Staff and Student Overseas Travel Protocol

Staff and students travelling overseas on university business and through study programs have a responsibility to exercise due care and diligence when travelling.

Before seeking approval for travel, staff and students should check the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) website and click on the 'country information' navigation bar on the left hand side, which provides travel advice for all countries.

To ensure the safety of staff and students travelling overseas, the University has engaged a specialist medical and security risk management company, International SOS (ISOS), to provide a comprehensive range of services. To operate effectively, ISOS must have up to date travel information on staff and students at all times.

The full itinerary of staff and students travelling overseas will be transferred from QUT’s travel providers automatically into ISOS’s Travel Locater software. This system enables the University and ISOS to monitor the whereabouts of staff and students and contact them in the event of an emergency. Staff and students must ensure that their details including contact number in the event of emergency are provided at the time of booking. In the event that air tickets and/or accommodation are not booked through the University’s Travel Providers, it is the staff and student’s responsibility to provide their detailed itinerary to Finance and Resource Planning for manual upload into the Travel Locater system (email qut.finpo@qut.edu.au).

ISOS also provides travellers with detailed security and medical risk information as well as regular travel warnings. Staff and students are encouraged to register through the ISOS portal.

Further information on the University’s travel policy and the services provided by ISOS is available on the Finance and Resource Planning website.

Staff

Approval process for overseas travel

1. The completed Staff Overseas Travel Application Form should be forwarded via the Head of School/Department to the relevant Executive Dean/Head of Division for approval
2. Heads of School/Department when deciding whether to support proposed overseas travel must:
   • Refer to official University travel advices, the latest DFAT Travel Advisory and the International SOS website to identify any risks involved in travelling to the proposed destination(s).
   • Consider the risks identified in relevant advisories along with the need to travel. Approval must not be given to a staff member to travel to a country where DFAT or International SOS advisories advise Australians not to visit.
   • Where the DFAT advises to defer non-essential travel, the Executive Dean or Head of Division will make the decision to approve based on the need to travel.

On arrival at the overseas destination, it is advisable that staff who are Australian citizens register with the Australian Embassy or nearest Consulate with their contact details whilst in the country, particularly for longer duration visits and in destinations identified by DFAT as having a security risk to Australians ¹. A list of Australian Embassies and Consulates can be found at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website. Alternatively, staff can register online through the DFAT website.

Where possible, staff should register with DFAT for automatic e-mail notices of any travel warnings for the region in which they are a temporary resident. This can be done at http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/accounts

In the case of emergency, critical incident or potential risk to personal safety, staff should immediately contact ISOS, phone +61 2 9273 2781 or +65 6338 7800, for assistance as well as contacting the relevant Executive Dean, Head of Division or the HR Director.

Students

Students who are travelling overseas for purposes other than official exchange programs (ie overseas placements, internships, work experience, research or study tours must complete a number of steps as follows:

• Provide to their course coordinator their overseas contact details, including telephone numbers, address and e-mail address.
• Complete a Student Overseas Travel Application Form acknowledging:
• The risks inherent in travel and study abroad and limitations of insurance policies ²
• Complete and Sign an Overseas Travel Consent Form.
• That they accept the advice of the Registrar, should a situation arise where the course/activity is suspended or cancelled on the basis of DFAT travel advice.

Students who are travelling overseas on official programs of exchange must, in addition to the above steps, provide the Student Exchange Coordinator, QUT International, with their overseas contact details, including telephone numbers, addresses and e mail address.

Approval will not be given to students to travel to a country where DFAT or ISOS advisories advise Australians not to travel.

On arrival at the overseas destination students must:

• Register with the Australian Embassy or nearest Consulate with contact details whilst in the country. A list of Australian embassies and consulates can be found at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website.
• Alternatively, students can register on line through the DFAT website.
• Students who have access to e-mail while overseas should also register with DFAT for automatic notice of any travel warnings for the region in which they are temporarily resident. This can be done at http://www.dfat.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/change_Notification

In the case of emergency, critical incident or potential risk to safety, the central point of contact for students on official exchange programs will be the Director, International Business Development, QUT Gardens Point. The central point of contact for students not on official exchange programs will be their program coordinator.