If you're planning an international trip for yourself or a group of students, you're in the right place.听 We can help provide comprehensive guidance on the university's travel policies and procedures and the requirements related to registration, reimbursement, travel booking, visa applications, and other compliance issues.
Questions?
For more information, you can reach us at 617-522-1240
The Essentials
Before You Go Abroad
Register your international trip in the University's Travel Registry
Any Boston College-affiliated travel to an international destination should be registered as soon as possible in advance of the trip and听must be registered no later than three weeks before departure.
Follow the instructions to register your itinerary using the travel registry for individual travel or group travel
Contact the Office of Global Engagement for questions or assistance.听We provide demonstrations and training sessions for the travel registry. Please use the RSVP form to RSVP for a session.
Please consult with your direct supervisor prior to traveling on behalf of the University
In addition, if you are traveling to an OFAC-sanctioned, US State Department advisory level 3 or 4, or other University-designated high-risk destination, your trip will require Dean and Vice President/Provost approval. In such cases, you should enter your travel plans (destination & dates) into the travel registry, but do not book your flight/hotel accommodations until after your trip has been reviewed by the Associate Director of Global Safety and Security and you have received final approval to travel from your Dean/VP.
If you have any questions please reach out to the Office of Global Engagement.
Any trip abroad should be planned well in advance to ensure that you are prepared, have received all pre-departure approvals and briefings, and have time to apply for any visas or other entry requirements for your destination(s). Please take advantage of the relevant resources and information provided on this page. For information about vaccinations, refer to the Global Health and Safety section below.听听
*Personal travel does not require registration.听Please听contact the Office of Global Enagement听to clarify if your travel plans constitute听University Travel.
Travel Abroad
Please consult with your direct supervisor prior to traveling on behalf of the University
Any Boston College-affiliated travel to an international destination should be registered as soon as possible in advance of the trip and听must be registered no later than three weeks before departure.
Any trip abroad should be planned well in advance to ensure that you are prepared, have received all pre-departure approvals and briefings, and have time to apply for any visas or other entry requirements for your destination(s).
For more information about vaccinations, refer to the Global Health and Safety tab.
In addition, if you are traveling to an OFAC-sanctioned, US State Dept. advisory level 3 or 4, or other University-designated high-risk destination, your trip will require Dean and Vice President/Provost approval. In such cases, you should enter your travel plans (destination & dates) into the University's travel registry, but do not book your flight/hotel accommodations until after your trip has been reviewed by the Associate Director of Global Safety and Security and you have received final approval to travel from your Dean/VP. If you have any questions please reach out to the Office of Global Engagement.
Follow the instructions to register your itinerary using the travel registry for听individual travel听辞谤听group travel.听Contact听the Office of Global Engagement for questions or assistance.
Here is useful information on travel booking, insurance, funding, and reimbursements, as well as regulations regarding travel on sponsored programs.
- 海角社区 Travel听Policies from the Financial Vice President's Office
- Faculty Handbook:听Travel
- Foreign travel on sponsored programs听
- University guidelines for academic and extracurricular group travel听(for faculty leading student group travels abroad)
Enroll your travel with the听US Government鈥檚 STEP service听for alerts and assistance while abroad.
We also recommend that you consult听Export Controls听and read about听travel security tips听to protect your electronic devices and the data they contain.听
Global Health and Safety
Zurich American Insurance Company is Boston College's required travel health insurance provider and International SOS is the 24/7 medical and emergency assistance provider.听Assistance services and insurance benefits can be initiated by calling ISOS at +1 215-942-8478 or via the ISOS Assistance App and referencing Boston College鈥檚 Membership. Members of the 海角社区 Community can also take advantage of the wide variety of information available on the ISOS Portal (use your first.last@bc.edu to login).听
Certain countries have specific health and safety requirements. Please visit the ISOS Portal for more information about your destination(s) before departure. If you would like a consultation for required immunizations and country specific health advisories, you may contact听Health Services. In order to receive immunizations, you will need to visit a听travel clinic.
You may also refer to the US Department of State for country specific requirements and advisories:
Follow the instructions to register your itinerary using the travel registry for听individual travel听辞谤听group travel. Contact听the Office of Global Enagement for questions or assistance.
