Travel
Virtual Conferences
I wish to attend a conference/seminar virtually instead of travelling, what do I need to do?
You need to ensure that the conference/seminar you plan on attending is an eligible expense under your operating budget or is an eligible expense under your grant. While you are not physically travelling, virtual conferences/seminars are considered under the travel umbrella and require pre approval through a travel request form.
a. Prior to attending the conference/seminar you will need pre-approval to attend. Pre-approval to attend the conference seminar is requested by completing the request to travel form.
b. Once this form is completed, it must be signed by both yourself and your immediate supervisor and submitted to the Finance Office travel email ASAP to ensure it is approved and to take advantage of any early bird rates. No conferences/seminars should be booked prior to receiving approval to attend the conference/seminar.
c. Upon receipt of the completed form, the Finance Office will check the outlined accounts to ensure funds are available, travel is an eligible expenditure on the account and to get sign-off by the appropriate individual in the finance office.
d. Once approved, the signed form is returned to requestor (please note if this request is not approved, you will be notified of this non-approval). Once you receive the approval, you can go ahead and pay for the conference/seminar. Upon paying for the conference/seminar, you can send the following documents to medtravel@mun.ca seeking reimbursement; completed travel claim, proof of payment (paid invoice, copy of visa statement, etc) and the approved travel request. If for some reason you are unable to pay for this conference yourself and seek reimbursement, you can contact medpurchasing and your case will be reviewed for possible payment by the finance office.
What do I need to know about international travel during COVID?
Thank you for your email. All travellers travelling on university-related business (student, staff, faculty) have to complete the travel registry form, found at the bottom of the page: https://mun.ca/goabroad/ Our mobility team will check the travel registry and contact travellers accordingly. Students are required to participate in a pre-departure session hosted by our mobility team and the signup sheet is at the end of the travel registry. In the pre-departure session (about 30 mins), we will discuss travel policy, risks, insurance, etc. Faculty and staff are not required to participate in a live pre-departure session, we will send out pre-departure resources by email and provide one-on-one consultation if required by the faculty or staff.
If you have specific questions you may email, goabroad@mun.ca
What do you need before you travel?
a. Before any travel takes place you will need pre-approval to travel. Pre-approval to travel is requested by completing the request to travel form.
b. Once this form is completed, it must be signed by both yourself and your immediate supervisor and submitted to the Finance Office at medtravel@mun.ca, at least ten days prior to travel. No travel should be booked prior to receiving approval to travel.
c. Upon receipt of the completed form, the Finance Office will check the outlined accounts to ensure funds are available, travel is an eligible expenditure on the account and to get sign-off by the COO.
The Travel Request will be processed and the approved or denied Travel Request, will be returned to the requestor within seven business days. Prior to requesting approval to travel, you should review the following procedures pertaining to travel request:
Travel Request Procedure
Additionally you should review the following links pertaining to the type of travel you are looking for approval for:
- Travel General
- Travel Outside of Canada
- Travel Guest Lecturers & Visitors
Can I get a travel advance prior to travel?
a. Yes, travel advances are possible for items such as those outlined in the link below:
b. To request a travel advance, you will need to complete the travel advance form located at the link below and submit both the completed travel advance request (with appropriate superior signatures) along with the approval to travel form, to the Finance Office at least 15 days prior to your travel. Additionally you will need to include the receipt or invoice/plane ticket showing the amount spend and a rationale as to why you are requesting the travel advance. Below is a link to the travel advance form;
c. When the completed forms are received by the Finance Office, the accounts are checked to ensure funds are available, it is an allowable expense and the expenditure has been budgeted. Approval of this request could take up to 5 business days. Once approved, the request is sent to FAS for processing-----FAS requires such advances be received at least 10 days prior to the travel date, hence the need for the FoM Finance Office to receive the request at least 15 days prior to your travel date.
All travel advances must be accounted for and claims submitted within ten days of completing a trip.
Please note: If you receive a travel advance, this advance will remain outstanding in your name until a travel claim is submitted to be applied against these advanced funds. Even if the funds advanced covers all the cost of the trip, you must submit a claim showing proof that you travelled and the funds were spent, so that the claim can be applied against the advance and the outstanding advance against your name removed.
Upon completion of travel what do I have to do?
a. Upon completion of travel, a Travel Claim Form must be completed. The Travel Claim should be submitted to the Finance Office within 10 working days of trip completion. Before you submit your claim you must make sure you sign the claim (sign as Claimant”) and that an “Administration Signature” from your Unit/Chair/Division is also obtained. This signature should be from a manger or chair within your division/unit whom would have singing authority.
Below is a link to the travel claim form which must be completed.
b. Please ensure all documentation is included for all expenses you are claiming. To assist you with this, the FoM Finance Office has developed a travel claim checklist which can be found at the link below: Please ensure that this completed checklist is attached as part of your submitted claim.
As per the checklist, some of the items which have to be included are;
1. Events Brochure/Schedule – copies of brochure/schedule indicating the dates of events, showing if meals were provided.
2. Flight Itinerary - Submit flight itinerary to show proof of payment.
3. Travel by Personal Vehicle – mileage will be reimbursed. A print screen of google maps showing the distance to and from destination. Also if you made multiple trips within the community while there on business, you can note this.
4. Accommodations – receipts for accommodations (Hotel, Airbnb) must be submitted with your travel claim.
5. Ground Transportation – (Taxi, Uber, train, bus) please include all receipts. Please note, tips are not a reimbursable expense.
6. Per Diems – Expenses for all meals not included in conference or other registration fees can be claimed as per diem
c. The Finance Office will review travel claims within five business days of submission. Any claims missing information, documentation or filled out incorrectly, will be returned to the requestor, along with details outlining the problem and the corrective actions needed. The requestor will need to make all the necessary corrective actions and resubmit the claim to the finance travel email again. Once a travel claim is reviewed and it has been determined that all necessary information has been received and that the claim is completed properly, the claim is signed off by the Finance Office and sent to FAS for payment. Travel claims are usually reviewed and processed for payment by FAS within five business days.