Travel Guideline FAQs

As a certifier – whether you are the traveler self-certifying or a non-travel certifier like a department chair – your role is to evaluate the balance between the risks of traveling to a destination and the benefits of that trip to the traveler, to Princeton, or to both. Global Safety & Security (GS&S), through its risk categories, has already defined the level of risk at destinations worldwide; you are therefore not being asked to determine risk. Rather, you are certifying that in your opinion, based on information provided to you, including the purpose and importance of the trip, level of risk assigned by GS&S to the destination, and the steps that will be taken to mitigate the risks, the trip should proceed. If you would like to discuss any aspect of your certification, our team is always available to assist you. 

When you certify, you are doing so in your capacity as a staff or faculty member at the University, in accordance with University policy. You are not being asked to certify in your personal capacity. Specific questions regarding liability should be directed to University Counsel Kevin Licciardi.

The following general comments about the certification process under the new guidelines may be helpful:

• The process standardizes what chairs and others have been doing under our pandemic guidelines for almost two years in reviewing and signing off on graduate student and faculty travel. In that sense, it is a continuation of a process that has already been in use.
• The underlying purpose of the process is to ensure, and provide some structure to, a thoughtful conversation around the risks and benefits of a given trip. To that end, certifiers do not decide on risk, but rather determine whether the purpose and importance of a trip outweighs the level of risk already assessed by Global Safety & Security.
• The process is analogous to other University processes and procedures – such as those for hiring, grading, procurement, etc. – in which faculty or staff make decisions or commitments in keeping with established University requirements and industry standards.

The GS&S team is always at your disposal to discuss individual cases, so that you feel comfortable leading thoughtful risk-benefit conversations through the certification process.

The certification process is, at its core, a means of facilitating a dialogue about the balance between the risks and the benefits of traveling to a given destination. As such, in the red-level certification process, we ask travelers to research and reflect on the risks they are likely to face in their destination. We then ask them to consider what experience, skills, and actions they will use either to lessen their exposure to those risks or to lessen how much impact one of those risks will have on them, if they do encounter it. Because every person and the risks at every destination are unique, there is no checklist of mitigations that apply in every instance. The best mitigations are those measures that a traveler arrives at on their own, after researching, understanding, and thoughtfully reflecting on the risks in a given destination and their own abilities and knowledge.

Your role as a certifier is to offer a dispassionate, common-sense perspective on what the traveler proposes as their approach to mitigations. In other words, you are not looking at the traveler’s mitigations as a security expert, but as someone who knows the traveler and their purpose of travel, and so has a sense for how realistic and reasonable the mitigations they offer may be.

One way to think about this is to ask yourself a simple question: all things being equal, would you take the trip in question if you were relying on the traveler’s proposed mitigations and the University’s normal support for travelers? If you find there are risks you would want to do more to mitigate, that is a prompt to discuss those concerns with the traveler and perhaps recommend they contact Global Safety & Security (GS&S) for advice on more effective mitigation. If you feel comfortable with what the traveler proposes, then there is no need to broaden the discussion on mitigations.

The GS&S team is also always available to consult with you in individual cases where you would like an expert opinion.

Given the great variety of programs that sponsor travel, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. The purpose of the certification and exception processes is to ensure a thoughtful conversation around the balance between the risks and benefits of a given trip. So, in the end, the technicalities of which form to use are less important than the quality of that conversation; each program sponsor knows their program best, and can decide when a group or individual form is most appropriate.

In general, if you will be sending a group of students on the same itinerary or to participate in the same academic or other program, a group certification or exception is easiest and best. This is also true where you may only be sending one student to a destination, but your program makes all or almost all of the arrangements related to where they will live, how they will travel, and in what specific activities they will engage.

Where you simply provide funding to a student as part of a program, but the student is then responsible for arranging the specifics of what they will do with the funding, having each student complete an individual certification or exception is generally best – even if several students end up choosing to travel to the same destination separately.

In cases where you are still unsure about which process is most appropriate, you can always contact Global Safety & Security to discuss the best approach.

