Travel Information
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Foreign Travel
Foreign travel is any travel outside the United States and the U. S. possessions of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U. S. Virgin Islands. Except as specifically noted, the following guidelines apply to all foreign travel, regardless of the funding source or employment status (employee/non-employee) of the traveler. Exception: the Ames Lab contract, 401-25-01, has different requirements. Contact the Ames Lab directly for questions on this account. Approval of the Provost and/or the Vice President for Business and Finance is not required for foreign travel. Before traveling to a foreign country for the first time, the university recommends travelers visit the U.S. State Department: Bureau of Consular Affairs Web Site at http://travel.state.gov/. This site contains a wealth of information for U.S. citizens who will be traveling abroad. If the traveler is being reimbursed for the airfare, attach documentation of the cost of the fare, which usually is the passenger coupon of airline ticket. If the flight was by means of a ticketless transaction, a copy of an invoice from the agency showing the amount paid, or some other secondary proof of payment must be attached. If an indirect route is used to accommodate a vacation, attach a quotation from the travel agent stating the fare for the business portion of the trip. Travelers will be reimbursed for the lowest cost direct route, or the business portion of the trip whichever is less. To ensure compliance with the Fly America Act, the Air Travel Requisition system will print a message to travel agents reminding them when a ticket is being purchased with federal funds. (Federal funds are those that begin with the first three digits in the range of 401-437.) When purchasing a "consolidator" ticket with federal funds, you must notify the travel agent that you are required to use a U.S. Flag Carrier. Non-employee travelers who purchase their own airfares, especially those coming to the U. S. from foreign countries, should be especially aware of this requirement when federal funds are being used.
U. S. State Department Per Diem Tables The university uses the federal per diem tables as a guideline for limits on lodging and meals. The rates are set by city within a country and are subject to change monthly. Use the rates for the month traveled rather than the rates for the month the reimbursement is completed. Each locale has separate lodging and meal rates. If a city is not listed, use the "other" rate that appears at the end of the listings for that country. If an unlisted city is a suburb of a major city, the rates for the major city can be used. The city must be a true suburb, not just nearby. Urbandale is a suburb of Des Moines; Ames is not. Foreign per diem rates for meals and lodging can be obtained at http://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp If the current rate is not available at the time the voucher is prepared, the traveler should use the most current rate available. If the rate changes by the time the voucher is audited, the rate will be adjusted. Rates generally are not available in advance of the travel dates. If a traveler requires paid lodging, s/he may claim the full lodging per diem for that city. A receipt is required to document the need for paid lodging. The actual cost to the traveler need not be calculated. If the traveler does not require paid lodging, no lodging per diem is allowed. If the lodging per diem is inadequate to cover the cost of the lodging, actual cost may be used up to 300% of the per diem if appropriately explained. A lodging receipt that shows the actual itemized cost of the room (as opposed to a credit card receipt that just shows the grand total cost) is required. The conversion rate must either be noted on the room receipt, or a copy of the bank receipt for conversion must be attached. Lodging for the entire trip must use either per diem or actual cost. Selected days cannot be at actual cost while others are at per diem. This is an IRS regulation and therefore cannot be waived. However, federal regulations for the U. S. Agency for International Development and the U. S. Information Agency awards restrict reimbursement for lodging to the lesser of actual or per diem. Lodging cost, whether per diem or actual, should appear in the "Lodging" column of the travel voucher. Note the city for which per diem is claimed in the "Travel To" column. In the earlier example, the city on the voucher would be Des Moines, not Urbandale. All vouchers must be prepared in U. S. dollars. The cost of a sleeping car on a train will be reimbursed at actual cost. This cost is normally a part of the total cost of the fare and should be claimed in the "Misc. Exp." column of the travel voucher. The meal per diem must be prorated for meals not purchased. The following is a guideline for adjustment of per diem: If a traveler is at a locale 12 hours or more – Claim one day's per
diem These are only guidelines. It is assumed that the per diem will only be prorated in half day increments. Therefore, if extraordinary circumstances exist, note such on the voucher and claim a half day of per diem or a whole day of per diem, whichever is more indicative of the meals purchased. For example, if a traveler arrives at 9:00 p.m., no per diem would be claimed per the general guidelines. However, if dinner was purchased, up to half per diem could be claimed. If multiple locales are visited in a single day, the traveler should claim per diem in a ratio that best approximates the time spent and meals consumed in each locale. The maximum charge for a single day is two half days or one full day. As in the lodging example, note the city for which per diem is claimed, and put the per diem charge in the "Meals Total" column of the travel voucher. Meal costs enroute should be claimed in a similar manner. Adjustment to the amount claimed should be made for meals consumed on the airplane at no cost to the traveler. (Note: The $6.00 per day in- flight per diem has been eliminated.) Similar adjustment should be made for meals that are included as part of conference registration. If meals are covered by a registration fee, the per diem rate claimed that day should be reduced. ISU's policy is to recognize breakfast as 20% of the daily total, with lunch as 30%, and dinner as 50%. Please explain the reason for the adjustment when claiming expenses. A traveler who incurs no lodging expense may still claim meals per diem as described above. Meals for family and friends may not be included. Determination of appropriateness is the responsibility of the administering unit. Accounting will not adjust per diem unless documentation clearly conflicts with the charges on the voucher. For example, if departure tax in Thailand is dated 6/1/01, Accounting will disallow Bangkok per diem for 6/2/01. Departments have the right to reduce any claims that they feel are excessive. Lodging per diem rates include laundry and tips for housekeeping and porters. These items may be reimbursed separately only if the actual charge method is used. Include these in the "Miscellaneous" column of the travel voucher. Laundry charges must be receipted. Visa and passport expenses are reimbursable with receipts. Departure tax may be reimbursed without a receipt since the original airline ticket is sometimes not available when the travel voucher is submitted. Transportation costs such as taxis and rental cars are not part of per diem and are reimbursable under the same guidelines as domestic travel. If you have any questions, call the Accounting Office (294-5212) to discuss the procedure before the trip is planned. When requesting reimbursement on a voucher, all expenses must be converted from the foreign currencies to U.S. dollars. Please show the calculations on the individual receipts to speed the reimbursement process. Travelers have at least four options when selecting a conversion rate.
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