International Travel Safety

Faculty and staff members traveling abroad for university-related purposes are required to:

1. Seek approval from their supervisor and/or departmental leader as outlined in their unit’s protocols for requesting travel.
2. Submit trip details in the International Travel Safety (ITS) Portal
3. Submit trip details to Gallagher for the university’s international health insurance (provided at no additional cost to faculty/staff members). Information about submitting trip details to Gallagher is available as a task in the ITS portal.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Do I need to submit personal travel?
  • No, you should only submit international travel affiliated with your UIC role.
• How long does it take for my submission in the ITS portal to be processed?
  • Most submissions are processed within 48 business hours. However, travelers are encouraged to submit their travel details as soon as they have departmental approval and at least 1 month prior to travel as follow-up information or action may be required.
• When I click begin enrollment, the Academic Year is one year ahead of the current one. Why?
  • This is an expected behevior due to a limitation of the system. We are exploring solutions with the vendor. Thank you for proceeding with your registration.
• I travel abroad multiple times a year; what should I do?
  • The ITS portal operates on an academic year cycle. Please create an individual record for each trip within a given academic year. After you’ve submitted one trip, the next time you return to record another trip, you will see a message indicating that you already have an active application for the current academic year. Click the plus sign to add a new itinerary with location and date information. This will generate a separate trip record from previous trips. Unfortunately, the system cannot assign a unique name to each trip so you will see all trips with the same academic year until the new academic year begins.
• Do I need to register for international insurance. 
  • The Univeresity of Illinois system’s International Travel Insurance Requirements policy requires all employees traveling internationally on system business to submit their trip details according to their respective campus’ protocols. UIC employees do so via the International Travel Safety (ITS) portal. By recording your trip details in the ITS portal, you will be directed to the Gallagher international health insurance website to submit your trip details for coverage at no cost to you.
• What counts as proof that I have done what I need to do in order to seek reimbursement for travel expenses?
  • You can submit one of the following:
    • International Travel Safety (ITS) portal confirmation email (see example)
    • Gallagher International Health Insurance confirmation email (see example)
    • Screenshot of Submitted Form from your Gallagher account (see example)
• What if I am traveling to my home country?
  • International faculty, staff, and students must enroll in the University-approved International Insurance (Gallagher) even if returning to your home country. Some policy benefits are limited while in the home country; for more information, contact oge@uic.edu. If you pay for medical care in your home country, you must use your permanent U.S. address when filing a Claim for Reimbursement or it will be denied due to policy exclusions and limitations.
• I’m an emeritus faculty member; how do I enroll?
  • If you have approval from a UIC department for your travel and it is connected to university business, you should enroll in the ITS Portal and international insurance. To do so, click the “Begin Travel Enrollment” button on the faculty/staff International Travel Safety portal page. Select “New User? Create Account” on the next screen. Fill out the short form to create an account the ITS Portal. DO NOT click UIC Login and try using your UIC credentials – this will not work for individuals who do not have an active employment record in Banner. 

• Faculty/Staff International Travel Safety Portal

Students traveling abroad for university-related purposes are required to:

1. Seek approval from their department leadership as outlined in their unit’s protocols for requesting travel. If unsure, ask your academic advisor or the Director for Undergraduate/Graduate Students as appropriate.
2. Submit trip details in the International Travel Safety (ITS) Portal
3. Pay and submit trip details to Gallagher for the university’s international health insurance. Information about the cost and submitting trip details to Gallagher is available as a task in the ITS portal. Any agreement to have the insurance cost covered must be worked out with the department sponsoring the student’s travel.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• I’m a graduate student who has a campus job; do I complete the ITS portal for faculty/staff or students?
  • Most graduate students will complete the ITS portal as a student. You should only complete the faculty/staff ITS portal if your travel abroad is related to a UIC job responsibility. As an example, if you are a TA and are supporting your faculty member’s study abroad program, you will enroll as a faculty/staff.  On the other hand, if you are traveling abroad for a conference or to conduct research related to your degree, you will enroll in the student ITS portal.
• Do students have to pay for the required insurance?
  • If the student is the primary beneficiary of the travel (ex: research, conference attendance etc.), then yes, the student will need to pay for the insurance. If their department is funding their travel, then the department can process a reimbursement to their student account following the steps on the Payment to Students webpage. Curent insurance cost information can be found here.
  • If the unviersity is the primary beneficiary and/or the travel is related to a student’s unviersity job, then the department can submit a reimbursement report.
• Do I need to submit personal travel?
  • No, you should only submit international travel affiliated with your UIC role.
• How long does it take for my submission in the ITS portal to be processed?
  • Most submissions are processed within 48 business hours. However, travelers are encouraged to submit their travel details as soon as they have departmental approval and at least 1 month prior to travel as follow-up information or action may be required.
• When I click begin enrollment, the Academic Year is one year ahead of the current one. Why?
  • This is an expected behevior due to a limitation of the system. We are exploring solutions with the vendor. Thank you for proceeding with your registration.
• I travel abroad multiple times per academic year; what should I do?
  • The ITS portal operates on an academic year cycle. Please create an individual record for each trip within a given academic year. After you’ve submitted one trip, the next time you return to record another trip, you will see a message indicating that you already have an active application for the current academic year. Click the plus sign to add a new itinerary with location and date information. This will generate a separate trip record from previous trips. Unfortunately, the system cannot assign a unique name to each trip so you will see all trips with the same academic year until the new academic year begins.
• What if I am traveling in my home country?
  • International faculty, staff, and students must enroll in the University-approved International Insurance (Gallagher) even if returning to your home country. Some policy benefits are limited while in the home country; for more information, contact oge@uic.edu. If you pay for medical care in your home country, you must use your permanent U.S. address when filing a Claim for Reimbursement or it will be denied due to policy exclusions and limitations.

• Student International Travel Safety Portal

Per UIC’s International Travel Safety Policy, students traveling to any countries with an elevated Travel Advisory from the U.S. Department of State (“Level 3: Reconsider Travel,” and “Level 4: Do Not Travel”) or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“Level 3: Avoid Nonessential Travel”) are subject to additional review by the Office of Global Engagement. Students are also prohibited from traveling to countries for which an Evacuation order has been issued by the U.S. Department of State.

To determine if the country to which you are traveling has an elevated travel advisory, please visit:

• U.S. Department of State – Travel Advisories
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Travelers’ Health

If your destination has an elevated travel advisory, you will need to submit petition documentation as part of your International Travel Safety portal sumbmission. Details are included below and in the International Travel Safety portal.

Countries with War Risk

UIC’s insurance provider monitors global geopolitical situations and maintains an active list of countries/regions with war risk. If faculty, staff, or students travel to a country or region that is on this list, some important insurance benefits may not be included without the purchase of a war risk endorsement. Please contact sao@uic.edu for more information.

• Petition Documentation Instructions

Faculty and staff leading students abroad are required to:

• Seek approval from their supervisor and/or departmental leader as outlined in their unit’s protocols for requesting travel.
• Ensure that each individual traveler submits trip details in the International Travel Safety portal.
  • Faculty and staff should submit their travel details in the Faculty/Staff ITS Portal and indicate that they are a trip leader in the appropriate section.
  • Students should submit their travel details in the Student ITS Portal.
• Submit trip details to Gallagher for the university’s international health insurance. Information about submitting trip details to Gallagher is available as a task in the ITS portal. Insurance is provided at no cost to faculty and staff. Students are charged a fee. Contact the Study Abroad Office at sao@uic.edu for more information.
• Schedule a meeting with Dr. Kyle Rausch, Executive Director, Study Abroad & International Travel Safety to review the university’s Emergency Preparedness and Response presentation. Please plan at least 2-months in advance of your intended date of travel.

Faculty and staff who are interested in taking students abroad as part of a facuty-directed study abroad program should visit the Study Abroad Office’s website for more information.

Faculty, staff, and students traveling abroad with a UIC Study Abroad Office program do not need to submit their travel in the International Travel Safety portal. The Study Abroad Office records your travel details in its Flames Abroad portal study abroad database and oversees your international health insurance coverage. Please contact sao@uic.edu with any questions.

If you have an active application to a study abroad program, you can access your record in the Flames Abroad portal below.

• Access the Flames Abroad Portal