NIH Notification of Foreign Travel (NFT)

Notification of Foreign Travel (NFT) is a mandatory step in the foreign travel approval process at NIH. An approved NFT is required for all official foreign travel regardless of the source of funding for the trip. The NFT is created automatically as part of the foreign travel authorization. Once the NFT has been pre-approved by the NIH IC (NFT Pre-Approval), it will be automatically routed to FIC for review and approval (NFT Final Approval). To meet established timeframes it's important that NFTs submitted to FIC are complete and accurate.

Upon receipt of an NFT, FIC prepares a cable requesting country clearance from the U.S. Embassy of the country to be visited. NIH travelers should not depart on an official business trip outside the U.S. without receiving country clearance from the relevant U.S. Embassy or Mission overseas. Clearance will be granted for most countries. However, U.S. Embassies may refuse clearance to travelers who fail to send clearance cables in a timely manner, or whose proposed travel includes countries where U.S. citizens may be in danger. Current travel warnings, public announcements and consular information sheets are posted on travel.state.gov, the U.S. Department of State's travel website.

NFTs must be submitted to FIC at least 35 days prior to travel to allow time for review and approval and for the cables requesting country clearance to be sent. In exceptional circumstances late notification may be accepted with proper justification. Travelers should initiate travel authorizations as soon as they begin to make travel plans to ensure the NFT is forwarded to FIC by IC officials in a timely manner.

• Completing the Notification of Foreign Travel (NFT) screen in the NIH CGE Travel System

Country-Specific Guidance

• Clearance for travel to South Africa requires traveler to submit acknowledgement of a security briefing to Post and to book lodging in an Embassy-approved hotel:
  • Cape Town [PDF 382K]
    
  • Durban [PDF 449K]
  • Johannesburg [PDF 381K]
  • Pretoria [PDF 381K]
• Nigeria has been designated as a high-threat post. Contact your FIC International Travel Program Specialist for specific clearance requirements.
  
• Travel to Russia requires pre-clearance through the Department of State. Contact your FIC International Travel Program Specialist for guidance.
• Contact your FIC International Travel Program Specialist for list of U.S. Embassy approved lodging accommodation for:
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Kenya
• Lebanon
• Mozambique
• Nigeria
• South Africa
  
• Switzerland (Geneva only)
• Turkey (Istanbul only)

Multilateral Travel

Any NIH traveler invited to participate in an international meeting hosted by a multilateral organization (e.g., World Health Organization (WHO), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Bank), should provide their travel planner with a copy of the invitation letter as a PDF file. The invitation letter will be uploaded into the travel document by the travel planner.

Trip Reports

Within five days of returning from a trip all HHS travelers are required to prepare a brief written report of the significant aspects and results of the trip, including a summary of the extent to which the purpose(s) of the trip was achieved. Upload trip reports in the electronic travel system as part of the voucher process.

Travel Specialist Contact Information

• Contact your Fogarty Specialist for assistance.

Updated January 6, 2023