Travel Authorizations
Purpose
To provide guidance on obtaining prior approval for official ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ travel.
Policy
Per The University of Texas at El Paso (¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ) Travel Policy (Handbook of Operating Procedures, Section VII, Chapter 6), a prior approval is required to identify employee and student absences from campus (or other designated headquarters) for ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ official travel for periods of half a day or more during normal working period, whether or not there is a cost to the University. Prior approval is also required for any ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ employee official travel outside of El Paso County regardless of the mode of transportation utilized.
Faculty and Staff on ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ official travel must obtain a fully approved PeopleSoft Travel Authorization prior to the start of travel and/or prior to incurring expenditure related to the travel. 'Fully approved' indicates that all required workflow approvals have been completed. Traveling ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ employee, their supervisors and the owner of the funding source for the travel are responsible for completing all pre-travel approvals.
Students on ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ official travel must obtain approval per the University Handbook of Operating Procedures Section II, Chapter 11, Student Travel Policy for University Organized or Sponsored Events and Registered Student Organizations.
Procedures
Employee Travel Authorizations
A Request for Travel Authorization must be completed by the department travel planner on a PeopleSoft document prior to travel. The PeopleSoft document will route electronically for approvals; it must be fully approved by the traveler's immediate supervisor and the budget authority for the cost center or project ID entered.
The Travel Authorization must include the following information:
- Name of traveler
- Dates of travel
- Destination
- Purpose and benefit of travel
- Cost center/Project ID information and estimated costs
Appropriate arrangements for disposition of duties must be made in advance of travel. If the instructor of record will be absent, a qualified member of the instructional staff shall be identified as a substitute instructor and approved by the department Chair. Under normal circumstances, instructional days should not be missed.
A Travel Authorization creates an encumbrance against the cost center or project ID which is entered. The Travel Authorization encumbrance must reasonably reflect the anticipated cost of the trip. Prepaid expenses, such as airfare booked by Anthony Travel, should not be encumbered. If there is no cost to the university, the Travel Authorization must reflect an encumbrance of $0.01.
When faculty and staff travel with students, a list of all the students traveling must be attached to the Travel Authorization. Estimated travel expenses for students listed in the Travel Authorization are to be included in the estimated costs documented in the Travel Authorization.
Student Travel Authorizations
Students on ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ official travel must obtain approval per the University Handbook of Operating Procedures Section II, Chapter 11, Student Travel Policy for University Organized or Sponsored Events and Registered Student Organizations. Student travel organized and sponsored by the University must follow Section II of the Handbook of Operating Procedures covering Student Affairs.
International Travel Authorizations
Travel to locations noted on the RESTRICTED REGION LIST must be approved by the International Oversight Committee prior to the start of the travel. If the destination appears on the Restricted Region List, submit the International Travel Exception Authorization Request Form to IOC@utep.edu. All completed international travel request packets must be received by 12 p.m. on Friday for review by the International Oversight Committee the following week. Please see the International Oversight Committee website for more information.
When traveling internationally ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ property (Laptops, tablets, cameras, commercial software, etc.) is not export restricted based on the technology and your destination. You may temporarily (<12 months) take the items by submitting the Certification of Temporary Export of ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Property and Review of U.S. Control Regulations form to Research & Innovation, Research Compliance and Regulatory Assurances (exportcontrol@utep.edu). All international travelers are required to complete this form prior to departure if you are on ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ business and/or taking ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ equipment. This is in addition to the requirements of the Information Security Office (ISO) and the Office of Institutional Property Management. Please see the Export Control website for more information.
Applicability
This applies to all University faculty, staff and students traveling on official ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ travel/business.
Responsible Party
Comptroller
UT System Regents' Rules and Regulations -
Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOP) Section 7 Chapter 6: Travel Policy
Last Updated: November 2025