Where a group/program certification or exception is required, you play the vital part of providing information on the importance of the program and the risk mitigations it will employ, so that the certifier or exception granter can consider the balance between the risks and benefits of the group travel or program. Global Safety & Security (GS&S), through its risk categories, defines the level of risk at destinations worldwide; you are therefore not being asked to determine risk. Rather, you are providing context around the benefits of the trip or program, as well as details on your plans to keep students healthy and safe.

Submission of the relevant forms for groups is done under the same processes as those for individual forms. See the undergraduate and graduate student tabs for more details. In parallel with submitting the form, you can also begin the group registration process in the Enroll My Trip (EMT) tool, where a group is involved. If you are submitting a group in EMT for the first time, please contact GS&S to ensure you are enabled in the tool to create group records.

Once a certification has been made or an exception granted, you should share the final, signed form with all group/program participants, so that they can review the information presented there, have answered their questions about risks, benefits, and planned mitigations, and make an informed final decision to participate. To help ensure this step takes place, each group participant will be asked to upload a copy of the group certification or exception as part of the individual portion of the group registration in EMT.

This is a simple, two-step process:

1. Determine the Princeton risk category for your destination. You can find the latest Princeton risk categories for destinations worldwide online.
2. Knowing the risk category for your destination, check the certification/exception tables in the current permissible travel guidelines. These are found at the end of Section 1 of the guidelines, and the undergraduate table lists the required certification level or exception, by destination risk category and type of travel (individual short-term trips, group travel, and long-term programs).

In most cases, no. The program or office organizing the travel will likely complete on your behalf any group certification or exception request that is required. Where applicable, they will share this with you for you to review and so that you can upload it when you register your travel.

There may be some instances where you are participating in a University program but your travel is not part of a group and the University is not making any significant arrangements for your travel, such as certain domestic and international internship programs. In these cases, the program or office involved may ask you to complete any necessary certification or exception process as an individual.

If you are unsure whether your program will complete any necessary certifications or exception requests for you, check with the program manager or contact Global Safety & Security.

If your exception request is for individual research or other academic activity, your form needs to be endorsed by either the faculty adviser supporting your funding application or by your departmental director of undergraduate studies (if you have declared your concentration). If there was no faculty adviser involved in your funding award and you have not yet declared a concentration, contact the Office of International Programs, which will coordinate with Global Safety & Security for guidance on who should endorse your request.

If your exception request is for travel as part of a University-sponsored program, your form needs to be endorsed by the director of the program.

If you require a red-level certification, once you have completed all of the appropriate sections of the form, submit it to travelcert@princeton.edu for further action. This address handles all red-level certifications for undergraduate students, regardless of whether the certifier is OIP or a Campus Life unit head.

If you require an exception, complete the Statement of Exigency and Request for Exception (SERE) form, obtain the required endorsement, and then follow the form’s instructions for submitting it directly to Global Safety & Security (GS&S) for a residual risk review. Once GS&S has completed its review, our office will forward the form on for final action by the appropriate reviewer and will copy you when it is sent.

Once you have a certification or exception form approved and signed by the appropriate person or office, you will need to upload the form in the Enroll My Trip (EMT) tool as part of your travel registration process.

Within EMT, navigate to your travel registration for the trip in question, and you will see a tab labeled Essential Content. In that tab you will then see a file upload field, labeled either Certification Upload or Exception Upload, depending on your destination and its requirements. Use the upload field to attach a PDF copy of your approved, signed form.

Please note: Once you have uploaded your form, please make sure that you have completed all other required fields for your travel registration. The tool will not recognize the registration as “complete” until all required fields and tasks are completed.

If your travel is covered under a group or program certification or exception, you will receive a copy of the relevant completed form from your program administrator. Be sure to review the form, as this is your opportunity to learn about the risks and mitigations for your travel and to ask any questions you might have. You will need to upload a copy of the form you are provided as part of your portion of the group travel registration process in EMT.

Yes, you can enter tentative itinerary and lodging information in your registration in EMT, although to ensure the tool provides you with the appropriate workflow, you should at least enter accurate destinations and estimated timeframes.

