Non-Employee Travel Guidance

Written By Michelle Diebel (Collaborator)

Updated at April 29th, 2026

Table of Contents

Travel Approval Group Travel Common Travel Policies International Travel Lodging, Rental Cars, and Other Travel Costs Frequently asked questions and related resources Reimbursement Process Details Details on NRI

CIRES uses the following processes and procedures for travelers who are neither CU nor CIRES employees. Below, we'll explain the pre-travel approval and post-travel reimbursement processes for trips with individual travel request forms and group travel request forms. If you anticipate coordinating a group trip, please see "Group Travel" under "Travel Approval" listed below. CIRES Travel arranges meetings between you, your finance manager, and the CIRES Travel team to discuss your group trip from approval to expense reports.

Throughout this guidance you will see us reference a "CIRES Travel Arranger". We consider travel arrangers to be CIRES employees who are the primary contact for, organizing meetings or events with, and/ or coordinating travel purchases on behalf of a non-employee traveler. We expect travel arrangers to be familiar with our non-employee travel policies and procedures to better guide non-employees; however, if any clarification is needed, please do not hesitate to contact or connect the non-employee directly with CIRES Travel.

Travel Approval

Travel approval is required before travel for CIRES or university business. Travel approval should be received before charging any travel related costs, to the greatest extent possible. This ensures that purchasing is compliant with related policies and non-employees and their CIRES travel arrangers know what to expect during post-travel processes.

Non-employees and/ or their CIRES travel arrangers request travel approval for both domestic and international travel using the Non-Employee Travel Request form. Non-employees should work with the CIRES unit supporting their travel costs to complete the items on the request form that they're unsure of. CIRES Travel can help with estimating some costs, such as lodging and meal per diem allowances from U.S. General Services Administration or U.S. Department of State. The form also allows for clarity on whom will be paying for an expense up front (non-employee as out-of-pocket or CIRES unit as company paid). Once complete, the Non-Employee Travel Request form should be emailed to cirestravel@colorado.edu for review and approval.

The CIRES Travel team reviews the Non-Employee Travel Request form for completeness and confirms that the funding source(s) for the travel is allowable and has sufficient funding. If your funding source also requires a travel acknowledgment (i.e. if the travel costs are going to be supported by a Task II Speedtype or by the NASA DAAC), then you should also send the acknowledgment along with the travel request to CIREStravel@colorado.edu. CIRES Travel emails an approval of the travel request to the non-employee and/ or their CIRES travel arranger. The travel approval email contains the following information pertinent to the trip:

Dates and Destination for the trip.
Funding Source for trip costs and the CIRES Finance Manager who oversees those funds.
Total estimated cost of the trip, including the per diem rate at the travel destination.
Purpose / Business Justification for trip.
Instructions and contact information for using Christopherson Business Travel (CBT) to book airfare and make lodging reservations (if relevant for the trip).

Group Travel

The university defines Group Travel as three or more employees/ non-employees traveling to the same location for the same official University business where the individuals are recognized as a cohesive unit representing the University. In CIRES, we consider group travel to be when there are more than 3 employees/non-employees traveling to the same destination with the same business purpose and funding support from the same unit. When a CIRES unit and/ or travel arranger is made aware of an upcoming event or meeting involving 3 or more non-employee travelers, please reach out to your finance manager to discuss your plans and confirm that non-employee travel costs are allowable to be charged to your project. Please then email CIRES Travel and your finance manager to make us aware of your upcoming non-employee group. CIRES Travel will either ask follow-up questions via email (samples listed below) or schedule a meeting to discuss guidance, processes, and procedures unique to the group trip from pre through post travel.

