UK Electronic Travel Authorisation
Effective immediately, travelers who do not need a visa to enter the United Kingdom will need to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before their visit.
Currently, ‘non-visa nationals,’ including EU and US citizens, can travel to the UK without a visa for stays of up to six months. However, under the new system introduced by the Home Office, visitors will need to apply for and pay for an ETA before traveling.
Key points to note:
- The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is an advance travel permission required for foreign nationals visiting or transiting the UK without a visa. The ETA costs £10 and allows multiple trips to the UK.
- Eligible non-Europeans can apply from 27 November 2024 and will require an ETA to travel from 8 January 2025.
- Eligible Europeans can apply from 5 March 2025 and will need an ETA to travel from 2 April 2025.
Here are the current countries this applies to:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
It is the responsibility of travelers to ensure they have the correct travel authorization. For more details, including a list of nationalities eligible for the ETA, please visit gov.uk.
For further information, please refer to the following links:
Bi-Weekly Concur Open Labs
Bring your laptops and your questions and come get help from the experts! These open labs will be offered on a bi-weekly basis, and will be located at our office located at 3 Discovery Drive Unit 6076 in our Bid Room. (To make the best use of time, we ask that you please come prepared with any receipts/supporting documents saved to your laptop or already uploaded in Concur). Please register here to sign up for an open lab session!
Concur Open Labs
Bring your laptops and your questions and come get help from the experts! These open labs will be offered on a bi-weekly basis. The first one will take place August 7th from 10am-12pm at our office located at 3 Discovery Drive Unit 6076 in our Bid Room. (To make the best use of time, we ask that you please come prepared with any receipts/supporting documents saved to your laptop or already uploaded in Concur). Please register here to sign up for our first open lab session!
Employee Travel Card Request to go Live in Kuali Build on 6/10
The Employee Travel Card Request Form will be migrating out of Leap and into Kuali Build. The link will be updated on Monday 6/10. The form and its features will stay the same, but it will now be submitted and approved within Kuali Build. Though the process is the same, please review the items below as the setup is a little different:
-Most sections will auto populate, but you must start at the top of the form and fill out all required fields marked with an asterisk.
-To check the status of your form once submitted, there is a toggle button in the top left corner of the form. If you switch it from Review to Status, you can see where the form is currently and review any comments from approvers. Only the cardholder can check the status of the form.
-Processing times are still the same. Once your form is fully approved and processed, your card will arrive at our office in 7-10 days and you will be notified. Please plan accordingly. Increase requests, once fully approved, are effective immediately.
New Student Travel Card Request Process
In an effort to streamline and simplify the process for obtaining a Student Travel Card, the card request form will now be submitted in Kuali Build. This will remove the two step process currently in place that requires a request to be submitted, and then an email sent with the training and request form. This change will take place on Friday December 22nd and the directions on our website will be updated accordingly. As always, our Travel and Card Service Center is here to help if you need additional assistance.
Hotel & Events Services Form Request
By Popular Demand, Procurement Services introduces the new Hotel & Event Services request form!
Did you know that you can use your Travel Card for purchases such as hotel room blocks and catering for events? To provide the University community with guidance and a method of managing requests pertaining to hotel and event services that are being paid via a Travel Card and require a document to be signed, a new form is available in HuskyBuy on the Home Shopping Page under Internal Request Forms. (more…)
Concur Visual Theme Update
The Concur Travel System will be updating the visual theme of your signed-in web experience. Starting October 2nd, 2023, you will see a refreshed look and feel while navigating the application. New features in this update include:
-Improved design consistency, aligning with the Concur Mobile App.
-Light Mode, Dark Mode, and high contrast theme options, creating a more inclusive and accessible experience.
Functionality of Concur is not expected to change with this update, but you will notice that some buttons and features are in a new location. To change your Concur visual theme setting on the web after October 2nd, 2023, follow these steps:
- After signing into Concur, go to Profile Settings.
- Under Profile Options, click System Settings.
- Under Appearance Settings, use the drop-down to select your preferred theme and click Save.
**Note: The current legacy theme (Concur Gateway) is an available option, however, this theme is scheduled to be deactivated permanently in Q1 of 2024.
Concur has also provided a demo video, walking you through the new experience. Questions about the update can be sent to techsupport@uconn.edu.
Upcoming Informational Sessions With Anthony Travel
On September 13th and 26th Crystal Timmerman from Anthony Travel will be presenting an overview of Concur Travel and booking.
