Travel

If you are a student traveling for a University-related purpose, please see the Student Travel Insurance page.

UCOP and UC Berkeley COVID-19 travel directives

Please be advised that UC travel insurance will not cover foreseeable COVID-19 related risks, such as business interruption , trip delays or foreign flight cancellations. 

UC personnel traveling to high risk regions against this advisory do so potentially at their own physical and financial risk. In the event an international airport is closed to commercial flights to the U.S. the only option back may be on a US Embassy repatriation flight – which can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 payable by the traveler at a later time. For more information about trip registration, please see the pages on travel for employees and travel for students. 

However, UCOP has advised that the travel insurance does include medical coverage related to covid matters determined "medically necessary"  such as a doctor ordered COVID test when experiencing cold/flu like or other covid related symptoms. 

The following IS NOT considered medically necessary:

  • Covid testing to show a negative result in order to enter a country or to move into a residence
  • testing of asymptomatic roommates who are exposed to covid 
  • quarantine and/or food service during a quarantine period.  

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.

In-state travel more than 100 miles from campus is also covered, but registration is not required.

NOTE: Effective October 1, 2015, independent contractors hired and controlled by the University qualify for travel insurance coverage. The contractors must be actively working on University business for the coverage to apply.

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 (up to $200/day for five days)
  • Personal Property Loss (up to $5,000)
  • 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:

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.

Register for Travel Alerts

Out-of-state and international travelers can receive free real-time alerts through an online service called Worldcue TRAVELER, 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 TRAVELER 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 iJet/Worldcue, the providers of security protection and emergency services, including security extraction and medical evacuation that may be needed when circumstances arise. 

If you have already registered your trip but neglected to sign up for Worldcue TRAVELER, you may contact Worldcue TRAVELER directly by sending an email to customerservice@ijet.com or calling (443) 716-2419. You will need to provide your name, home campus, email address, destination, and itinerary.

For additional information, see the UC Trips Frequently Asked Questions from the Office of the President.

REGISTER FOR YOUR PERSONAL TRAVEL

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.

For more information about the personal travel program, go to the Office of the President-Risk Services website. 

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.