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Foreign Travel Guidance & Forms

DBB members are required to report all foreign travel prior to commencing travel.  Click on the below links for procedures and applicable pre-/post-travel documentation.

  • Foreign Travel Reporting Procedures
  • Foreign Pre-Travel Questionnaire
  • Foreign Post-Travel Questionnaire
  • Foreign Post-Travel Foreign Contact

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NEWS + ADVICE

New foreign travel reporting requirements for clearance holders.

foreign travel

Recent reform of facilities clearance regulations now demands more of the corporate facilities security officer (FSO). On February 24, 2021, the NISPOM Rule was codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). In addition to adding the NISPOM to the CFR, this rule codifies provisions of Security Executive Agent Directive (SEAD) 3, “Reporting Requirements for Personnel with Access to Classified Information or Who Hold a Sensitive Position.”

With this shift comes the adoption of new criteria for what information cleared industry personnel must report . According to these rules, individuals must disclose information about their international travel , finances, personal relationships, and other circumstances. Previously, these were not required to be reported, but some organizations may have enforced them internally.

These specifications are taken directly from SEAD 3, which, up until this point, only applied to government workers by way of NISPOM. Now, employees in the private industry will be held to the same standards as those in the government sector.

The newly beefed-up Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) pushed the reform to report foreign travel as required by SEAD 3. New IT tools were supplied, and the capability to submit bulk foreign travel went “live” on August 24, 2022. So as of August 24, 2022, all federal contracting employees holding a  personnel clearance (security clearance or “PCL”)  must  report any foreign travel  to their Facility Security Officers (FSOs).

While the goal of these changes is to help cleared workers self-enforce security standards, the Defense Department has acknowledged the challenges for cleared individuals in submitting the new reports in the system of records (Defense Information System for Security [DISS]) across a counterintelligence dataset of over one million employees working for 12,000 cleared facilities. Foreign intelligence services could be active in any of those facilities, including yours, at this very moment.

When Contemplating Travel Abroad

All security clearance holders are required by Security Executive Agent Directive (SEAD) 3 to report international travel prior to departure. Note that United States possessions and commonwealths are not foreign travel and do not require reporting. In addition to pre-approval, individuals must disclose their travel schedule to their security officer and should attend a pre-travel security briefing.

When a clearance holder contemplates traveling abroad, an email must be sent to the FSO at least 10 business days before departure. Call your FSO immediately if an emergency or last-minute trip requires you to depart in just a couple days. Note the urgency and follow his or her guidance in that situation. Corporate leadership may require longer notice from the planned travel date, but it is generally advisable to notify leadership at least two weeks in advance of the planned travel date. In this email, it is important to not only include where you will be traveling but also the timeframe in which you will be in foreign countries.

Upon receiving this email, FSO will usually send employees a corporate form to collect some further information required by SEAD 3. Along with the forms, they will also send over any state department travel advisories covering the destination countries.

Our recommendation to Tully Rinckey’s clients is the same as for the secured reader: a regular practice of all prudently cleared corporate executives and their employees is the maintenance of a spreadsheet of all foreign travel, listing the essential data points of travel. This will help in reporting before and after the movement, as well as when required to submit the Standard Form 86, Questionnaire for National Security. Yes, this is onerous, especially in a networked global economy, but it is a transaction cost now required of an elite and secured workforce.

Filing Corporate Forms

When presented with these corporate forms, there are a few key things employees should include. Along with what was stated above—travel destination and dates—employees will also need to include a full itinerary and their United States and/or foreign (if a dual citizen) passport information. Additionally, the FSO will arrange an employee travel safety briefing prior to departure. It is advisable to include the safety information in the briefing as part of the corporate form filing. After the employee completes the corporate form and returns it to their FSO, they are ready to travel.

One additional precaution an employee might wish to take is to sign the form, so as to remove any doubt of an FSO doing “batch compiling” to pass an inspection.

Following the completion of these pre-travel forms, the FSO will open the subject’s profile in DISS and create a foreign travel report, entering the dates the clearance holder will travel, the date they first reported their travel, the reason for travel, and any other notes, such as mode of transportation and other relevant information. After the FSO makes this initial entry, the file is formed, and updates can be made as changes come in or when the debrief is completed.

Post Trip Debriefing

Once the clearance-holding employee returns from their trip abroad, the FSO conducts a foreign travel debrief within five (5) business days. If the employee answers “no” to all these questions, they have fulfilled their federal responsibilities for reporting foreign travel.

However, if they answer “yes” to any of the questions asked, the clearance holder will need to provide further information. These follow-up questions are intended to ensure the FSO conducts due diligence in the reporting process. Once the employee completes this form, they sign it and return it to the FSO.