The individual Non-Employee Travel Request form should be used for any participant who 1) is including personal travel or 2) who will be requesting/receiving reimbursement of any travel expenses.
The Non-Employee Group Travel Request form can be used by the CIRES travel arranger ONLY for participants for whom CIRES will be assuming ALL costs for up front. These folks will not be receiving any travel reimbursement.
- Sample Questions for Group Travel:
  - Group Trip Information
    - Where is the event/ meeting being held?
    - What are the general travel dates for the event/ meeting?
  - Non-Employee Travelers' Information
    - How many non-employee travelers do you anticipate supporting on this group trip?
    - Are any of the non-employee travelers:
      - coming from an international destination?
      - considered non-U.S. Citizens or non-Green Cardholders?
      - federal employees?
      - planning to include personal time to their trip?
  - Group Travel Expenses
    - What types of travel expenses do you anticipate supporting on this group trip? Does your CIRES unit plan to cover all normal/ common travel costs such as ground transportation, baggage fees, per diem meal allowance, lodging, etc.?
    - Which costs will need to be paid up front by the non-employees (out-of-pocket)?
    - Which costs will be paid up front by your CIRES unit (company paid)? Whose Concur profile is going to have any direct charged items on it such as airfare booked with CBT or lodging paid with a travel credit card?
  - Funding Information
    - Which speedtype(s) are the travel costs expected to be charged to?
    - Is there any reimbursement cap/ max for the non-employee travelers?
  - Communication Preferences
    - Would you all like the pre-travel approvals and post-travel reimbursement guidance to be emailed (a) only to you so that you can communicate it with the non-employees or (b) directly to the non-employees with you copied?

Common Travel Policies

We summarize here common travel policies considered for non-employee trips supported by CIRES funds. CIRES Travel will use the information provided in the Non-Employee Travel Request form to determine which policies relate to the trip and traveler. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at cirestravel@colorado.edu.

Fly America Act

All non-employees traveling on federal funds must have airfare which complies with the restrictions of the Fly America Act (FAA). This means that all flights must be conducted by U.S. Flag Carriers (flight names and numbers) to the greatest extent possible. Restrictions related to the Fly America Act are dependent on two factors:

(1) Funding source for the travel

(2) Destinations involved in the trip

Personal Travel

The purpose of the CIRES Personal Travel policy is to ensure federally funded travel is (a) compliant with the terms and conditions of the award and (b) consistent with the federal government's travel regulations for federal employees and the university's travel policies. For travel supported by funds for which personal travel is not permitted by the government or funding entity, such as a contract, no personal component will be permitted. When traveling for university and CIRES business, it may be allowable to combine business travel with personal travel.

When adding personal time or destination(s) to a CIRES business trip, the personal aspect of the travel cannot be a more substantial component of the trip than the business aspect. There cannot be any appearance that the reason for the business trip is simply accommodating the related personal travel. Additionally, the non-employee traveler or CIRES travel arranger must demonstrate that the personal travel does not result in increased costs to the supporting grant, CIRES, state of Colorado, or other funding source. CIRES funds may only be used to support approved costs that directly relate to the business aspects of the travel; the traveler must pay for personal travel costs. The personal travel can include such elements as:

Extending his/her stay at the travel location for personal reasons.
Traveling to or from the business travel location via a different route than the most direct one to or from the place of business, and including a stopover at some location for personal reasons.
Traveling with an additional person who shares accommodations.
Including a stopover at a non-business location enroute to or from the business destination.

For cases in which personal travel time exceeds that required for the business portion of the trip, the majority of the trip ultimately serves a personal purpose and becomes the dominant/majority aspect of the travel. In these instances, CIRES funds may only be used to support approved business travel costs during the business portion of the trip. Such costs can include per diem meal allowance, local transportation, lodging, etc., but CIRES will not cover airfare to or from the location of the business activity; these costs are the responsibility of the traveler.

We do not advise that non-employees include personal travel as part of their business trips. Travel for non-employees is complicated enough that adding the additional layer of personal travel and ensuring compliance with personal travel policy is a lot. However, it is not unallowable for non-employees to include personal travel.

Lodging, Rental Cars, and Other Travel Costs

Non-employees can make lodging and rental car arrangements through Christopherson Business Travel (CBT) with a personal credit card. Itemized receipts including proof of payment are required post-travel to reimburse or reconcile lodging and any expenses $75 or greater. If the travel expenses are paid for up front by the CIRES unit, the non-employee should share itemized receipts with their CIRES unit or travel arranger.

