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Important Notes About Foreign Travel

I did not seek pre-approval for a trip that I took. What steps can I take to get reimbursed?

Foreign travel must be pre-approved through Emburse. Expenses incurred for travel that were not pre-approved cannot be reimbursed.

The President has designated foreign travel approval to the academic deans and direct reports (non-academic). The process has been updated to include the use of Emburse’s “foreign approval desks,” which include:

  • Allocation Funding Source Approver and Signer
  • Dept Head/Dean/VP/Direct Reports of the Traveler
  • Student Risk Management (Student Travel only)
  • Export Controls
  • System member Risk Management

The process for submitting a Pre-Approval is as follows:

  1. Traveler – create a Pre-Approval in Emburse.
    1. Must be submittedat least 30 days prior to the date of departure. If traveling to a high risk country, submit the Pre-Approval earlier to ensure that it has ample time to be vetted and approved. External Research Grant exceptions may apply.
    2. Indicate in the “Trip Purpose & Benefit whether the trip is Group or Individual travel. Additionally, provide as many details as possible.
  2. Traveler – Attach applicable training transcripts.
  3. Traveler – Complete Export Control tile & International Travel Questionnaire in Emburse.
  4. Traveler – Estimate the anticipated expenses.
  5. Traveler – Review the Pre-Approval for accuracy and submit.
  6. Traveler – Once the Pre-Approval has been approved, travel can be booked at this time.

Important Information

  • 🚫 Do NOT book travel before your Emburse Pre-Approval is fully approved. Travel booked before receiving final approval in Emburse will be unallowable.
  • Submit your Pre-Approval as early as possible and check progress under ‘Tracking’ Tab.
  • The same rules and documentation apply to travel to Canada and Mexico.
  • All foreign travel must be booked through Emburse or directly with a Corporate Travel Planners (CTP) agent (when available).
  • If travel cannot be booked through Emburse or a CTP agent:
    • You must include documentation and get preapproval with your Pre-Approval submission.
    • Without prior approval documentation, travel booked outside Emburse or CTP will not be reimbursed.
  • Pre-Approvals that are missing required documentation will be returned to the traveler.
  • Travel to high-risk countries will automatically route to System Risk Management for review.

Forms

Questions?

Emburse: Emburse@etamu.edu

Student Travel/Study Abroad: Tracy.Nakajima@etamu.edu

Grants: Stephanie.Pinckard@etamu.edu

Risk Management: Howard.Pierson@etamu.edu

Export Controls: Brent.Donham@etamu.edu

Thank you for your advance planning and thorough preparation. Safe travels.