June 2, 2022

Dear Academic Enterprise colleagues,

I am sharing an update on guidelines for UTMB-sponsored international travel. This information applies to all Academic Enterprise faculty, staff, and students.

Limitations related to UTMB-sponsored international travel for conferences, meetings, and collaboration have been lifted effective May 31, 2022.  It is the traveler’s responsibility to follow any applicable UTMB COVID policies around the requirements to return to campus following an international trip. 

Please read the following carefully to ensure you are up to date on policies regarding international travel.

• UTMB-sponsored travel no longer requires pre-approval by the Provost (unless related to travel to Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, or bordering countries – please see below for additional information).
• UTMB-sponsored international travel must register with UT System’s contract emergency assistance provider, On Call International.
• UTMB-sponsored travelers must submit their international travel request to the AE Service Center where the UTMB Institutional Oversight Committee will review, per UT System policy.  

• Please submit your request a minimum of six (6) weeks prior to the travel departure date. 
• If traveling for a conference, please attach a copy of the conference brochure.
• After IOC review and approval, a tentative approval will be emailed to the travel requestor containing an assigned International Travel Request Authorization Number (RA#).
• After the RA# has been received, travel arrangements may be booked through a UTMB-approved travel vendor. If booking with Anthony Travel or Concur, On Call International is automatically submitted on the traveler's behalf and nothing more has to be done regarding On Call International registration.
• Upload proof of registration with On Call International and Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) into the trip request. (More information on these services, including step-by-step registration instructions, is available in the MyPower Travel Module.)
• FINAL APPROVAL and a TA# will be e-mailed after proof of On Call International registration and STEP registration are received.
• Step-by-step processes, FAQs, and instructional videos are available on the AE Service Center Travel and Entertainment page. Please refer to this page for assistance completing any of the required steps to request international travel.

Please be aware that this guidance may be rescinded if warranted based on conditions globally. 

For travel to Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and bordering countries, per UT System (effective March 7, 2022), please note the following:

Travel to Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus is suspended until further notice. If the institution determines there is a mission-critical business or research need that warrants an exception, the following is now required:

• Travel must be approved (or reapproved) by the IOC, as well as the President. If an exception is granted, the President must provide notice to the Executive Vice Chancellor (EVC) for Health Affairs or Academic Affairs as appropriate, and the Chief Compliance and Risk Officer.
• Your Export Control subject matter expert and your Office of Legal Affairs must review any proposed or ongoing travel requests to ensure that neither the institution nor the traveler violates any applicable sanctions with respect to financial transactions, nor engages with any person or entity that is sanctioned.  The IOC must include the opinion of Export Control and Legal Affairs in their review.
• While not suspended, elevated approval by the President is required for travel to countries bordering Ukraine, including Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, and former Soviet countries bordering Russia and Belarus on the Western side, specifically Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Georgia.  

Thank you for your cooperation on these important matters. We appreciate your patience and your attention to the details around this new information so that international travel can resume as smoothly and efficiently as possible for our institution.

Sincerely yours,

Charles P. Mouton, MD, MS, MBA
Executive Vice President, Provost and Dean, John Sealy School of Medicine
Thomas N. and Gleaves T. James Distinguished Chair