Download the App on your mobile device from the or . After downloading the app, go to your user in the travel registry to obtain your password for the mobile
Enroll your trip with the听US Government鈥檚 STEP service听for alerts and assistance while abroad.
Travel Advisories
Certain countries around the world are issued travel advisories based on national recommendations. According to the听Department of State,听a Level 3 warning indicates a high warning and that you should听reconsider travel.听Level 4 advisories are given to sanctioned countries and can be found on the听Department of Treasury鈥檚 website.
Consult听Export Controls听for a list of countries where extra precautions are needed with respect to traveling with personal or university computers, phones, or other electronics.听For information regarding vaccinations and health notices while traveling to countries with advisories, visit the听Center for Disease Control's site.
Things You Need to Know听
Procurement Abroad
When planning to purchase goods or services from foreign vendors (for instance, consultants or law firms), contact听Procurement Services. You may also need to consult the听Office for Sponsored Programs听if the procurement is occurring under federally sponsored projects, which may set forth rules restricting foreign procurement.听
IT and Data Security
Before traveling abroad with your computer or mobile device, be sure to review the 海角社区's safety tips about information security听while traveling.听
Contact the听Office of Research Security, Integrity and Compliance (RSIC)听regarding possible export restrictions on the devices and data that you plan to bring with you. Also remember to use Boston College's VPN to access specific computers or servers behind 海角社区's firewall, or to access confidential 海角社区 information from home that should be encrypted (scrambled) while traveling. Review guidelines on using 海角社区's VPN below.
The University has been notified that, in order to comply with U.S. law, Duo, Zoom, and Canvas will restrict usage of their services from the following countries/regions sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC):
- Cuba
- North Korea
- Iran
- Sudan
- Syria
- Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine
海角社区 faculty, staff, and students who are based in, or travel to, OFAC-sanctioned countries or regions will no longer be able to use Duo (two-factor authentication); Zoom (teleconferencing); or Canvas (learning management system).
Questions about compliance with U.S. export law while traveling can be addressed to Export Controls within RSIC.
Questions regarding the IT impact created by Duo's, Zoom's, and Canvas' service changes should be addressed to ITS.
Data Transfer and Privacy Protection
If your research involves the transfer of personally identifiable information, you should consult the Institutional Review Board/Office of Research Protections听as your first point of contact, to confirm that adequate protocols are in place to mitigate harm against those to whom the data relates.听
In certain cases, such as in Europe, the transfer of personally identifiable information may implicate the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or other applicable privacy laws. Often, the party making the transfer will require that the recipient researcher agrees to a date use or data sharing agreement. These agreements need to be reviewed with Information Technology Services and the Office of the General Counsel to confirm that the technology security requirements and other obligations can be met by Boston College.
Export Controls
Boston College follows the United States' comprehensive lists of restrictions on academic collaborations, research materials, and equipment.
Information, equipment, technology, and other exchanges within the framework of academic collaborations with foreign nationals, on campus, in the United States, or abroad, should stay within compliance.听When traveling as an affiliate of the Boston College community, you are required to adhere to Boston College鈥檚 policies on international travel regarding export controls. If you are traveling with samples, materials, equipment, or sensitive data, please contact Export Controls or visit their听website听for more information and forms.听
Intellectual Property
The听Scholarly Communication Librarian听at the University Libraries is available to offer advice and assistance on issues relating to the use of copyrighted materials, working with publishers, and other copyright issues.
Please be mindful of the University鈥檚听Intellectual Property Policy听and听consult with the听Office of Technology Transfer and Licensing听to confirm that there are adequate protections in place to ensure the security of the research and protection of intellectual property. Any contracts or licenses with foreign parties should be reviewed in accordance with University policies.听 听
International Shipments
All faculty, staff, and students are required to submit an听International Shipping Form听prior to shipping items abroad. The Office of Research Security, Compliance and Integrity (RSIC) will review the submission and determine whether a license from the U.S. Government is required for the shipment. FinaI RSIC approval, and a license if applicable, is required, before the item can ship