Travel Arrangements

The following steps are required when arranging travel for the onboarding or movement of international staff:

1. After the HR Partner has received medical and reference clearances for the selected candidate and a confirmation of the offer of appointment has been issued, the HR Partner coordinates with the selected candidate and manager to agree on an estimated start date. At this point, visa/travel document requests can be initiated.
2. In cases of initial appointments and reappointments, once an estimated date has been agreed upon, the HR Partner executes a Preboarding PA in Umoja (ECC) to enable the processing of the candidate’s travel. The Preboarding PA is processed to reflect the correct organizational unit, ensuring that the proper entity is charged for the travel and that the travel request is routed to the appropriate staff for processing.
3. A travel request is raised by the travel administrator on behalf of the candidate, and any eligible family members. In many cases the HR Partner may serve as the travel administrator. When this is not the case, offline communication of travel details will need to be provided to the travel administrator. Candidates who are serving staff members should request travel directly through the Umoja portal.
4. The HR Partner will review and approve the travel request.
   

Travel requests should be submitted at least 21 calendar days prior to the commencement of travel, to ensure timely finalization of the travel arrangements in accordance with the circular on official travel (ST/IC/2019/16). Travel arrangements are required to be finalized 16 days in advance of the travel (ST/AI/2013/3). In addition, an average of five calendar days have been provided for obtaining the necessary travel request approvals in Umoja.

With proper risk assessment, travel requests can be submitted prior to the confirmation of offer, such as prior to the granting of visas for travel.

The travel administrator is required to provide a justification in Umoja for travel requests submitted less than 21 calendar days in advance of the commencement of travel. The Travel and Shipment Approver is responsible for reviewing the justification provided and for seeking additional information and/or clarification if deemed necessary. The Travel and Shipment Approver also ensures that the candidate has obtained security clearance from the UNDSS, if applicable, through the Trip/DSS portal.

The HR Partner is responsible for ensuring that the receiving UN Entity has been advised of the candidate’s arrival details. Serving staff members are required to complete BSAFE¹, the online security awareness training, and may be required to document this upon request. Please note the new provision in ST/IC/2019/16 (paragraphs 33-40) that allows self-ticketing for staff members that can be used for official travel.

¹ BSAFE certification is valid for 3 years. The candidate will have to take the course again if certification has lapsed.

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