University funds (including grant funds processed through Pitt) are required to record their travel itineraries and contact information.” 

Trip Registration occurs automatically for those who have booked via Anthony Travel or directly in Concur. All other travel plans must be entered manually. All students (Graduate & Undergraduate) traveling abroad under University auspices, must notify the Pitt Study Abroad Office (SAO) where all necessary forms can be completed and trip registration will be done automatically on behalf of the student. *It is recommended for all to verify your registration contact information in the portal, even for automatic registrations as migration from Concur can change that information based on your Concur expense management settings.

Student International Travel Guidelines: the Office of the Provost has approved Student International Travel Guidelines which are administered via the Pitt Study Abroad Office. As noted above, all students (Graduate & Undergraduate) per these guidelines, must notify the Pitt SAO of any official University travel (curricular and co-curricular) to ensure they are registered and all necessary forms have been completed.

Enroll in the STEP Program

The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service that allows U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals traveling abroad to register their trip with the State Department. The STEP program includes a set of benefits. By registering you will:

  • Receive important information from the Embassy about safety conditions in your destination country, helping you make informed decisions about your travel plans.
  • Help the U.S. Embassy contact you in an emergency, whether natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency.
  • Help family and friends get in touch with you in an emergency.

Register with International SOS

Registration of upcoming international travel with International SOS via the MyTrips portal, allows us to quickly identify University personnel abroad in case of an emergency. The Council of Deans has adopted a policy that requires registration of international travel for all University students and staff and although the registration is optional for faculty, we strongly recommend it’s use.

Passport and Visa

A passport is an official document issued by the government of the country in which you are a citizen. When traveling, passports serve to certify your identity and nationality and contain personal data: name, sex, date of birth, and place of birth. In general, entry into another country requires a passport. Some countries also require a visa. Visas are granted by the government of the country you wish to visit.

Excellent guidelines for passport and visa requirements by country are available, but in general, keep the following in mind:

  • For many countries, the passport’s expiration date needs to be six months or more from the date you arrive in the country. Making sure that the passport is valid for the country of travel is the responsibility of the traveler.
  • A visa, if required, is typically affixed to a page in your passport by the embassy or consulate of the country you will visit. As noted, entry and exit requirements for countries can be found on the US State Department’s website. Obtaining a visa is the responsibility of the traveler.
  • A number of private companies provide assistance in obtaining visas. You send these companies your passport and country-specific required information and for a fee they obtain the visa for you from the embassy or consulate. Examples of such companies that have been used by Pitt faculty and staff include CIBT, Visa Express and PassportsandVisas.com.
  • For some visas you will need additional documents: e.g., an authorization letter from Pitt, medical payment guarantee letters, proof of insurance confirmation. For help with these requirements, contact the Global Operations Support.

Make Copies of Important Documents

If your credit cards or passport are lost or stolen, you will be able to regroup more quickly if you have copies of these documents with you on the trip along with contact information. You should consider including copies of your passport and visas, plus plane tickets/itineraries. Keep a list of credit card numbers and your personal contact information, US embassy/consulate contact information, prescriptions, etc. However, these copies are an attractive target so they need to be kept secure when you travel. Make sure that the contact at home who would help you in such situations has a copy of the same information.

Local Laws and Customs

Be sure that you understand the local laws and customs of the countries where you are traveling. For example, certain countries restrict individuals from importing types of religious books, materials, or symbols. Alcohol is prohibited by some. Consider not just the weather but also local customs in choosing clothing to bring. Consult the CIA World Factbook, which includes background information on all countries.

Current Safety Conditions

The US State Department and the World Health Organization provide country-specific guides regarding local conditions. The State Department issues travel warnings and advisories about local conditions.

Theft

Thieves in big cities everywhere prey on tourists. Minimize the documents, cards, and other materials you carry on your person while walking around. Keep things in multiple locations on your person so that if you are pickpocketed, only some of your cards are stolen.

When abroad, theft of University-owned property is insurable in the same way as when on campus. As on campus, the responsibility center pays the first $10,000 for an insured property loss. Personal property is not insured by the University.  You should check the terms of your homeowners and/or travel insurance before departure if you plan to carry personal valuables.

Money

A typical means of obtaining local cash is from an ATM connected to an international network. Use ATMs inside banks if possible; if you use an outside ATM, choose ones connected to a bank, that is, not ones that are free standing, in hotels, etc. Use ATMs during business hours so that you can speak with a bank representative if the ATM won’t return your card.

Credit Cards

The University’s preferred method of payment for travel and business expenses is the University Travel Card. Information about the card, including the application form, can be found on the Travel & Expense Management website.

If you chose to bring a personal credit card, there are a number of considerations in your choice of which cards to take and use.

  • Acceptability. There are a number of credit card brands that are typically used in the US (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express). The experience of Pitt employees has been that Visa and Mastercard are accepted more widely abroad than others, but acceptability can depend on where you are. It is useful to do research on which cards are more likely to be accepted where you will be traveling.
  • Foreign transaction fees. Some cards charge a fee for each transaction, often 2-3%. Others have no transaction fee. Check about fees before you leave in deciding which cards to take and use.
  • International focus. Some cards are targeted to international travelers and provide a live, 24/7 support line for problems. Check with your credit card issuer to see what support they will provide for you when you are abroad.
  • Travel notices. With rare exceptions, credit card companies will put a hold on an account when they see an international purchase being made on the card. To avoid a hold, call the card company before the trip and put a travel notice on the account.
  • Don’t take what you don’t plan to use. Take only those cards that you plan to use, including your backup card. If you would not use it under any circumstances, leave it at home.

Selecting Seats and Booking Long Flights

When taking a flight with continuous airtime of six hours or more, Business Class seating is expensable. The best way to designate this from the Concur Booking Tool is through the “Comments to Agent” to designate that you would like Business Class or an “Economy Plus” class with extra legroom.

Prepare for an Emergency

Make sure to have the contact information for the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate where you are traveling. Consular duty personnel are available for emergency assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at U.S. embassies, consulates, and consular agencies overseas and in Washington, D.C.

Country Specific Information

A wide range of web-based external information sources is available for countries of the world. The following sources provide information on a country-specific basis and may be helpful in planning your travel.

Helpful Resources

Contact

For more information on travel basics or to answer any questions, please contact the following:

Global Operations
Support
Single Point of
Contact
Emergency Contact