Required: Register Work-Related Travel (Domestic & International) in Concur, Plus Tips for Personal Travel

Dear Colleagues:

As our academic year ends and summer research and administrative travel pick up domestically and abroad, we want to share a reminder to always file a travel authorization request through Concur. According to KU’s Official University Business Travel policy, this should be completed at least:

• 14 days prior to a domestic work trip outside Kansas.
• 30 days prior to an international work trip.

Concur registration is important now more than ever for international travel, with conflicts across the world creating unpredictable ripple effects that can impact scholars. The current geopolitical context is incredibly dynamic, and KU administrators are following developments closely to ensure we are appropriately proactive and responsive, always with your health and safety in mind. KU’s travel review team uses continuously updated information sources that do a better job of monitoring fast-moving events than most publicly available information sources, which often lag behind. Registering your travel with KU allows us to communicate directly with you and offer timely, tailored support.

With this in mind, we are highlighting the following:

• By policy, KU employees (including student employees) must register work-related travel through Concur, even if that travel is not arranged or paid for by KU.
• All KU non-employee students, graduate or undergraduate, must register their international travel through Study Abroad and Global Engagement (SAGE). This ensures mental health supports are in place, student medical, evacuation and repatriation coverage are extended for the duration of their travel, and that SAGE is in a position to support necessary travel authorizations, visas and provide on-ground incident response support in the event they are needed. SAGE will facilitate necessary pre-departure processes to ensure each student’s unique needs and circumstances are addressed.

For everyone engaging in work-related travel, Concur registration ensures travelers have travel-related insurance, including medical, evacuation and repatriation coverage. Registration also enables KU to support the traveler directly if the context suddenly changes while abroad. Having the full support of KU behind you in the event of an emergency, especially one that may involve rapid evacuation, can prove critical.

An added benefit of Concur registration is that IT will automatically be notified to prepare a loaner laptop for your trip, helping ensure you are aligned with KU’s Electronic Device Travel Policy (effective February 2026) and reducing the risk of traveling with equipment that may not function properly in the field. KU’s Global Risk and Security office will work with you to make sure you have the equipment that meets your unique work needs. PCs and Macs have been acquired to ensure usability, and a variety of platforms and approaches have been developed to accommodate needs to access and input data, and manage equipment in areas without connectivity, etc. 

We recognize that the Electronic Device Travel Policy is new and involves extra steps and time. However, it is essential for protecting KU systems and data and to ensure the university remains in compliance with domestic and international laws, especially those governing import and export controls on technology, such as routinely installed encryption technologies that could result in the confiscation of your equipment upon crossing a border. This avoidable concern is real. KU employees recently had equipment confiscated during a border crossing. 

Whether travelling abroad for personal reasons or for work, it is strongly recommended that you also register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) of the U.S. Department of State. The process is easy and ensures U.S. Embassy personnel know who is in their jurisdiction and where, so they can contact you in the event of a personal or global emergency. All students and Fulbright recipients are registered as a matter of course, and you should register too.

Information on all of this can be found on the International Affairs website, along with additional information related to travel to high-risk locations.

Respectfully,

Dr. Charles A. S. Bankart
Vice Provost for International Affairs

Dr. Amy N. Mendenhall
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Dr. Ric G. Steele
Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs & Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs