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School of Arts, Languages and Cultures

SALC Travel Approval Process – Instructions for Staff

Before making any bookings, you must follow the process below to ensure your travel is safe, sustainable, and compliant with the University Travel policy. Please familiarise yourself with the details of this policy, such as insurance limitations around regulated accommodations/use of AirBnB.

Fieldwork: You can use this process if you are conducting a field trip that involves travel to a low – moderate risk country. You might need to adapt the existing risk assessment template (available from the University of Manchester travel flowchart) to include controls and mitigations for each activity. Further information can be found on the Off-campus activities page and the Safety Services pages. 

1. Check the risk rating of your destination

2. Plan (but do not book) your travel – and consider sustainability

  • Use Key Travel to plan only.
  • Apply sustainable travel principles: avoid flights where possible, use trains or direct routes, and apply to the SALC Sustainability Fund if extra costs arise. Please see the SALC Policy for Sustainable Travel for more information

3. Apply for travel approval

Low-moderate risk travel

If you have confirmed that your destination is classed as low to moderate risk, you may proceed to submit the SALC Pre-Travel Online Declaration at least a month before travel. Please note that if any aspect of your proposed travel raises the risk level to high or extreme, approval will be required from the Head of School or the Dean of Faculty, and this process may take up to three months.

The SALC Pre-Travel Online Declaration covers:

  • Head of Department approval/awareness for absence from the University.
  • Risk assessment approval (confirmation for low/medium risk; full risk assessment for high/extreme risk).
  • Approval for SALC Sustainable Travel check and funding.
  • Due diligence on finance and staff and student travel locations.

School Operations Compliance Staff monitor the forms to ensure they are for low to moderate risk destinations and/or activities and flags any concern to the staff member’s line manager/HoD.

High-extreme risk travel

For travel to high or extreme risk countries, a full and detailed risk assessment, along with a contingency plan is required. Approval for such travel may take up to three months, as it must be reviewed by both the Head of School and the Dean of Faculty. The SALC Pre-Travel Online Declaration must not be used for this type of travel.

PGR students must primarily use MyPlacement for fieldwork and study-away approvals. Travel to high-risk destinations or engagement in research activities deemed high risk will be subject to the same process, requiring a full risk assessment which need to be reviewed and approved by the Head of School and the Dean of Faculty.

4. Book your travel – only after approval

  • Once approved, book via Key Travel (exceptions need prior HoS authorisation).
  • Avoid booking flights/accommodation on Fridays or weekends, as approvals may lapse.
  • For support:

Useful links