After the employee returns and completes their foreign travel briefing, the FSO will put any further relevant information in DISS and then mark the report as “debriefed.” Once a travel report is marked, the file will be unavailable while it is reviewed.

This report will eventually reappear, and the FSO will need to maintain a physical record of the pre-travel form that the debriefing employees fill out in case they need to access it before the report is accessible within DISS. This record can be maintained for as long as the employee remains at the company.

Stay Up to Date on the Reporting Process

While the new reporting requirements will likely cause confusion for a number of years and may even push some PCL holders into adjudication as a security concern based on non-compliance, by staying on top of what your agency’s reporting requirements are, you can best protect your travel plans and your security clearance.

Find more articles about safeguarding your  security clearance  here.

foreign travel notification form 18

Dan Meyer, Managing Partner of Tully Rinckey PLLC’s Washington, D.C. office, has dedicated more than 25 years of service to the field of federal employment and national security law as both a practicing attorney and federal investigator and senior executive. He is a leader in advocating for service members, federal civilian employees, and contractors as they fight to retain their credentialing, suitability, and security clearances. Lachlan McKinion supports the needs of TR’s corporate national security clientele. Mr. Meyer can be reached at [email protected] or at (888) 529-4543.

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NIH Notification of Foreign Travel (NFT)

Fogarty/nih passports and visas office.

Until Jan 12, 2023 : Building 31, Room B2C05

After Jan 17, 2023 : Building 31, Room 3B41

NIH Campus Bethesda, MD

Office hours

  • Days: Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday
  • Hours: 9 a.m.-12 noon
  • Fogarty Specialists email and phone
  • Main phone: 301-827-5555

Announcements

Plan ahead and apply early!

  • Contact Fogarty for requirements
  • Validity of State Department security training courses (HTSOS, CTAT & FACT) extended from 5 to 6 years
  • Next Generation Passport is here

Related Information

  • Passports and Visas for NIH Employees
  • Chart of Visa and Training Requirements by Country or Territory
  • Completing notification of foreign travel in NIH CGE Travel System
  • CDC Health Information for International Travel ( Yellow Book) , the trusted travel medicine reference for health professionals and travelers
  • Traveler's Health information from the National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus

Notification of Foreign Travel (NFT) is a mandatory step in the foreign travel approval process at NIH. An approved NFT is required for all official foreign travel regardless of the source of funding for the trip. The NFT is created automatically as part of the foreign travel authorization. Once the NFT has been pre-approved by the NIH IC (NFT Pre-Approval), it will be automatically routed to FIC for review and approval (NFT Final Approval). To meet established timeframes it's important that NFTs submitted to FIC are complete and accurate.

Upon receipt of an NFT, FIC prepares a cable requesting country clearance from the U.S. Embassy of the country to be visited. NIH travelers should not depart on an official business trip outside the U.S. without receiving country clearance from the relevant U.S. Embassy or Mission overseas. Clearance will be granted for most countries. However, U.S. Embassies may refuse clearance to travelers who fail to send clearance cables in a timely manner, or whose proposed travel includes countries where U.S. citizens may be in danger. Current travel warnings, public announcements and consular information sheets are posted on travel.state.gov , the U.S. Department of State's travel website.

NFTs must be submitted to FIC at least 35 days prior to travel to allow time for review and approval and for the cables requesting country clearance to be sent. In exceptional circumstances late notification may be accepted with proper justification. Travelers should initiate travel authorizations as soon as they begin to make travel plans to ensure the NFT is forwarded to FIC by IC officials in a timely manner.

  • Completing the Notification of Foreign Travel (NFT) screen in the NIH CGE Travel System

Country-Specific Guidance

  • Kenya : Clearance for travel to Kenya requires traveler to submit acknowledgement of a security briefing to Post and to book lodging in an Embassy-approved hotel. Contact your FIC International Travel Program Specialist for specific requirements.
  • Nigeria : Nigeria has been designated as a high-threat post. Contact your FIC International Travel Program Specialist for specific clearance requirements.
  • South Africa : Clearance for travel to South Africa requires traveler to submit acknowledgement of a security briefing to Post and to book lodging in an Embassy-approved hotel.  Contact your FIC International Travel Program Specialist  for specific requirements. 
  • Russia : Travel to Russia requires pre-clearance through the Department of State. Contact your FIC International Travel Program Specialist for guidance.
  • Contact your FIC International Travel Program Specialist for list of U.S. Embassy approved lodging accommodation for:
  • South Africa
  • Switzerland (Geneva only)
  • Turkey (Istanbul only)

Multilateral Travel

Any NIH traveler invited to participate in an international meeting hosted by a multilateral organization (e.g., World Health Organization (WHO), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Bank), should provide their travel planner with a copy of the invitation letter as a PDF file. The invitation letter will be uploaded into the travel document by the travel planner.

