If you're planning an international trip for yourself or a group of students, you're in the right place. 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 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. 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.
*Personal travel does not require registration. Please contact the Office of Global Enagement to clarify if your travel plans constitute 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 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 individual travel or group travel. Contact 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.
- BC Travel Policies from the Financial Vice President's Office
- Faculty Handbook: Travel
- Foreign travel on sponsored programs
- University guidelines for academic and extracurricular group travel (for faculty leading student group travels abroad)
Enroll your travel with the US Government’s STEP service for alerts and assistance while abroad.
We also recommend that you consult Export Controls and read about travel security tips to protect your electronic devices and the data they contain.
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. 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’s Membership. Members of the BC Community can also take advantage of the wide variety of information available on the ISOS Portal (use your first.last@bc.edu to login).
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 Health Services. In order to receive immunizations, you will need to visit a travel clinic.
You may also refer to the US Department of State for country specific requirements and advisories:
- Department of State international travel
- Department of State travel advisories
- Interactive State Department map
- Vaccines for travelers
- Vaccines, updates, and medical advice
Follow the instructions to register your itinerary using the travel registry for individual travel or group travel. Contact the Office of Global Enagement for questions or assistance.
Download the AlertTraveler® App on your mobile device from the App Store or GooglePlay. After downloading the app, go to your user PROFILE in the travel registry to obtain your password for the mobile
Enroll your trip with the US Government’s STEP service for alerts and assistance while abroad.
Travel Advisories
Certain countries around the world are issued travel advisories based on national recommendations. According to the Department of State, a Level 3 warning indicates a high warning and that you should reconsider travel. Level 4 advisories are given to sanctioned countries and can be found on the Department of Treasury’s website.
Consult Export Controls for a list of countries where extra precautions are needed with respect to traveling with personal or university computers, phones, or other electronics. For information regarding vaccinations and health notices while traveling to countries with advisories, visit the Center for Disease Control's site.
Things You Need to Know
Procurement Abroad
When planning to purchase goods or services from foreign vendors (for instance, consultants or law firms), contact Procurement Services. You may also need to consult the Office for Sponsored Programs if the procurement is occurring under federally sponsored projects, which may set forth rules restricting foreign procurement.
IT and Data Security
Before traveling abroad with your computer or mobile device, be sure to review the BC's safety tips about information security while traveling.
Contact the Office of Research Security, Integrity and Compliance (RSIC) 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 BC's firewall, or to access confidential BC information from home that should be encrypted (scrambled) while traveling. Review guidelines on using BC'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
BC 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 as your first point of contact, to confirm that adequate protocols are in place to mitigate harm against those to whom the data relates.
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. When traveling as an affiliate of the Boston College community, you are required to adhere to Boston College’s 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 website for more information and forms.
Intellectual Property
The Scholarly Communication Librarian 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’s Intellectual Property Policy and consult with the Office of Technology Transfer and Licensing 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.
International Shipments
All faculty, staff, and students are required to submit an International Shipping Form 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