Travel Assistance

The following information outlines the steps Auburn University faculty, students and staff must take when planning foreign travel for university business or otherwise under support from Auburn University.

You will need:

Auburn University approval (Request for Authority to Travel)
Passport
Visa or visa waiver
Auburn University emergency medical assistance program for international travel

You will need to know about:

AU TRAVEL FORM CHECKLIST

Authorization to Travel Outside the 50 United States

AU Business travel outside the 50 United States requires review and full approval by the Office of the Provost one month prior to departure.
The RAT 50 form is used to secure this approval. It is prepared and signed by the traveler, approved by the Department Head and Dean and then submitted to the Office of the Provost for final approval. For more requirements concerning the RAT 50, please review the checklist below.
The RAT 50 utilizes the U.S. Foreign Per Diem Rates for International Locations to estimate expenses for your trip.
AU business travel outside the 50 United States requires AU Emergency Medical Assistance Insurance. The RAT 50 forms include the enrollment document and space is provided on the RAT 50 to assign the AU FOAP that will fund the AU Emergency Medical Assistance Insurance.
You will find the RAT 50 form at http://www.auburn.edu/academic/international/oie/travel_requests
The AU international travel process provides for::
1. Destination, rationale, funding source, estimated costs
2. Travel Risk Informed Consent Form
3. MEDEX Emergency Assistance Insurance Enrollment Form
  No other forms are acceptable.
The RAT 50 MUST be approved prior to travel."After the Fact" forms will be rejected and reimbursement of expenses denied.
Form should describe the purpose of the trip on the form itself, but if not sufficient room, a separate memo may be used.
Form MUST be approved by the Office of the Provost one month prior to the departure date. Forms submitted for approval less than one month (30 days) prior to departure require a memo from the Vice President, Dean or Director containing justification for the Provost to authorize an exception to AU policy.
Form MUST show source of funding. If from an AU account, sufficient funds must exist in the funding account. If travel is funded outside AU, the name of the sponsoring agency must be provided where indicated on the form.
It must show source of funding for the MEDEX Insurance fee of $40 (Department FOAP DEBIT Account).
Form MUST be approved prior to any commitment of university funds for international travel expenses including airfare, registrations for international conferences, visas, inoculations, etc. This will now be enforced.
Form MUST be submitted at the same time when multiple AU faculty, students or administrators are attending the same event. A memorandum from the VP, Dean or Director justifying the need for multiple travelers is required.
Travel requests for conferences or similar meetings should provide a brochure or announcement of the conference or meeting.
Form may only be signed by the actual Department Head and Dean. Delegated signatures will not be accepted.
RAT-50 must be signed in four designated places.
For emergency assistance purposes a RAT-50 must be completed when traveling to any location outside of the 50 U.S. states (including U.S. territories such as: Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, etc.). Failure to complete a RAT-50 will result in the loss of coverage for MEDEX emergency assistance including medical evacuation, repatriation of remains, etc.
Travel to countries for which there is a U.S. State Department travel warning is subject to review by the Provost. Due to AU liability insurance requirements, all travelers to such locations will be required to sign an informed consent and liability document.
Student travel to countries for which there is a U.S. DOS travel warning is subject to review by the Office of International Education and the Office of the Provost.
Once submitted, any changes to travel plans should be sent by memo or e-mail to the Office of the Provost in a timely manner to avoid any added insurance charges.
Cancellations received after the travel date will result in loss of any premium paid, no refunds.

Obtaining a U.S. Passport

The Clerk of Circuit Court at the Lee County Justice Center (near the Tiger Town shopping area) accepts applications and fees for passports. Be sure to bring two passport photos and the identity documents described in the State Department page below. You also can apply for a passport at the Waverly, AL post office.

U.S. State Department Passport Services describes the requirements, procedure and fees for obtaining a new passport, renewing a passport, adding pages, reporting a lost or stolen passport, etc.

Unless special services are used, passports are normally issued in three months.

Visas are Required for U.S. Travelers to Some Countries

Visa Links are here. Some embassies have several U.S. locations; this is because some foreign embassies have divided the United States into specific jurisdictions for their various offices. For example,

The Consulate for the Peoples Republic of China in Houston, Texas, has jurisdiction for Alabama. If given several embassy locations, choose the one nearest to Alabama to determine if we are in their jurisdiction. Note that there is a new application form as of July 1, 2011, that must be used.

Brazil requires a visa for U.S. visitors; the Atlanta Consulate covers Alabama.

Apply here for a Vietnam visa.

Once you have selected the appropriate consulate, please review the requirements for visa application. These requirements can include the documentation required (application, photo, airline ticket itinerary, etc.), the cost and method of payment, the manner in which the visa section will receive the information (either by mail or in person) and how they will process the visa.

Follow each consulate's procedures strictly to assure that your visa is processed promptly. If your trip is imminent, you can use a firm that provides visa services (called an expediter) that can shorten the time. Call 334-844-9210 and ask for guidance.

Auburn University Emergency Medical Assistance Program

MEDEX provides emergency medical assistance to all Auburn University students and all employees who travel abroad on Auburn University business. The agreement is administered by the Office of International Education. When your RAT is approved, you are automatically covered by MEDEX.

MEDEX insurance is provided by Auburn University as an employee benefit, so there is no cost to the traveler unless additional coverage is purchased for family members who may accompany an AU employee on an international business trip.

Benefits include: Emergency medical evacuations, repatriation of remains, transportation to join a hospitalized member, medical and dental referrals worldwide to English speaking health care providers, case managers to review the traveler’s case while they are hospitalized abroad, political security evacuations, transportation after political and security evacuations and many other services listed on the MEDEX card. MEDEX also has a major medical portion called Global Benefits.

Information concerning the MEDEX agreement is available online or contact Deborah Weiss in the Office of International Education at 334-844-5007.

Open Skies and the Fly America Act

International travel funded by U.S. federal funds typically requires travelers to follow regulations requiring the use of U.S. air carriers, but new agreements relax these rules, particularly for Europe and Australia. Otherwise, the rules require that U.S. flag carriers be used whenever possible or the federal agency will not allow the expenditure.

Travel warnings and security precautions

Travel warnings are issued when the U.S. State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country.

Countries where travel is NOT recommended will have Travel Warnings as well as Consular Information Sheets. These contain the latest information concerning Travel Warnings and Public Announcements as they are issued in addition to other security-related issues.

Check these sites regularly when you are planning international travel.

Health requirements

CDC Travel Health Information by Country will help you determine the need for vaccinations and other medical precautions (malaria, etc.) for the country of destination.

You may obtain yellow fever and other vaccinations, as well as malaria prophylaxis at the AU Medical Clinic.

The U.S. State Department provide comprehensive information links about health, security and other matters that help you plan international travel.

Last Updated: March 26, 2013