International Travel
Working internationally can be very complex due to differences in host country labor and tax laws and MIT’s International People Placement team helps DLC’s navigate these complexities. A 10-week notice is needed for postdocs and staff who plan to work at an international location (except for CERN) for more than 29 days in a rolling calendar year. Please reach out to Caitlin Sulham (csulham@mit.edu) as soon as you are aware of international travel or if you have any questions.
Booking Travel
Please fill out the attached travel request PDF form and forward it to Lauren Saragosa (saragosa@mit.edu) to arrange travel or to request information about travel costs and availability.
Flights based on the itinerary you propose on the travel request form will be provided. Flights will be booked through MIT’s approved travel agency, The Travel Collaborative. Please note, you may do your own research and propose specific flights, hotels, etc. For student, staff and postdoc travel, your supervisor must sign off on the form authorizing the trip and include an account number. If there is a budget I need to know about, please note it on the form.
If you prefer to make your own arrangements and pay on your personal credit card, you are still subject to MIT Policy on travel. Please check with Lauren Saragosa regarding those policies beforehand, as needed. You should also confirm with your supervisor that the trip is authorized. You will not be able to claim reimbursement until you return from your trip. Please also attach approval from your supervisor when you submit your expense report.
All MIT Travelers are required to register their travel through the MIT Travel Registry. The MIT Travel Registry collects trip-related information for MIT students, faculty, staff and affiliates so that the Institute can locate and contact travelers in an area where health, safety and security are threatened.
Travel Expense Reports
Travelers are required to submit an expense report via the MIT online expense reporting system (Concur) within 60 days after the completion of a trip. The expense report is necessary not only to request reimbursement for out of pocket expenses but also reconcile charges made on the MIT Travel Card. Detailed instructions are located to the left under Concur Guide for Submitters.
In order to ensure the integrity of the Institute’s travel documentation system, LNS will need to retain/keep on file an original or a complete and legible electronic image of the receipt associated with each trip. This is necessary for audit purposes and is required for travel under sponsored research projects.
Car Rental and Insurance
MIT and LNS strongly encourages you to use MIT’s partner car rental agencies (Avis or Budget) which provide volume-based discounts and insurance on vehicles for MIT travelers. Please be sure to provide the rental agent with MIT’s corporate number when renting vehicles for MIT business (see link below for Avis and Budget corporate codes). If the corporate code is not provided at time of rental the coverage will not be in place. The use of these agencies will serve to mitigate MIT’s financial risk associated with automobile accidents and losses including theft of the vehicle. In the event that an agency other than Budget or Avis is chosen and the driver is involved in a single car accident, at fault accident or cannot identify the responsible third party, the driver will be responsible for the $2,500.00 deductible. If you have questions or concerns regarding deductible coverage, please see Karen Dow or Caitlin Sulham. See MIT Office of Insurance for details on this policy.
When traveling domestically, travelers should DECLINE all insurance coverage when using a rental vehicle for MIT related business. When traveling internationally, travelers are strongly discouraged from renting vehicles in most international destinations because of the significant safety and security risks. However, should need dictate the use of a rental vehicle, travelers SHOULD purchase insurance for all international rentals (including Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands). For further details regarding car rentals see MIT Travel Policy 3.05c.
