Traveling to High-Risk Countries
Faculty, staff, and students wishing to travel to countries rated Department of State (DOS) levels 3 or 4 or CDC non-COVID level 3 are required to petition permission for travel from the UM International Travel Review Committee (ITRC) by submitting a risk management plan (RMP) with final approval by the Provost.
What is considered high-risk travel?
High-risk travel is defined as travel to a country designated “Level 4: Do Not Travel” or “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” by the U.S. Department of State and/or travel to “Warning Level 3, Avoid Nonessential Travel” by the Centers of Disease Control.
Click on the links below to find the risk rating for your destination country or region:
| Source | High-Risk Category | Undergraduate Students | Graduate Students, Faculty, Staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of State | Level 3 or 4 | Risk management plan approval required | Risk management plan approval required |
| Centers for Disease Control | Non-Covid level 3 | Risk management plan approval required | Risk management plan approval required |
Please note: In Department of State risk ratings, a country may have several risk ratings. If you need assistance determining the risk rating of your destination, please contact GoAbroad@mso.umt.edu or call (406)243-2278.
What is high-risk travel petition approval?
High-Risk Travel Petition approval means that your risk management plan has to be approved by the International Travel Review Committee with final approval by the Provost.
If your travel has to be approved, please plan to start this process early.
- Academic necessity and appropriateness of the travel
- Personal preparedness
- Adequacy of the measures taken to mitigate specific health and safety risks
The University shall not authorize international travel to any country for which the State Department has issued a mandatory evacuation order.
The University reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to withdraw approval for or to suspend international travel at any time. If the State Department issues a Travel Advisory Level 3 or 4 or CDC Health Notice Level 3 for a given country or region, the University may require international travelers to depart that country or region.
If travel is canceled, cancellation is the responsibility of the traveler or their designees. To cancel scheduled travel, please work with the various vendors in the same manner that the travel was booked/ purchased. It is recommended that travelers document the results of their cancellation efforts. The University cannot ensure full cost and academic credit recovery to students in the event of a government- or university-mandated evacuation.
The committee consists of representatives from Global Engagement and Environmental Health and Risk Management in consultation with the Office of Legal Counsel. In certain circumstances, the committee may contact external parties including, but not limited to, the Curry Health Center and regional experts.