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High Risk Travel

When preparing for or registering your travel, you may receive notification your international trip is considered “high-risk”. If so, it will require a review by the appropriate Travel Review Committee (TRC) and approval from the University.

What is “high-risk” travel?

International University-related travel to a location meeting designated risk rating parameters and/or participation in high-risk activities.

Risk Rating Parameters

Any destination classified with one or more of the following risk indicators:

  • U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” (undergraduate students only) or “Level 4: Do Not Travel” (Note: If any area on your itinerary has a designated  higher advisory level than the country's overall rating, the University will apply the higher restriction level to your entire trip; common in a number of global locations)
  • Current U.S. Government “Authorized Departure” or “Ordered Departure” status
  • Active U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Travel Health Notice “Level 3 – Reconsider Nonessential Travel” or “Level 4 – Avoid All Travel”
  • Designated by Crisis24 as a restricted location for Political Emergency and Natural Disaster Evacuation (PEND) services requiring pre-travel approval (Note: This list changes regularly; please contact GS&S for latest update if required)
High-Risk Activities

International University-related travel involving:

  • Undertakings listed as exclusions from University medical insurance coverage (SCUBA diving, sky diving, hang gliding, bungee jumping or participating in any professional sport, contest, competition, practice, or conditioning program)
  • Use of power tools, engaging in construction type activities, using farm implements, or operating heavy machinery
  • Handling of bio-hazardous materials (e.g. blood products, bodily fluids, etc.)
  • Working in a lab without a lab safety course available
  • Performing medical procedures of any kind
Additional Considerations

In some cases, the University may also consider whether the destination is considered a high risk information security country (namely China, including Hong Kong, and Russia) or a U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned country. If applicable, you will be contacted by appropriate University department to discuss.

Who must have high-risk travel reviewed and approved?

All students, faculty, and staff on international university-related travel that meet’s the above outlined distinction.

If your travel is high-risk…

Submit your travel registration eight weeks prior to departure to initiate the review process. Global Safety & Security (GS&S) can facilitate requests for expedited review on a case-by-case basis, but cannot guarantee approval timelines. High-risk international university-related travel cannot commence without University approval. Travelers and/or programs or departments should not purchase airline tickets prior to receiving trip approval from the University.

Review Process:

1. Submit a Travel Registration – the travel registry system (as of April 2026) now flags high-risk travel and will generate a workflow that requires you to provide a required Travel Risk Management Plan in the system.

2. GS&S will be notified by the travel registry system of your trip and facilitate the trip’s review by the appropriate TRC.

3. The appropriate TRC reviews the requested trip, votes to support or not, and provides a recommendation and any suggested risk mitigation actions to the decision authority for a final determination (Director for Global Safety & Security for undergraduate students, and Vice President and Associate Provost for Internationalization for graduate and professional students, faculty, and staff).

4. If additional or clarifying information is needed for the trip’s review, GS&S will reach out directly to the traveler, designated trip leader, or department / program point of contact.

5. Director for Global Safety & Security informs the traveler, their supervisor or program point of contact, and the Dean or Vice President (VP) of the decision on the trip, any additional traveler risk mitigation requirements, obtains traveler acknowledgment of decision, and confirms Dean or VP acceptance of required financial responsibility.

Decision Outcomes Are:

a. High-Risk Travel Approved – Trip may proceed in accordance with traveler provided and University required health, safety or security mitigation actions as laid out in the traveler’s Travel Risk management Plan, and University approval notification.

b. High-Risk Travel Not Supported – Trip request is denied, and traveler cannot execute proposed itinerary until specific conditions provided by the University in the notification of decision are met and a new high-risk review is completed.

Note: To ensure your trip is approved, please answer all travel registry questions thoroughly. Incomplete or vague answers reduce your chances of approval. All decisions are final and cannot be appealed unless GS&S is provided compelling new information, conditional requirements laid out in the original decision notification are met, or there is an extraordinary change in circumstances.

About the Travel Review Committees

There are two University Travel Review Committees (TRC) who act as the advisory arm to the Vice President and Associate Provost for Internationalization and Vice President for University Operations, Events, and Safety; one for undergraduate students (Undergraduate TRC) and the other for graduate and professional students, faculty and staff (TRC).

These Committees are charged with evaluating the health, safety and security of proposed and existing international University-related travel, programs, or operations in order to assess whether the risk can be sufficiently mitigated. They meet bi-monthly, to discuss international travel requests, review key international, health, safety and security events that are or could impact University operations, and adjust guidance and protocols related to international University-related travel and operations as needed.

Both Committees bring together elements from across campus including representation from Office of General Counsel (OGC), Notre Dame Global (NDG), Notre Dame Research (NDR), Human Resources (HR), Campus Safety, Office of Treasury Services - Insurance and Financial Risk, Student Affairs (SA), University Health Services (UHS), and key partners like the Institute of Social Concerns (ISC) and Keough School of Global Affairs.

In evaluating international travel, programs, and operations , the committees consider various factors, including, but not limited to, the necessity and appropriateness of the proposed or ongoing travel to the particular destination and at that time period, the traveler’s personal preparedness and proposed measures for mitigating risks, information from and capabilities of U.S. and local government agencies, the advice and capabilities of the University’s travel risk management partner Crisis24, the University’s international insurance carriers, and subject matter experts. Note: TRCs meet bi-monthly).

Questions?

Contact globalsafety@nd.edu