Requirements for International Travel

There are reporting requirements associated with participation in international travel for UT-sponsored and foreign-sponsored events. The University’s system policy on travel is designed to ensure compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, safeguard efficient use of university funds and provide guidance for employees. There are additional reporting requirements if you have a government clearance. Contact your facility security officer, the University research security program or your campus travel office for further details.

Likewise, the system policy on conflicts of interest requires the reporting of travel that is reimbursed or sponsored by external entities, for the purposes of determining whether a financial conflict exists.

Research Security & International Travel

Research security considers additional factors associated with international travel, including physical security, cybersecurity, counterproliferation, export controls and potential threats to national security.

Remember when traveling internationally, foreign intelligence services, terrorist organizations and a variety of other bad actors have better access to you, as their actions are unrestricted within their own borders, and are less restricted in many third-party countries.

If you have a clearance, you should report any foreign travel. If you have access to sensitive compartmented information (SCI) or special access programs (SAP), this is a requirement. If you do not have a clearance, this doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t a target for proprietary, sensitive information or data related to U.S. critical and emerging technologies. To ensure you are aware of what sensitive information you are responsible for protecting, please contact your respective export control or legal office for further guidance. Regardless of the equities you are charged to protect, we take the protection of all University employees seriously. Please report anything suspicious to research security.