International Travel Toolkit
Consistent with UNC System guidance, University-affiliated international travel requires prior approval. Please review and follow the Gillings international travel approval process and the required International Health and Evacuation Insurance below.
Approval is required only for university-affiliated travel, not personal travel.
Personal travel is:
- travel for personal reasons not associated with employment or education abroad activities with the university
- travel before or after university-related business travel or education abroad programs for visiting friends or family, independent cultural exploration and sightseeing, volunteer opportunities, or other interests is considered personal travel.
If you are traveling for personal reasons (non-UNC affiliated travel), but plan on doing work (e.g., research, RA, GRA, or TA position), please submit a Teleworking Abroad request before you leave.
We have also compiled travel tips and resources to help with planning for your international trip.
UNC Gillings International Travel Approval Process
Please read and follow the international travel approval process that corresponds to your position (i.e., students, faculty, postdocs, and staff) to receive travel approval prior to purchasing your ticket. Prospective travelers should familiarize themselves with conditions in destination countries:
- U.S. State Department – Travel Advisories: Travel Advisories (state.gov)
- CDC Travel Health Notices: Travel Health Notices | Travelers’ Health | CDC
Gillings School students must initiate a request for international travel approval through the HeelsAbroad portal titled, UNC Gillings International Travel Approval.
The request process will require you to provide the following:
- Description of the proposed activity
- Health, safety, and risk information about the countries you intend to visit
- Overview of the support services you will have onside abroad
- Level 1 and 2 countries - The review process can take approximately 5 days to complete.
- Level 3 countries – The review process can take 2.5 weeks to complete.
- Level 4 countries – No student travel.
Approved travelers will be charged the following amounts to your UNC student account: Study Abroad Office Administrative Fee: $150
- Conference attendance (less than one week) will not be charged a fee
- The Gillings School will cover the $150 fee for graduate students traveling to complete an MPH practicum or dissertation
- All other travel will be charged a $150 fee
Approval by School Dean is required (For Gillings, Suzanne Maman, Associate Dean for Global Health, will be the Dean-level approval)
1. Complete the International Travel Approval form.
2. For Dean/leader's signature, please send your completed and signed International Travel Approval PDF Form (please do not send scanned forms) to gillings_travel@unc.edu.
3. Your form will be reviewed, signed by Dr. Suzanne Maman, Associate Dean for Global Health, and returned to you via email.
If you are traveling to a State Department Level 1 or Level 2 country and Dr. Maman has approved, YOUR TRAVEL IS APPROVED. You can upload your approved International Travel Approval Form into Concur as an attachment as part of your Concur travel request.
If you are traveling to a State Department Level 3 or Level 4 country and your designated approver has approved, your request will be reviewed in Concur by the Office of the Vice Provost for Global Affairs. Once you see an approval in Concur, your travel is approved.
If your request requires additional levels of review, you will receive an email from Alexander Gilliatt. For questions, please email Alexander Gilliatt at alexgil@unc.edu.
*IMPORTANT*
International Health and Evacuation Insurance:
If your international travel is approved, students, faculty, and staff are required to have international health insurance coverage when traveling abroad on University-affiliated business. Affiliates granted an exemption to current travel restrictions can visit UNC Global's page on travel insurance for full details.
For any questions, please contact Janet Hoernke in Risk Management Services and Mission Continuity at +1.919.962.6681 or janet_hoernke@unc.edu.
Students, faculty, and staff are required to have international health insurance coverage when traveling abroad on University-affiliated business. Affiliates granted an exemption to current travel restrictions can visit UNC Global's page on travel insurance for full details. For any questions, please contact Janet Hoernke in Risk Management Services and Mission Continuity at +1.919.962.6681 or janet_hoernke@unc.edu.
UNC Teleworking Requirement
If you are traveling internationally for personal reasons (non-UNC affiliated travel), but plan on doing any work for UNC (e.g., emailing, research, TA, RA, and GRA work), a telework abroad request is required. It can take a week or longer to receive approval, so please plan accordingly.
Travel Tips and Resources
We have compiled resources to help prepare for your trip!
Health
- Visit UNC's International Travel Clinic prior to leaving to discuss needed/suggested vaccines and medication for your destination country.
- Review the CDC Travel website for health information for travelers to your destination country.
- Browse the CDC Health Information for International Travel (the Yellow Book) book. Hard copy available in Rosenau 104B for reference.
- *Need to find a good mental health resource
- UNC Emergency Communications
- Faculty, staff and students who experience an emergency while traveling abroad on University business should contact the UNC Department of Public Safety (DPS) at +1.919.962.8100.
- Public Safety is first in the chain of response. Students should ask DPS to contact the Dean of Students on call to find the appropriate resources for assistance. DPS will assist faculty and staff with identifying a human resources administrator or Employee Assistance Program officer who can provide support.
- For emergency evacuation and other 24/7 health insurance assistance, call GeoBlue collect from outside the U.S. at +1.610.254.8771, toll free within the U.S. at 800.257.4823, or email globalhealth@geo-blue.com.
- In an emergency, seek appropriate medical care immediately, and then call GeoBlue. Insurance coverage must be bought in advance of travel.
- Safety advice from the UNC Study Abroad Office.
Research Ethics
- All UNC faculty, staff, and students participating in research involving human subjects or identifiable data from human subjects must complete IRB CITI Ethics training.
- You must submit an IRB application and receive approval well in advance of your trip. Visit the website for the UNC Office of Human Research Ethics for more on IRB approval.
We encourage you to review the material found on these websites to help facilitate working effectively abroad.
- Culture Matters (Peace Corps)
- Cultural Competency Online Course (Unite for Sight)
- Ethical Challenges in Short-Term Global Health Training (Stanford University and Johns Hopkins University)
- Specifically modules: Developing Cultural Understanding, Ensuring Personal Safety, Selecting a Research Project, and Understanding Informed Consent
- The U.S. Department of State provides Country Specific Information for every country of the world. You will find the location of the U.S. embassy and any consular offices, information about whether you need a visa, crime and security information, health and medical considerations, drug penalties, localized hot spots and more.
- We highly recommend registering your trip on the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). STEP is a free service to allow U.S. citizens and nationals traveling abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
- Make sure your passport is valid. You can find more information on applying for a passport or renewing your passport here. Make sure to give yourself enough time to apply or renew your passport!
- Each year, hundreds of Carolina community members obtain or renew a passport at the annual Passport Drive hosted by UNC Global.
If you are traveling for personal reasons (non-UNC affiliated travel), but plan on doing work (e.g., research, responding to email, RA, GRA, or TA position) please submit a Teleworking Abroad request before you leave. It can take a week or longer to receive telework approval.
Helpful financial advice to consider prior to departure. Research to see what forms of payment (cash, debit and credit cards, and traveler's checks) are accepted in your destination country and any other countries you may be traveling through (do not carry too much cash at one time): Alert your bank and credit card companies when and where you will be traveling
- Ask if they charge foreign transaction fees
- Ask if you’ll need a PIN to make purchases abroad. If so, how many digits does the PIN need to be.
- Exchange money at a bank before you leave the U.S. or exchange in the airport prior to departure or when you arrive to have money for transportation, accommodations and food for the day of your arrival
- OANDA Currency Converter allows you to print out a wallet sized Traveler's Cheat-sheet to take on your trip.
- Check on any arrival or departure taxes you may encounter
- Check on any restrictions on how much currency you can enter and exit with
- UNC Global Ethical Photography Guidelines
- Unite for Site Ethical Photography
- Photographers Without Borders Code of Ethics
The above resources are to help with understanding how to appropriately respect the people and communities you are working with and meeting when documenting your experience for any purpose.
- 10 iPhone Photography Tips to Quickly Improve Your Photos
- How to take better photos with your Android phone
- 10 Easy Tips and Tricks for Better Smartphone Photos
For those not taking a separate camera with them for their travels, learn how to take incredible photos with your smartphone!
