International Travel
Foreign Per Diem Rates
Penn reimburses for meal per diems only. Foreign per diem rates change on a monthly basis due to foreign currency fluctuations. When using foreign per diems, select the country and then the month in which the person was traveling. The M&IE rates represent the daily meal per diem.
Foreign Currency Converter
When submitting foreign receipts for reimbursement, you must translate those receipts into US Currency. To do so, you can either use the US dollar equivalent that appears on your credit statement or use the Oanda currency converter.
When using the Oanda site, enter the date of the currency conversion, the amount in foreign currency and ask for the USD equivalent. Then print out the response and attach it to the travel reimbursement form as supporting documentation for your currency conversions.
Visa Services
A visa or travel visa is a document which gives someone permission to travel into a specific country and stay there for a set period of time. Visas may be stamped or glued directly into a passport for convenience, or they may be issued separately, in the form of documents which must be carefully protected to ensure that they are not lost or stolen. Some nations require everyone who enters to get a visa, while others have what are known as reciprocal agreements with certain nations which waive visa requirements. It is important to research visa requirements before traveling internationally, as in some cases traveler must apply for a visa before they attempt to cross a border.
Visas take a number of forms, ranging from tourist visas to immigration visas, and each type of visa has its own application process. For example, someone who wants to enter a country to do business would need to apply for a business visa, while someone who planned to relocate to a country would apply for an immigration visa which would allow them to enter the country and stay there for a set period of time while pursuing citizenship or residency permits.
Visas generally expire after a set period of time. In some cases, a visa may be extended by permission, while in other instances, people need to leave a country and re-enter it to receive a new visa. Visas can also establish the number of times someone enters and leaves a country. In the case of a single entry visa, the visa is canceled as soon as the traveler leaves the country. In a multiple entry visa, someone may leave and return several times before the visa is canceled.
Travel Services & Procurement Cards recommends CIBT for visa services.
Passport Services
There are some new passport requirements. On June 1, 2009, the U.S. government will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The proposed rules require most U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of entry to have a passport, passport card, or other travel document approved by the Department of Homeland Security.
Penn Travel Medicine
When traveling internationally it is important to be prepared from a health perspective and Penn has its own Travel Medicine department here on campus as well as other regional locations.
The specialized staff at a travel medicine center is familiar with the health concerns in each country you intend to visit. They will be able to recommend any vaccines you may need before the trip and administer them at the center. They will also recommend any prescriptions you should carry with you to areas where the quality of health care is questionable and/or areas where preventive prescriptions are recommended.
Furthermore, the staff at a travel medicine center keeps up with the latest alerts and advisories that are issued by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Information from the WHO and CDC helps travel specialists learn about disease outbreaks that are happening around the globe; they also learn about new studies discussing prevention and treatment of diseases that are of concern to travelers.
Travel medicine specialists get regular updates about issues such as drug resistance of disease-causing organisms, which in turn helps them customize the best current preventive treatments for any area of the globe.
Travel Advisories
When traveling it is important to be aware of any travel advisories issued by the State Department to countries to which you plan to travel.
Travel Reimbursement Policy for Non-Resident Aliens
Read the Travel Reimbursement Policy for Non-Resident Aliens to make sure you know what documentation is required from non-resident aliens before you go to reimburse them. International visitors traveling on the wrong visas can preclude Penn from reimbursing someone so know the facts and share the information with others.
Fly America Act
The Fly America Act requires that Americans flying internationally on US federal funds must use a U.S. flag carrier, whenever possible.
The Fly America Act is applicable to all travel funded by United States federal government funds and requires the use of a U.S. flag carrier airlines with a few exceptions.
Some exceptions do apply:
- When there is no nonstop or direct service offered by a U.S. carrier
- When travel solely outside the USA increases the number of aircraft changes en route to more than two
- When the passenger’s travel time is extended by at least 6 hours
- When the connecting time is 4 hours or more at an overseas interchange point
