Planning Your Trip
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.
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.
Create Itinerary & Travel Authorization
Draft your itinerary and begin the authorization process in CONCUR. Once you have determined a trip purpose, dates, location, and received verbal approver from your required superiors you may begin the CONCUR Travel Authorization. It is imperative that you comply with Federal Travel Regulation, Agricultural Travel Regulations and FAS Official Travel Directive when creating your itinerary, including special rules for Premium Class Travel, Non-Contract and Foreign Flag Carriers.
Travel Regulations
When traveling abroad for official government travel you must abide by all rules and regulation set by the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR’s), the Agricultural Travel Regulations (ATR’s), FAS Official Travel Directive and any specific directives of your agency. Please follow the link below to familiarize yourself with these Federal and Agricultural Travel Regulations.
Agriculture Travel Regulation (ATR) Contact your Agency Travel Coordinator for agency specific directives.
Click here for all FAS directives related to travel. You may contact the Travel Management Branch (TMB) for questions about FAS specific travel directives.
Current Travel Warnings
Travel Warnings are issued when long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable lead the State Department to recommend that Americans avoid or consider the risk of travel to that country. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government's ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff. Click here for the current travel warnings which have been issues by the U.S. Department of State.