The following topics will be covered in this session:
- Concur Travel
- Updating Traveler Profile
- Traveler Preferences
- Cell Phone Number
- Traveler Arranger
- Credit Card
- Booking Groups/Conference Rates
- Booking Guests
- Important Contact Information
- Unused Ticket
- Updating Traveler Profile
- Benefits of Booking within Program
- Travel Industry Updates
- Local Direct Bill Hotel
Wednesday 9/13 10:00am – 11:30am Click Here to Register Recording of 9/13 Session with Anthony Travel
Tuesday 9/26 1:30pm – 3:00pm Click Here to Register
Travel That Includes Personal Time
When combining business and personal travel please follow the guidelines below.
If you are planning to have combined personal and business travel, a price comparison must be done in Concur at the time of booking. If the price of the combined travel is less than or equal to the business travel alone, you can use your Travel Card to book in Concur or with Anthony Travel. If the travel including personal time exceeds the business portion, you must pay personally for the whole trip and submit for reimbursement for the business portion only. Anthony Travel cannot assist with personal travel arrangements. Please refer to this link for assistance: Guide to Obtaining a Price Comparison
Please bear in mind that no personal hotel lodging should be charged to the Travel Card. It is the responsibility of the cardholder to work with the hotel to ensure that only the nights related to business travel are charged on the Travel Card, and nights related to personal travel go on a personal card. When traveling with a significant other or family, you cannot book their travel within Concur or utilize Anthony Travel.
Adding Attendees to Your CBS Report
To align with the expense reports on the Travel side, we have given you the ability to add your attendees to Business Meals (Non Catered) and Catering expenses on a Company Billed Statement Report. This will eliminate the need for a Business Meal Preapproval Form. If the Attendees link does not display in that expense, please change the expense type and then change it back to the original expense type. This happens when the report was created prior to the change for adding attendees.
Rail Travel Now Available in Concur
New Guest and Student Lodging Expense Type
In efforts to incorporate your feedback and provide a solution, expense reports submitted for Guests and Students can utilize the new Lodging-Guest expense type. This expense type will remove the requirement of an itinerary for reports submitted on behalf of Guests and Students. With this update, it will now solve the issue with overlapping itineraries if there are multiple Guests or Students who were traveling on the same dates.
Know Your Limits
In an effort to avoid card declines, we ask that travelers know their Travel Card limits before booking and going on business travel. To confirm your card limit, you can access your Travel Card Request Form linked below.
Concur Data Now Available in KFDM
Users will have access to a new data source in Kuali Financial Data Mart (KFDM) containing information from the Concur Travel and Expense Management System as well as two standard reports. This will provide greater visibility and detail into an area’s travel, PCard and non-travel expenditures. Please visit Concur KFDM for more information.
Launch of the Concur New User Interface
We are excited to announce that Concur Expense will be launching an updated User Interface (UI) soon that will make processing Requests and Expense Reports (including CBS (ProCard), Travel, and Non-travel Expense Reports) quicker and easier. This new UI will Go Live to the entire UConn community on August 24th.
The new UI will include a cleaner and streamlined change of layout, which will offer a more intuitive and easier to navigate page. We encourage everyone to visit the user welcome page in Concur for more details about these exciting upcoming improvements.
As well, please visit the “New” Job Aids under Training and Resources (labeled NEW UX) available at travel.uconn.edu including the latest instructional job aid titled Old vs. New UX.
As always, our Travel and Card Service Center is here to help if you need additional assistance.
Thank you and Safe Travels!
IRS increases mileage rate for remainder of 2022
For the final 6 months of 2022, the standard mileage rate for business travel will be 62.5 cents per mile, up 4 cents from the rate effective at the start of the year. For more information please visit the IRS website.
Business Meals Policy Statement on Payment or Reimbursement
Expensing Cancelled Travel
In efforts to simplify and streamline the expense report process we have recently updated the guidelines for cancelled tickets originally purchased through Concur or Anthony travel.
As soon as you know that your trip needs be cancelled, reach out to Anthony travel to request the cancellation and request a refund. (more…)
*New* Student Travel Card Program
In an effort to incorporate your feedback and provide an enhanced solution for Student Travel we are excited to announce the new Student Travel Card program and process that will replace the current Student Declining balance card program effective today January 18th, 2022. Graduate Assistants, Graduate Interns and Post-Docs will continue to use the employee process and the employee Travel cards. (more…)
Increased Travel Cancellations Due to Covid 19
We have recently seen an uptick in the number of people cancelling travel plans because conferences and meetings originally scheduled to be in-person events are being converted to online formats due to the increased concerns and risks related to the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Travelers should consider these risks prior to making travel arrangements to prevent booking a non-refundable flight or hotel room that you may need to cancel.
