1. Download and complete the International Travel Approval form.

2. Obtain designated approver signature on the International Travel Approval form.

•   Designated approvers include Deans, Department Chairs, Division Chiefs, Center and Area Directors

3. Upload the approved International Travel Approval form into Concur.

If you are traveling to a Level 1 or Level 2 country and your designated approver has approved, YOUR TRAVEL IS APPROVED. Upload your form into Concur and proceed with your travel planning.

If you are traveling to a 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 Jill Wilhelm and Kim Priebe. For questions, please email Jill Wilhelm at jill.wilhelm@unc.edu.

1. Submit requests through Rapid Admin Service Request (RASR).

On the Graduate School tab, select “Graduate Student Request for Travel Restriction Exception.”

For RASR access issues, contact Julie Montaigne at julie_montaigne@unc.edu. Applicants can follow the approval process in the RASR system under “My RASR Form Submissions.”

2. Approval

Have your advisor complete the Advisor Approval Form.

Exceptions for University-affiliated international travel must be approved by the traveler’s 1) department chair or director of graduate studies; and 2) appropriate senior administrator (school dean or associate dean). By approving the request, the dean or dean’s designee has determined that the articulated benefits to the University outweigh the risks associated with the travel. Deans or designees should review the updated international travel guidance from May 11, 2023.

If you are an approver for this process, please visit The Graduate School website for more information.

UNC Global will need up to 14 days to review Level 3 and Level 4 requests. If you are experiencing a longer delay, please email Kim Priebe at kim.priebe@unc.edu.

1. Download and complete the International Travel Approval form.

2. Obtain designated approver signature on the International Travel Approval form.

• Designated approvers include Deans, Division Chiefs, Department Chairs, and Center and Area Directors

3. Upload the approved International Travel Approval form into Concur.

If you are traveling to a Level 1 or Level 2 country and your designated approve has approved, YOUR TRAVEL IS APPROVED. Upload your form into Concur and proceed with your travel planning.

If you are traveling to a Level 3 or Level 4 country and your designated approve 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 Jill Wilhelm and Kim Priebe. For questions, please email Jill Wilhelm at jill.wilhelm@unc.edu.

1. SOM Approval

Complete the School of Medicine International Travel Approval form and obtain approval from the appropriate School of Medicine official.

•   Approver for medical students is the Dr. Jennifer Wu, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.

•   Approver for residents and fellows is the Dr. Kerry Thomas, Designated Institutional Official.

By approving the request, the Vice Dean or DIO has determined that the articulated benefits to the University outweigh the risks associated with the travel. Approvers should review the updated international travel guidance from May 11, 2023.

NOTE: School of Medicine Department of Health Sciences students use the Graduate Student Research Travel process above.

2. Submit approved request through Rapid Admin Service Request (RASR).

Travelers must then obtain Provost approval in RASR.

On the UNC Global tab, select “International Travel Approval – School of Medicine.” Complete the online form, upload your signed International Travel Approval form via RASR, sign the release, and submit for review. See video tutorial, if needed.

For RASR access issues, contact Julie Montaigne at julie_montaigne@unc.edu. Travelers can follow the approval process in the RASR system under “My RASR Form Submissions.”

UNC Global will need up to 14 days to review Level 3 and Level 4 requests. If you are experiencing a longer delay, please email Kim Priebe at kim.priebe@unc.edu.

UNC-Chapel Hill is successfully administering study abroad programs through the Study Abroad Office and Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Students participating in a UNC study abroad program do not need to submit an individual request for a travel exception. For study abroad, approval is sought and granted for the program, and all student participants in the program are covered.

Faculty and staff traveling with students on an approved study abroad trip must submit the International Travel Approval form and have their travel approved in Concur, as outlined in the Faculty, Staff, Post-Doc travel section above. All faculty and staff leading study abroad programs are also required to complete an online health & safety training prior to departure.

Effective February 21, 2023, undergraduate international travel outside a study abroad program has resumed through a new, centralized process administered by the College of Arts and Sciences (for all undergraduate students regardless of school or college).

Undergraduate students may initiate a request for approval of their independent education abroad activities through the HeelsAbroad portal administered by the Study Abroad Office: https://go.unc.edu/independent-edabroad. A complete request for approval must be submitted no later than 30 days prior to the student’s departure date.

All travel will be reviewed for academic merit and risk and must be approved by the provost before any funding may be released or travel proceeds. Travel will only be approved to countries with a U.S. Department of State Level 1 or 2 Travel Advisory. Level 3 countries will generally not be approved except under exceptional circumstances.

Contact Jason Kinnear, Associate Dean for Study Abroad and Exchanges  (jason.kinnear@unc.edu) if you have questions.

At this time, no exception process exists for other categories of travel. Please email Jill Wilhelm at jill.wilhelm@unc.edu.

Currently, the restrictions and special procedures regarding University-affiliated travel as described above supersede the provisions outlined in the legacy Policy Concerning Global Study, Travel and Research.

As a State agency, UNC Chapel Hill is subject to the Office of State Budget and Management’s (OSBM) policies.

• 5.2.29 Authorization for Out-of-Country Travel (for employees): All out-of-country travel must be authorized by the agency [university] head or such department official designated by him or her.
• 5.5 Travel Policies for Non-State Employees [non-employees (5.5.1) and post-secondary students (student employees and non-employee students) (5.5.2)]:  Traveling on state business whose expenses are paid by the State are subject to state regulations.

This policy was created to ensure compliance with state and University regulations; establish guidelines for approval, control and accounting for employees and others who travel on University business; and ensure fairness for both the traveler and the University.

View full policy: 1501 – Policy on Business Travel.

Additionally, UNC Finance & Operations provides information about using the web travel system, travel authorizations, travel reimbursements, airfare requests, the business travel card program and related forms on the Travel Services website.

If you are traveling outside the country, sending items overseas, inviting a visiting scholar to your lab on campus, or related activities, then export control regulations likely apply. Export controls are federal laws that govern the transfer of items, materials, equipment, commodities, biologics, software, encryption, and/or technical information to foreign nationals, wherever located. Many University activities fall under these very comprehensive regulations, and violations of these laws carry both individual liability and significant penalties.

The UNC-Chapel Hill Export Compliance Office is here to help UNC faculty, staff, students, and other personnel navigate through U.S. export controls. The Export Compliance Office is committed to supporting the University’s global mission, as well as our extraordinary foreign national population on campus. Please contact exportcontrol@unc.edu with questions or for help with your international engagements.

View full policy.