Research Abroad

For any research grant you are given that involves travel abroad, you may need to complete both a risk assessment (for high risk countries) and apply for travel insurance (if you are travelling to your home country, you are not required to take out travel insurance). 

 

Information from the University about safety and insurance while travelling can be found on the following links:

 

Applications for University Travel Insurance need to be submitted no later than 2 weeks before your travel date if travelling to low risk countries: UK, Europe, and North America; and no later than 6 weeks to higher risk countries. Application forms can be found at https://finance.admin.ox.ac.uk/tirs-information. If a risk assessment is required the form is available below. Risk Assessments need to be filled in, downloaded and signed by a supervisor and then uploaded to the insurance application.

If you have any further questions about risk assessments or travel insurance for your research abroad, please contact reception@history.ox.ac.uk

Guidance

If you are going on a university business trip (fieldwork/research trip, to present at a conference, attend meetings, etc) you can apply to be covered by university insurance. If you do not want to apply for university insurance you are strongly encouraged to register your trip details, using the same TIRS form, but tick the box that you are not applying for university insurance.  The University has a duty of care to all its staff and students and should know where you are at all times and be able to contact you should the need arise.

Completing a TIRS form and Risk Assessment should be a natural part of planning a trip and should be done in plenty of time. Please do not submit forms the day before you travel as these may not be approved in time, especially if they need to be returned for corrections. TIRS forms should be submitted at least 2 weeks before travel within the UK, to Europe or North America and at least 6 weeks before travel to anywhere else.

If you are a student or a researcher on a project you MUST include your supervisor/PI on the TIRS form so it goes to them for authorisation before it comes to the Reception inbox where it is picked up for final approval or return for corrections. Once you have submitted your TIRS form it would be a good idea to email your PI/supervisor to let them know they need to authorise it, via the TIRS system.

University insurance cover is NOT AUTOMATIC and must be applied for and approved BEFORE you travel. It cannot be approved retrospectively and will be rejected if you submit it after you have travelled. If you have forgotten to apply for University insurance and have left for your trip you must ensure that you have personal cover because you will not be covered by university insurance. Do not assume that once you have submitted your form that’s all you need to do because if your form is not complete or you have not uploaded the RA form then it will be returned for corrections which involves you resubmitting, your supervisor/PI re-authorising, and it awaiting approval or otherwise.

University insurance only covers you for the business part of your trip. If you are taking a break part way through your trip, or tagging a personal holiday to the beginning or end of your trip, you must arrange personal travel insurance to cover these periods as you will not be covered under university insurance.

All travellers must also complete a risk assessment form, sign and date it, and upload it to the TIRS form. To enable you to ‘check’ the appropriate risk level, double click the box and choose from the colour palette. Students, and researchers on projects, must discuss their trip with their supervisors/PIs, in conjunction with reading the FCDO travel advice for the country they are travelling to. Both must sign and date the risk assessment form. If you are travelling within the UK (staying overnight), to Europe, or to North America for a short trip (between 2 and 14 days) to present at a conference/workshop, carry out archival research or attend meetings, you only need to complete Section 1 of the RA. Note that additional factors may increase the risk of travel to that country and it may be appropriate to complete Section 2 as well, even if you consider the risks to be low. If you are travelling for a longer period (15 days or more) to these places or anywhere else in the world you must complete both Section 1 and Section 2 of the RA, even if you believe your risks to be low; be realistic. Choose your risk level on the TIRS form and make sure it matches what you have chosen on your RA form. Don’t forget to sign and date both sections of the form, and ensure your supervisor does too, if appropriate, before uploading it to your TIRS form.

You are not insured to travel until you receive the APPROVED email.

Check your email regularly in case your form has been returned for corrections and deal with it immediately to avoid delay.

To avoid hold-ups, such as your form being returned for corrections, please ensure that you complete ALL information under ALL tabs. Just a few things to bring to your attention:

 

Traveller:

  1. Ensure you choose the correct traveller type. If you are a student choose appropriate type and if you are a researcher on a project choose academic and both of these traveller types enable supervisor authorisation.
  2. Ensure that your supervisor, and you, have signed and dated your RA which indicates you have both discussed your trip and your supervisor has approved your risk level. Your travel application will be returned for corrections if you have not uploaded your RA. Staff, and academics without a supervisor, should still complete an RA and sign, date and upload it to the TIRS form.
  3. EHIC/GHIC Card number: If you are travelling to the EU you MUST provide your EHIC/GHIC card number where it asks for your EHIC number.  You will know if you are planning a trip to an EU country so ensure you apply for a GHIC card (replaced the EHIC card when the UK left the EU) in plenty of time if you don’t already have an unexpired EHIC card; EHIC cards will remain valid until their expiry date. If you don’t include the card number, or an explanation, your form will be returned for corrections for you to add it.  If you have applied for one but have not yet received it then mark the form as ‘awaiting card’ or ‘card applied for’ or something that indicates you have applied and are waiting for your card and include a reference number for your application; that way your TIRS form won’t be returned.  Once you receive your card you should update your form immediately by adding the number.  Your card is used to ‘access medically necessary state-provided healthcare when visiting an EU country or Switzerland.’ Read more and apply here.

 

TRIP:

  1. Give your trip a meaningful title. ‘Archive research’ is not sufficient! Use your surname, country you are visiting and short date so that searching for your application is easy and can actually be found. Example: BClark_Dubai_03042024.
  2. This is the tab you upload your RA under.  Don’t forget to click ‘upload file’ once you have found your documents or they won’t stick to the TIRS form. NOTE: It is not simply the tasks you are undertaking when you travel that you need to consider but also where you pass through, climate (tornados, etc), environment, safety, risk of terrorism, etc. Be thorough; too much information is better than not enough.
  3. Personally-owned items: DO NOT include any University-owned laptops, tablets, cameras, etc. Only include personal items, and cash, valued at £500 or more each and avoid taking anything of value that you don’t need to avoid the risk of loss. Also, avoid carrying large amounts of money.

 

Destination Countries/Itinerary:

  1. Once you have selected the country you are travelling to, from the drop-down list, be sure to add your itinerary. This is where you add your mode of transport and all the details. You must add ALL your travel details, not simply London to UAE, and not just your outgoing travel; travel reference is your flight number or Eurostar number, etc, and there should be an outgoing flight number and returning flight number (or Eurostar number) plus any internal travel, with all the relevant dates. If you are travelling to more than one place add ALL your travel.
  2. If you don’t know all your travel modes and dates, should you be travelling within the country, then add ‘to be confirmed’ and don’t forget to update your form when you do know them. If you cannot update your form send them to me in an email to hold for information.

 

Accommodation:

  1. Add all the accommodation you will be staying in, even if you are staying with friends/family/your family home. Don’t forget to give the name of your accommodation if a hotel, and include the full address, and contact details, plus the dates you will be staying for ALL your accommodations. 
  2. If you will stay somewhere different during your trip, but have not yet booked it, then include ‘to be determined’ and don’t forget to update your form with this information when you have it.

 

You are not insured to travel until you receive the APPROVED email.

Check your email regularly in case your form has been returned for corrections and deal with it immediately to avoid delay.