Once you have booked your final itinerary, you can return to your registration and provide the more detailed information. Please do not forget this important step!  An accurate and complete registration is an important part of the University’s ability to support you while you are traveling. If there is a safety or security emergency that occurs where are you, the information you provide will determine how quickly GS&S can notify you of the situation and provide you with assistance.

This is a simple, two-step process:

1. Determine the Princeton risk category for your destination. You can find the latest Princeton risk categories for destinations worldwide online.
2. Knowing the risk category for your destination, check the certification/exception tables in the current permissible travel guidelines. These are found at the end of Section 1 of the guidelines, and the graduate student table lists the required certification level or exception, by destination risk category and type of travel (individual trips, group travel, and in absentia relocation).

The requirements in the individual travel row of the graduate student certification/exception table in the current permissible travel guidelines apply.

Only temporary relocation to a new home location while approved for in absentia status qualifies for the less stringent requirements listed in the last row of the graduate student certification/exception table in the current permissible travel guidelines. If you plan to University-sanctioned trips from that new home location, the requirements in the individual travel row of the graduate student certification/exception table apply.

SERE forms for graduate students require two endorsements:

• Your faculty adviser; AND
• Either your director of graduate studies or your department chair/program director/dean.

If you require a certification, once you have completed all of the appropriate sections of the relevant form, contact your department, program, or school’s administration staff for information on how to submit the form for review and signature.

If you require an exception, complete the Statement of Exigency and Request for Exception (SERE) form, obtain the required endorsement, and then follow the form’s instructions for submitting it directly to Global Safety & Security (GS&S) for a residual risk review. Once GS&S has completed its review, our office will forward the form on for final action by the appropriate reviewer and will copy you when it is sent.

Once you have a certification or exception form approved and signed by the appropriate person or office, you will need to upload the form in the Enroll My Trip (EMT) tool as part of your travel registration process.

Within EMT, navigate to your travel registration for the trip in question, and you will see a tab labeled Essential Content. In that tab you will then see a file upload field, labeled either Certification Upload or Exception Upload, depending on your destination and its requirements. Use the upload field to attach a PDF copy of your approved, signed form.

Please note: Once you have uploaded your form, please make sure that you have completed all other required fields for your travel registration. The tool will not recognize the registration as “complete” until all required fields and tasks are completed.

For group travel leaders/administrators, make sure you provide your participants with a copy of the fully completed certification or exception. This gives them an opportunity to learn about the risks and mitigations for their travel and to ask any questions they might have. They will also need to upload a copy as part of their portion of the group travel registration process in EMT.

Yes, you can enter tentative itinerary and lodging information in your registration in EMT, although to ensure the tool provides you with the appropriate workflow, you should at least enter accurate destinations and estimated timeframes.

Once you have booked your final itinerary, you can return to your registration and provide the more detailed information. Please do not forget this important step!  An accurate and complete registration is an important part of the University’s ability to support you while you are traveling. If there is a safety or security emergency that occurs where are you, the information you provide will determine how quickly GS&S can notify you of the situation and provide you with assistance.

This is a simple, two-step process:

1. Determine the Princeton risk category for your destination. You can find the latest Princeton risk categories for destinations worldwide online.
2. Knowing the risk category for your destination, check the certification/exception tables in the current permissible travel guidelines. These are found at the end of Section 1 of the guidelines, and the faculty/academic professional and staff tables list the required certification level or exception, by destination risk category and type of travel (short-term trips and long-term trips/relocations).

Group travel by faculty, academic professionals, and/or staff is treated as individual travel for each group member.

Once you have a certification or exception form approved and signed by the appropriate person or office, you will need to upload the form in the Enroll My Trip (EMT) tool as part of your travel registration process.

Within EMT, navigate to your travel registration for the trip in question, and you will see a tab labeled Essential Content. In that tab you will then see a file upload field, labeled either Certification Upload or Exception Upload, depending on your destination and its requirements. Use the upload field to attach a PDF copy of your approved, signed form.

Please note: Once you have uploaded your form, please make sure that you have completed all other required fields for your travel registration. The tool will not recognize the registration as “complete” until all required fields and tasks are completed.