NIH Notification of Foreign Travel (NFT) Screen Guidelines

"Traveler's Information" Section

Complete the following fields:

Job Title

Employee Status: Choose from:

• GS (General Schedule)
  
• Other (such as Title 42 employee, IRTA, CRTA, Visiting Fellow, Special Volunteer, Guest Researcher)
• PHS-CO (Public Health Service Commission Officer)
• Schedule C (Political Appointee)
• SES (Senior Executive Service)

Passport Type: Choose from:

• Official
• Diplomatic
• Personal

Passport # and Expiration Date

• If applying for an official passport (new or renewal), note APPLIED FOR or APPLYING FOR, as appropriate, in passport # field and leave expiration date blank.

Passport Issuing Country

Country of Birth

Tips

• For information on applying for an official passport, see Passports and Visas for NIH Employees (or see the NIH CGE Travel System portal page for a link).
• Check the Official Passport and Visa Chart (or see the NIH CGE Travel System portal page for a link) to determine if a visa is required. Requirements for U.S. official passports differ from those for U.S. personal passports.

"Organization and Trip Information" Section

Country Clearance Prepared? Answer "yes" to this question. FIC will prepare and submit the country clearance cable on behalf of NIH.

Multilateral Travel Activity?: If travel is associated with an activity/event sponsored 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), select "yes." Then using the drop-down menu, select the appropriate multilateral organization from list. Attach a copy of the letter of invitation from the multilateral organization to the travel authorization in the receipts section.

Late Reason: Must be completed if submitting NFT less than 30 days before the traveler’s departure from the U.S.; otherwise, leave blank.

"Destination Information" Section

Many of these fields are automatically populated with the trip itinerary information entered earlier in the authorization. For travel with multiple TDY locations, including layovers, a separate "Location" section will appear for each location in the authorization and require you to complete each section.

Hotel Name/Address/Phone – Complete each field with hotel/lodging information.

In-Country Point of Contact Name/Address/Phone – Complete each field with in-country contact information (host). Contact could be the in-country meeting sponsor or conference secretariat.

TDY Purpose: Select from the drop-down menu options.

Area of Activity: Select from the drop-down menu options.

Purpose of Travel: In the text box for each destination, describe purpose of travel, including research topic. For meeting travel, give name and sponsor of meeting. If the traveler is speaking, provide the title of the speech or presentation. For site visits or collaborative research, describe projects and provide names of principal contacts. Do not use abbreviations. If annual leave is included in the travel to the destination, enter that information in the explanation. If a waiver to annual leave restrictions is granted by the NIH Senior Travel Official, this must be noted under the explanation section with date of approval.

Add security course name(s) and completion date(s) and upload a copy of the course completion certificate(s) into the receipts. If eFACT training is required, add the following statement: "Traveler has not and will not have spent more than 90 cumulative days in any one or combination of foreign countries within a 12-month period."

Tip

• More information on NIH DOS Trainings for Foreign Travel.
• Upload a copy of the flight itinerary in the receipts section.
• Include traveler's international cell phone number and personal email address that they will have access to while abroad. U.S. Embassies are requesting various methods of contact, on country clearance requests, in the event of an emergency.

"Funding Information" Section

Complete:

• Funding Source
• Funding Details
• Funded Amount

"Cost Information" Section

Is business or premium class used for any leg of this trip? If yes, provide justification in the explanation text block.

Submitting

The NFT will be submitted to FIC once the appropriate official in the IC stamps the document NFT Pre-Approved. The NFT must be submitted to FIC 30 days prior to the trip start date. Be sure to leave enough time for the document to be conditionally approved and NFT pre-approved by your IC to meet the 30-day deadline.

Making Changes to an NFT

If an authorization returned by FIC for changes to the NFT, the travel planner will receive an e-mail. The planner will need to open the document in edit mode, update the NFT and reroute it through the IC. See Remarks field on the Document History page for comments as to why the NFT was returned.

If changes are made to the authorization that affect information on the NFT - travel dates, destinations, or contact information - after FIC has stamped the authorization "NFT Final Approval," update the NFT, use the Additional Remarks box on the Digital Signature page to communicate these changes to FIC and reroute the document. This is important so the U.S. Embassy in the foreign location may be notified by FIC of these changes.

Canceling an NFT after NFT Final Approval

To cancel an NFT that has been final approved by FIC, notify your FIC International Travel Program Specialist.

Page updated: January 12, 2026