Pre-Departure Checklist
If you are planning
an international
trip you must
complete the
following steps in
preparation for your
trip. Please read
the following
requirements
carefully.
Step 1 –
Contact Agency Travel
Coordinator or Arranger
USDA Travelers must
coordinate their official
government foreign travel
through their
Agency Travel Coordinators. Travelers
from the Foreign
Agricultural Service (FAS)
should work with their
assigned travel arrangers.
Step 2 – Obtain
Official Government Passport
If you know you will be
traveling officially for the
USDA, you must have an
official or diplomatic
passport. If you already
have an official passport
and it will expire within 7
months from your trip return
date, you must renew your
passport. Don’t have a
passport? Passport expiring
soon? Visit the
Obtain or Renew Official
Passport page.
Step 3 –
Determine Visa Requirements
and Request Visa(s)
Determine if you need any
visas for the countries you
are visiting by
searching
Visa Requirements. If you need a
visa, make sure you
fill out all required visa
forms and
documentation and provide
these to your Agency Travel
Coordinator or Travel
Arranger. For detailed
instructions on requesting a
visa including a Do’s and
Don’ts Guide go to the
Visa Requests page.
Step 4 –
Request passport and Visa(s)
If you are a FAS employee or
FAS Travel Arranger, you
must submit your
passport/visa request via
the International Passport
and Visa Request System
(IPATTS).
IPATTS is a FAS
Intranet application. To
access the IPATTS, please
use the following URL:
http://www.fas.usda.gov/ipatts
Step 5 –
Determine the Travelers
Health Requirements and
Advisories
Please visit the
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
Traveler’s Health website
The CDC has
information specific to the
country and to
specific disease
preventative measures
The costs of required
inoculations, vaccinations
or preventive medicines are
allowed reimbursable
expenses.
Step 6 – Create
Itinerary & Travel
Authorization
Draft your itinerary and
begin the authorization
process in GovTrip. Once you
have determined a trip
purpose, dates, location,
and received verbal approver
from your required superiors
you may begin the
GovTrip Travel
Authorization. It is
imperative that you comply
with Federal and
Agricultural Travel
Regulations when creating
your itinerary, including
special rules for Premium
Class Travel, Non-Contract
and Foreign Flag Carriers.
Refer to
Travel Regulations page for more
information.
Step 7 – Submit
Request for Country
Clearance
You are not to enter a
foreign country on official
government business without
approval from the overseas
post(s). To obtain this
approval you must submit a
request for country
clearance via the
Electronic Country Clearance (eCC) System two weeks
prior to departure date.
Instructions on how to
complete your eCC are found
on the Obtain Country
Clearance link. For FAS
travelers upload your eCC to
GovTrip.
Step 8 – Obtain
Passport, Visa and TRAVEL!
Do not leave the country
without the following:
- A signed
Official Government Passport
- Required visas
- A signed hard
copy travel authorization
A hard copy
- approved country clearance