Trip Reports

Within five days of returning from a trip all HHS travelers are required to prepare a brief written report of the significant aspects and results of the trip, including a summary of the extent to which the purpose(s) of the trip was achieved. Upload trip reports in the electronic travel system as part of the voucher process.

Our Office is Temporarily Moving!

Effective January 17, 2023 , the Fogarty International Center (FIC) Visa Passport Office (VPO) will be temporarily relocated to Building 31, Room 3B41 due to renovations.

Time in temporary location

Currently, the renovation is scheduled for approximately six months. We will communicate as needed and when the renovation is complete as we prepare to move the Office back to its permanent location.

Important dates and information

On Friday, January 13, 2023, the VPO staff will physically relocate to the temporary location. Please recommend to your IC staff who have a visa or passport-related case that needs to be managed to submit their packages to the VPO before or after Friday, January 13, 2023 . The VPO staff will not be available to receive or process cases because they will be physically relocating and their systems will be down.

Where to find the FIC VPO Staff

Starting on January 17, 2023 : FIC Visa/Passport Office Building 31, Room 3B41 31 Center Dr. MSC 2220 Bethesda, MD 20892-2220 301-827-5555

Office hours : Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 noon

We look forward to continuing our partnership with the NIH community during our temporary relocation.

Travel Specialist Contact Information

  • Contact your Fogarty Specialist  for assistance.

Updated October 20, 2023

IMAGES

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  2. Travel Request Form Template Excel

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  6. Fillable Online readyforlife TRAVELING NOTIFICATION/RESPITE REQUEST

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COMMENTS

  1. Defense Health Agency

    the Defense Travel System and forward to the DHA Foreign Travel and Visits Office, in addition to ensuring their personnel are self-reporting OFT and UFT. 9. COVERED INDIVIDUALS. In accordance with Reference (f), covered individuals will self-report OFT and UFT by submitting the DHA Form 18, Foreign Travel Notification to the DHA

  2. Foreign Travel Guidance & Forms

    Foreign Travel Guidance & Forms DBB members are required to report all foreign travel prior to commencing travel. Click on the below links for procedures and applicable...

  3. PDF NOTIFICATION OF FOREIGN TRAVEL

    DESTINATION DATE FROM DATE TO METHOD OF TRAVEL CONTACTS OR HOTEL INFORMATION e. Expected date of return to duty station 3. As you prepare to travel outside of the United States, you may find...

  4. Find DHS Forms

    How Do I? Last Updated: 01/10/2024 Was this page helpful? Yes No Popular online forms and tips for services performed at DHS: Immigration forms, travel forms, customs forms, training forms, tips.

  5. SEAD 3 Unofficial Foreign Travel Reporting

    The rule includes reporting requirements outlined in Security Executive Agent Directive 3 or SEAD 3, "Reporting Requirement for Personnel Who Access Classified Information and Hold a Sensitive Position." A key reportable activity of SEAD 3 is foreign travel.

  6. PDF Foreign Travel Report (FTR) Cover Sheet and Instructions

    These briefings should be given by qualified counterintelligence personnel from the Ansbach Field Office, Army Counterintelligence phone: +49-980-283-2308. ♦ Upon return from travel, fill out the...

  7. PDF Headquarters Marine Corps Foreign Travel Brief

    You have completed the HQMC Foreign Travel Brief. The next page is the completion certificate. Complete and provide a copy when you submit your Notification of Foreign Travel form. Congratulations! Key Points: Stay Alert and try to maintain a low profile. Know where you are going and let someone know. Know what the local laws are.

  8. Employees required to report foreign travel > Defense Logistics Agency

    Requirements for some countries include: • A travel threat briefing from an antiterrorism officer. Requirements must be met 45-60 days before travel. The lead time for completing country clearance in APACS varies by country and ranges from 21-45 days. All DTS orders for foreign travel are routed to the local antiterrorism officer, who ...

  9. PDF SEAD 3 Job Aid: Unofficial Foreign Travel Reporting and Activities

    Step 4: FSO or assigned designee coordinates with a DCSA Counterintelligence Special Agent (CISA) for appropriate foreign travel briefings to be provided to the cleared employee prior to the unofficial foreign travel. SEAD 3, F.1.b.1) c) and ISL 2021-02, p. 12-13, col. 2. Step 5: FSO or assigned designee determines if the cleared employee is ...