We strongly recommend reaching out to the conference or meeting organizers prior to booking travel arrangements to inquire about the possibility of the conference being changed to a virtual event.
Finding out how many people are registered to attend the conference in person may also provide an indication of the likelihood that the conference may be converted to an online format if in-person attendance is expected to be low due to Covid-19 concerns.
If you decide to proceed with booking your trip, we strongly recommend that all University travel is booked through Concur or our travel management company, Anthony Travel, using the University-sponsored Travel card.
Booking travel through Concur or with Anthony Travel provides UConn with the greatest opportunity to exchange a non-refundable flight or hotel room and reduce or eliminate any financial loss to the University due to unexpected cancellation.
Cancelled travel arrangements booked outside of Concur/Anthony Travel may not be submitted for reimbursement since if the trip did not occur there is no basis for the University to reimburse funds. If the traveler used their University Travel Card to purchase tickets outside of Anthony Travel, they could be personally liable and will be required to reimburse the University for cancelled non-reimbursed travel.
For additional details on traveling during this time refer to our Work Related travel FAQs.
Actuals vs Per Diem
We have seen an increase in the number of travelers attempting to claim Per Diem reimbursement in combination with Individual Actual Meals on the same expense report. Travelers must choose to use either the Per Diem or Actuals method for meal expenses on a single trip.
What are the Actuals and Per Diem methods?
- Actuals – The maximum reimbursement for actual meal costs, including tax and tips.
- Each meal expense is added to a Concur expense report under the expense type of Individual actual Meals.
- Receipts are required for expenses over $25.00 out of pocket or over $50.00 if purchased using the UConn travel card.
- The allowable amount is calculated on a daily basis and is not aggregated over the entire period of the trip.
- Per Diem – Daily allowances paid to employees to cover meal costs incurred while on a UConn business trip. The Daily allowance or Meal Per diem is added to the Concur expense report via creation of a Travel Allowance Itinerary. Travelers using this method would NOT be eligible to use their travel card for individual meal purchases on the same trip.
Update to US COVID-19 Testing Entry Requirements
Your safety and knowledge of current travel protocols are of utmost importance to us during this time of uncertainty and changing requirements due the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Omicron variant of COVID-19, which has now been identified in the U.S., has prompted the federal government to revise entry requirements for international travelers and also extended the federal masking mandate.
All International travelers (regardless of citizenship and vaccination status) with a flight departing to the US from a foreign country on or after December 6, 2021, will be required to present (prior to boarding of the flight) negative results from a COVID-19 test taken no more than 1 day before travel.
The federal mask mandate has also been extended through March 18 for air, rail and public transportation.
Additional details are available on the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html.
For questions related to COVID-19 testing, vaccination, quarantine or return from travel guidance/requirements please reach out to UConn Human Resources Department at hr@uconn.edu .
Concur Open Lab Sessions Now Available
In an effort to provide continued support to our faculty and staff we have added 30 minute open lab sessions via Microsoft Teams, geared towards providing one on one hands on support with Concur.
Whether you have just started using Concur or have been in the system since implementation, if you need assistance with Request, Online Travel Bookings or Expense, please sign up for of our Open Labs.
Click the link below to register for one of our open lab sessions available every other Wednesday from 9am -12pm (additional sessions will be added as we get closer to the dates of the sessions). If you believe you will need more than 30 minutes please sign up for two consecutive sessions. After signing up your will receive an email invitation for the Teams meeting.
Mississippi Travel Ban Update
Former Governor Malloy issued Executive Order No. 45, which remains in effect and bans travel to Mississippi using state funds except in limited circumstances (See Executive Order No. 45 for exceptions to the travel ban to Mississippi). Pre-approval is still required to travel to Mississippi. Travel without pre-approval may result in the traveler being denied reimbursement. (more…)
Traveling? Here’s What You Need to Know
Are you traveling and feel unsure about where to start or what to do? Take a look at our quick reference guide that covers general information that is useful to know before, during and after travel.
Additional Training Sessions – Concur Navigation and Profile Setup
Concur Navigation and Profile setup (1 Hr)
This instructor led session is recommended for UConn Faculty, Staff and Students to provide an overview of the Concur website and required/recommended Profile setup information for users.