Lodging - Non-employees may reserve lodging with hotel vendors, third party vendors (such as Air BnB), or stay with family and friends during business travel. Itemized receipts are required for lodging with hotels or other vendors; however, staying with family and friends does not require receipts! Travelers may receive up to $25 of nightly per diem for staying with family and friends in lieu of a hotel stay. For local or in-state trips, please see the PSC's Preferred Hotel Program here.
Rental Car - Non-employees may reserve rental cars with CBT, book directly with one of CU's preferred vendors, or have their CIRES travel arranger reserve a rental car for them via Concur. The university has negotiated contracts with Avis/ Budget, Enterprise/ National, and Hertz for rental car reservations. You may learn more about Vehicle Rentals here. Rental car gas is an allowable expense for reimbursement, unlike gas for a personal vehicle.
Mileage with Personal Vehicle (POV) - Non-employees may be reimbursed for mileage when using a personal vehicle in travel status. As of January 1, 2025, the standard reimbursement rate is $0.63/mile and the 4WD rate is $0.67/mile. Mileage reimbursement includes the cost of gas for personal vehicles. To claim mileage, the non-employee must provide start and stop addresses and dates of their commute. They might even save a screenshot of their travel plan in Google Maps. For those not employed by CU or who are fully remote, we do not deduct work commute mileage.
Meals and Meal Per Diem - Non-employees may purchase meals in travel status with personal credit cards and do not need to save receipts. Per diem meal allowance is determined by the U.S. General Services Administration for domestic trips or U.S. Department of State for international trips. Post-travel non-employees would complete a CIRES Travel Voucher (TV) and indicate if per diem meal allowance should be added to their expense report and if any meals were provided at no additional cost to them. If the non-employee traveler, travel arranger, or funding source ask for a set per diem meal allowance, this should be indicated on their TV.
- If the non-employee trip is a single day trip, they will need to indicate on the TV that they participated in business activities for 12 or more hours on that day. If they conducted business for 12 or more hours, then they'd be eligible for a 75% per diem meal allowance (similar to the first and last travel day percentage).
Conference or Event Registrations - Non-employees may complete conference or event registration with a personal credit card and provide an itemized receipt post-travel for reimbursement. The travel arranger may also use their procurement card to purchase a conference or event registration for someone else. Please discuss the best method of payment with your finance manager prior to purchasing.

Reimbursement Process

After the trip or event is completed, non-employee travelers and/ or their CIRES travel arrangers should follow instructions below to request reimbursement. This information will also be detailed at the bottom of your approval email. If there are items unknown by the non-employee traveler or CIRES travel arranger you may leave them blank and ask CIRES Travel for help filling in the blanks!

What counts as a receipt? Itemized receipts have vendor/ merchant contact information, each charge included in the total is individually listed, either a zero-balance due or date of transaction, and proof of payment. If receipts list a foreign currency but you want to be reimbursed what you were charged in USD, please send a redacted copy of your bank statement showing the charge in USD.

Non-Employee - U.S. Citizen or U.S. Green Cardholder

If you are a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Green Cardholder, you will receive your reimbursement as a check mailed to the address provided on your travel request. If your mailing address has changed in between your travel approval and the trip's end date, you must provide the new mailing address on your CIRES Travel Voucher (TV). There is a section at the bottom of the TV with space for a mailing address (see #5.e.), but you may also enter the new mailing address in the business purpose/ justification box at the top. If a section of the form is not described below, you may leave it blank for CIRES Travel to fill in!