  10. PDF CUI (when completed) FOREIGN TRAVEL NOTIFICATION

    FOREIGN TRAVEL NOTIFICATION Per the Security Executive Agent Directive (SEAD) 3, all of the following information is required: 1.Prior to proceeding on international personal travel, travelers will review the foreign travel brief and complete a foreign travel questionnaire to be returned to the NETC Security Office 15 days prior to travel. a.

  11. New Foreign Travel Reporting Requirements for Clearance Holders

    New IT tools were supplied, and the capability to submit bulk foreign travel went "live" on August 24, 2022. So as of August 24, 2022, all federal contracting employees holding a personnel clearance (security clearance or "PCL") must report any foreign travel to their Facility Security Officers (FSOs). While the goal of these changes is ...

  12. Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)

    The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program is a free service that allows U.S. citizens traveling or living abroad to receive the latest security updates from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.. Benefits of enrolling in STEP: You'll receive the latest safety and security information for your destination country, so you can make informed decisions about your travel.

  13. PDF NOTIFICATION OF FOREIGN TRAVEL

    NOTIFICATION OF FOREIGN TRAVEL TO: PERSONNEL SECURITY MANAGER (Please do not list organization on this line) BACKGROUND: Travel outside of the United States is a matter of security interest in view of the clearances you hold. Such travel includes points in Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe, as well as more distant places.

  14. PDF PSQ TEMPLATE 3 FOREIGN TRAVEL

    included more than one foreign country, list all countries visited. Do not list travel under official U.S. Government business, but you must include any personal trips to other countries made in conjunction with the official U.S. Government travel. If you have lived near a border country and have made short (one day or less) trips to the

  15. PDF USCG Foreign Travel Approval Form

    OFFICIAL NON-OPERATIONAL FOREIGN TRAVEL APPROVAL FORM Point of Contact Information 1. Rank/Name (F, MI, L) 2. Date of Request Form Instructions on page 3 3. Phone # 4. Unit 5. E-mail Traveler Information # of Travelers: Gift Travel (Complete back section of the form for gift travel approval) Required Clearances & Training Completed

  16. PDF Official Foreign Travel Disclosure Worksheet Date

    10. purpose of travel (i.e. fms case id) 11. additional travelers. name (last, first, mi) position. office symbol phone. citizenship 12. itinerary. dates of visit country/organization visited. name of person to be visited phone. 13. is travel in conjunction with international conference symposium or other meeting? yes. no. afmc form 193 ...

  17. PDF Foreign Travel Reporting Requirements

    The U.S. Coast Guard shall independently administer its foreign travel reporting requirements for individuals granted access to SCI. Managing the security-related requirements for SCI programs within DHS except for the U.S. Coast Guard. Maintaining copies of DHS Form 11043-1 in accordance with the Federal Records Act.

  18. PDF Travel: Official DCMA Travel Business Rules V.508C 05182021

    Travel: Official Travel Business Rules ... Implements: DCM-INST 4301, "Stewardship," July 18, 2018 . Incorporates and Cancels: DCMA-INST 535, "Travel (Official) - TDY and Local," October 1, 2009 . DCMA-INST 1081, "Travel - OCONUS," February 11, 2014 ... of Defense (DD) Form 577 for AOs. c. Assign, maintain, and update audit roles and ...

  19. NIH Notification of Foreign Travel (NFT)

    Notification of Foreign Travel (NFT) is a mandatory step in the foreign travel approval process at NIH. An approved NFT is required for all official foreign travel regardless of the source of funding for the trip. The NFT is created automatically as part of the foreign travel authorization. Once the NFT has been pre-approved by the NIH IC (NFT ...

  20. PDF USAG RP Foreign Travel PACKET

    Foreign Travel Briefing Statement x Know the rules of the countries through which you are traveling. Pay close attention to duty requirements, currency laws, bans on importation, customs...

  21. Special Access Programs & Templates

    Special Access Programs. The DCSA Special Access Programs (SAP) Office is located in National Operations, Industrial Security Directorate. This web page has been established as a repository for processing procedures, documents, forms and templates associated with the DoD 5205.07 SAP Manual (Volumes 1-4) for use by government organizations and contractor companies.

  22. PDF Updated Foreign Travel Reporting options in DISS

    The mass foreign travel upload is an efficient way to load multiple foreign travel records to multiple subjects all at one time. The key for the upload to be successful is formatting. All required fields must be completed in the CSV template, in the right format and file size must not exceed 1mb. ... 8/8/2022 9:18:53 AM ...

  23. PDF Updated Foreign Travel Reporting options in DISS

    Mass Foreign Travel Upload The Mass Foreign Travel Upload is an efficient way to load multiple foreign travel records to multiple subjects all at one time. The key for the upload to be successful is, format, format, format! All required fields must be completed in the CSV template, in the right format and file size must not exceed 1MB.