Click one or more of the links below to register for the upcoming training sessions:
Concur Navigation and Profile Setup – Tuesday, January 25, 2022 1:30 pm
Concur Navigation and Profile Setup – Monday, April 4, 2022 1:30 pm
Bradley Parking Pass Temporarily Suspended
The Bradley Parking Pass program has been temporarily suspended by the State of Connecticut due to Covid19 related parking lot closures. While this suspension is in place you may use pay for parking at the lowest cost parking lot available and seek reimbursement upon return from the trip along with your other travel expenses.
Travel Update: Increased Travel Cancellations Due to Covid19
We have recently seen an uptick in the number of people cancelling travel plans because conferences and meetings originally scheduled to be in-person events are being converted to online formats due to the increased concerns and risks related to the delta variant of Covid-19.
Travelers should consider these risks prior to making travel arrangements to prevent booking a non-refundable flight or hotel room that you may need to cancel.
We strongly recommend reaching out to the conference or meeting organizers prior to booking travel arrangements to inquire about the possibility of the conference being changed to a virtual event. (more…)
Travel to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is now categorized as domestic travel in Concur in accordance with US customs and immigration practices. Going forward select trip type ‘Out-of-State’ in Concur for travel to Puerto Rico.
Relaunch of Travel
Welcome back to Travel!
The University of Connecticut recently lifted the restriction in place for Domestic Travel.
In anticipation of the increase in travel activity, we have put together a Powerpoint Presentation with some useful information and helpful tips as you navigate the process and get back into the loop of all things travel.
Enterprise/National Car Rental Shortage
We encourage travelers to reserve car rental bookings as early as possible due to the car rental inventory shortage which is currently affecting Travel industry.
As a result of Covid19 risk mitigating measures, travelers across the United States have recently been choosing the option of booking a car rental in lieu of flying. Additionally, a shortage of new vehicles due to semiconductor computer chips being unavailable to auto manufacturers have also played a factor in the car inventory issues that are being seen today. (more…)
New Workflow in the Reconciliation of CBS (Procard) Reports
After receiving feedback from various University stakeholders about increasing efficiencies, expediting administrative processes within Concur, and keeping in mind the mission of providing the best customer care services to the University community, we write to inform you of exciting changes coming to Company Bill Statement (CBS) Reports for ProCard reconciliation (which includes grant funded expenses) submitted through Concur, the University’s Travel & Expense management system. (more…)
Concur Refresher Training
We are excited to announce refresher trainings sessions are now available monthly for Concur Request, Travel booking, Expense and Approvals.
The University is still under a travel suspension at this time, however, we are offering these sessions in preparation for when the travel suspension is lifted in the future. (more…)
Face Masks Required for Travel
On Sunday, January 31st, the Transportation Security Administration issued this press release:
The press release and other useful information is available at https://www.tsa.gov/coronavirus.
Travelers are reminded to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel guidance as well as local and state advisories regarding COVID-19. Starting February 2, 2021, all airline travelers must wear a face mask throughout the travel experience. You will be asked to adjust your mask for ID verification or if it alarms the security screening equipment. (more…)
Concur Training Sessions Available for CBS (Pro-Card) and Expense-Additional CBS Approver Sessions Now Available
In an effort to provide ongoing support to our Faculty, Staff and Students we have scheduled monthly Concur training sessions. We encourage you to take the opportunity to get a refresher or learn more about the system.
Based on your feedback we have additional sessions now available for CBS Approver training.
Click the links below to register for one or more training sessions based on your preference.
We have three types of trainings scheduled each month (each session is 1 hour long):
Company Billed Statements (CBS) APPROVER Information Session and Demo – This session is recommended for Fiscal Officers, PI’s and other Special approvers of Company Billed Statement (Pro-Card) Reports and will go over how to approve Company Billed Statement Reports in Concur.
CBS Approver – Thursday, February 18th at 1:00 pm
CBS Approver – Wednesday, March 24th at 10:00 am
CBS Approver – Tuesday, April 6th at 1:00 pm
CBS Approver – Monday, May 10th at 10:00 am
CBS Approver – Wednesday, June 9th at 10:00 am
Company Billed Statements (CBS) Information Session and Demo – This session is recommended for UConn Pro-Card holders and their Preparer delegates and will go over the Pro-Card reconciliation process in Concur.
CBS – Tuesday, January 19th at 11:00 am
CBS – Monday, February 8th at 1:00 pm
CBS – Thursday, March 18th at 11:00 am
CBS – Wednesday, April 14th at 1:00 pm
CBS – Tuesday, May 4th at 11:00 am
CBS – Monday, June 4th at 1:00 pm
Personal Car Mileage and Non-Travel Expense reports – This session is recommended for UConn Faculty, Staff and students seeking reimbursement for UConn Business related expenses such as Personal Car mileage, Non-Travel expenses (such as virtual Conference registration fees) and out of pocket reimbursements in Concur.
