More information about the UC Travel Insurance Program can be found on the UCOP Risk And Insurance page.
If you are a student traveling for a University-related purpose, please see the Student Travel Insurance page.
Employees Traveling on University Business
When traveling more than 100 miles from their home campus on official University business, University employees and their traveling companions (see definition below) are covered 24 hours a day, worldwide, for a variety of perils. Employees may also sign up to receive Travel Alerts for their destination. Coverage is free, but employees need to REGISTER out-of-state and foreign travel. Upon registration, employees receive a trip registration card confirming coverage and containing the toll-free number to call in an emergency.
Services and Benefits
The travel insurance program offers the following services and benefits:
- Emergency Medical Evacuation
- Rescue and Evacuation after Natural Disasters (to the degree possible)
- Rescue and Evacuation during Local Political Crises (to the degree possible)
- Accident/Sickness Medical Care (international travel only)
- Travel Alerts
- Passport Replacement Assistance and Legal Assistance Referrals
- Trip Delay Reimbursement
- Personal Property Loss
- Up to 14 Days of Coverage When Not on University Business
- Accidental Death, Dismemberment, or Paralysis Benefits
- Repatriation of Remains
Note: coverage does not include costs of cancellation before you leave on the trip.
HOW TO GET HELP
If you're traveling and need help, call the toll-free number on the registration card, contact your campus department, or contact Risk Services:
- 1-510-289-8282
- risk@berkeley.edu
Field Research Safety
Field research safety is a top priority at Berkeley. The Office of Environmental Health and Safety and the University of California both offer field research safety resources. EH&S also provides resources to help researchers meet the National Science Foundation's safety and inclusivity requirements for off-campus and off-site research.
Travel Alerts
Out-of-state and international travelers can receive free real-time alerts through an online service called Worldcue, which provides email notices about political unrest, natural disasters, and health warnings affecting travel destinations. This is an especially valuable resource when traveling to areas where information is tightly controlled.
Please sign up for Worldcue on the last page of the on-line travel registration form. The sign-up paragraph reads as follows:
Click here to create your personal travel profile for this trip with Worldcue, the providers of security protection and emergency services, including security extraction and medical evacuation that may be needed when circumstances arise.
Register Your Travel Companions
Traveling companion(s) are persons traveling with the University employee on the same itinerary. Examples of travel companions include spouses or domestic partners, children, colleagues, friends and/or extended family sharing the identical itinerary of the University employee on the trip. An employee of another academic or corporate institution is not a traveling companion; nor is someone hired within a foreign country as a driver, translator, etc. Employees must list their traveling companions when they register their own travel.
Purchase Personal Travel Coverage
The Office of the President-Risk Services has developed a travel insurance program that employees and students can purchase for personal travel. The personal travel program provides accident and sickness benefits, emergency medical and security evacuation, and other valuable travel assistance services. There are two options, the Blue Plan or Gold Plan. The Blue Plan is fairly basic. The Gold Plan includes everything in the Blue Plan plus some additional benefits.
The employee/student is responsible for payment of the premium.
Note: The personal travel program is not affiliated with any University-provided employee benefit and the University is not making any recommendation. The University will not assist you with the personal travel program. As with any commercial travel insurance product, the traveler is responsible for arranging travel assistance services, filing claims, and resolving coverage disputes directly with the carrier.