Expense – Thursday, January 21st at 1:00 pm
Expense – Wednesday, February 10th at 11:00 am
Expense – Tuesday, March 16th at 1:00 pm
Expense – Monday, April 12th at 1:00 pm
Expense – Thursday, May 6th at 1:00 pm
Expense – Wednesday, June 16th at 11:00 am
As always, training documentation, videos, recordings of previous live training sessions, FAQs and other resources are available at https://travel.uconn.edu/training-and-resources/. If you have any questions, concerns or feedback please contact the UConn Travel Team at travel@uconn.edu
Updates to the SAP Concur Mobile App
As a part of our organization’s effort to continue to improve user experience and security, and in alignment with SAP Concur solutions, there are some recent changes to the sign-in experience for the SAP Concur mobile app. You might use the app to submit expenses, capture receipts, book travel, and perform other tasks at home or on the go.
The next time you update the SAP Concur mobile app you will see:
- An improved sign-in experience, guiding you through your options in two steps
- No more option to sign in using your mobile PIN, if you have set one up
- Biometric sign-in options (like fingerprint or face recognition) for Android devices as well as iOS devices, where supported.
IMPORTANT: Changes to the Reconciliation Process for Pro-Card Transactions
As of Monday, October 26, 2020, Pro-card transactions will be reconciled in Concur as Company Billed Statement Reports.
Starting with the November 2020 statement (October 24th through November 23rd), Pro-Card transactions will be fed directly into Concur, building a Company Billed Statement report instead of creating a procurement card document (PCDO) in KFS.
The new workflow in Concur will be as follows:
- Pro-Card transactions will feed into Concur on a daily basis, on a Company Billed Statement Report.
- Pro-Card holder, or Preparer delegate, will be responsible for reconciling these transactions on the Company Billed Statement Report in Concur (i.e., assigning KFS account number, attaching receipts, etc.). This reconciliation can occur at any time during the statement period, but must be completed by the 15th of the month following the statement period.
New Travel Management Company
University of Connecticut has engaged Anthony Travel as our new full-service travel management provider beginning Thursday, October 1. Anthony Travel is a national leader in university & athletic travel management. They currently serve over 80 institutions of higher education. We are eager to extend their core values and exceptional customer service standards to UConn faculty and staff members. (more…)
FAQs On Domestic Travel For Employees
On Behalf of UConn Human Resources
To provide further guidance and clarification on domestic travel requirements for employees, in response to the Governor’s Executive Order, Human Resources has developed several Frequently Asked Questions.pdf.
FAQ for AAUP/OVPR Faculty Travel Funding Program Travel and Payment
Q: Is the AAUP/OVPR Faculty Travel Funding Program open during the travel ban?
A: Yes. Requests for virtual or in-state activities may be submitted now. Requests for out-of-state conferences and professional development programs should wait until after travel restrictions have been lifted.
See entire AAUP/OVPR Faculty Travel Funding Program Travel and Payment FAQ
Concur Go-Live
We are excited to announce the official University go-live of the Concur Travel and Expense system.
As of April 22, 2020, all employees (including graduate assistants, graduate interns, and post-docs) should utilize Concur and Key Travel to book, request, and expense travel. There is a detailed overview of this transition (cutover plan), including how you should handle travel that began before 4/22, the requirements for pre-approval for travel booked prior to 4/22, and how to utilize your Unused Ticket Credits with Sanditz.
If you have not yet applied for a University Travel Card, it is recommended that you do so as it will contribute to a more seamless travel experience. To obtain a Travel Card you must complete the required training and then submit an application for approval. Once the application is approved, it will take 7 – 10 business days for you to receive the card. Because faculty and staff are working remotely due to COVID-19, Travel Cards will be mailed to the home address you provide on your application. (more…)
Urgent Update for International Travelers
As you may be aware, there is an ongoing outbreak of a respiratory illness commonly named the coronavirus – COVID-19. This development is rapidly evolving. As such, travelers are urged to closely monitor Travel.state.gov and CDC.gov for important information.
Travelers are reminded to complete the travel waiver for travel to countries/regions which have been listed as level 3 or 4 by the U. S. Department of State.
UPDATE: Concur Pilot for Feb. 18, 2020
UPDATE: Concur Pilot for Jan. 22, 2020 Departments
Concur Travel & Expense Project – Townhalls
Concur Pilot Launch