Details

Review your travel approval, collect itemized receipts, and complete the Travel Voucher (TV).
For Personnel Category, please select "Non-Employee" from the drop down menu list.
For Business Trip/ Event Type, please select "Single-Day" for one day events/ trips; "Local/In-State" if you came to Colorado; "Out-of-State" if you traveled to a state besides Colorado; or "International" if you traveled outside of the U.S.
Please also re-enter your travel dates and purpose of travel/ business justification. If there were any changes to your travel dates or plans, please indicate that here as well. You may also add a new mailing address if it has changed since your travel approval.
For Business Expenses, please list travel costs paid up front by CU/ CIRES under "Corporate/ CU Credit Card(s)" and by you/ the non-employee under "Personal Credit Card/ Out-of-Pocket."
1. Transaction Date should be the date the payment was made.
2. Please utilize the drop down menu list for expense types. If there is an asterisk (*) next to the expense type or the total amount is greater than $75, you'll need to attach an itemized receipt for the expense to your email to CIRES Travel.
3. If an expense was completed in a non-USD currency, please enter the number as printed on your receipt and use the "Notes/ description." Column to note if you want to be reimbursed in USD.
4. Finally, select "yes" if you'd like to claim per diem meal allowance for this trip or event. If you selected Single-Day trip, indicate if you participated in business activities for at least 12+ hours on the travel day. If you are claiming per diem meal allowance, please note if any meals were provided to you by the hotel, event, or arrangers.
5. If you are claiming mileage with a personal vehicle, please use the next few lines to list addresses for start and stop locations. You may also use this section to provide a new home address if it changed since your travel approval.
For Funding or Accounting Information, please ensure that the speedtype supporting your trip is entered. This can be found on your travel request form and in your approval email.
Email completed form with receipts to CIRES Travel at cirestravel@colorado.edu.

Non-Employee - Non-U.S. Citizen or no U.S. Mailing Address

If you are a non-U.S. Citizen, a non-U.S. Green Cardholder, or have a non-U.S. Mailing Address, you must complete a Non-Employee Reimbursement-International (NRI) form for post-travel reimbursement. Also, if your reimbursement amount is at least $100, then you may complete a Wire Payment Request (WPR) form for a reimbursement via direct deposit instead of a mailed check. If there was a U.S. entry during your trip, there will be additional documentation required for your immigration status (detailed at the bottom of your approval email from CIRES Travel). If a section of the form is not described below, you may leave it blank for CIRES Travel to fill in!

Details on NRI

Review your travel approval, collect itemized receipts and additional documents, and complete the Non-Employee Reimbursement-International (NRI) form. Additional documents might include a W-9 Form, W-8BEN Form, I-94 Form, or a compliance statement. This information would be clarified at the bottom of your non-employee approval.
For Payee Information:
1. Please enter your name as printed on your government identification or as listed on your bank account.
2. Provide your mailing address for the reimbursement check to be mailed to.
For Warrant Handling Instructions, under "Warrant Delivery Code," select either "foreign mail" for a reimbursement check (skip #6) or "wire transfer" for a direct deposit reimbursement request (see #6).
For General Trip/ Reimbursement Information, enter the trip's:
1. destination(s) (City, State or City, Country),
2. dates of travel (mm/dd/yyyy - mm/dd/yyyy),
3. the trip's purpose and business justification (may copy from travel approval), and
4. any additional information you'd like CIRES Travel or the International Tax Office to review!
For Expenses to be Reimbursed:
1. The date column should reflect the transaction date of the expense. If there is mileage or another expense without a purchasing/ transaction date, the date column should be used for the date of that drive or event.
2. The description column may be a short label, such as Lodging*, Airfare*, Transportation (Uber, Lyft, Bus, Shuttle, Taxi, etc.), Rental Car*, Rental Car Gas, POV Mileage, Event Registration*, Abstract Submission Fee*, Baggage Fee, Parking Fee, Toll Fee, Per Diem Meal, or Field Research Supplies*. You do not need to add the asterisk (*) in the description cell. We've added an asterisk (*) for expense types that require an itemized receipt even if they are less than $75. If you have an expense that is less than $75 and not listed above with an asterisk (*), please add the name of the vendor and city of transaction in your email message to CIRES Travel.
3. The cost columns (mileage, trans, meals, lodging, or misc) are used for USD cost totals for expenses paid up front by the non-employee (out-of-pocket with personal funds). If an expense was paid up front by CU/ CIRES (company paid with a t-card, p-card, invoice, or directly charged to the speedtype), then do not enter an amount in the cost column. The calculated total should reflect only what the non-employee needs to be reimbursed for. If the expense was completed in a non-USD currency, please add this information in your email message to CIRES Travel.
4. If per diem meal allowance should be added, you may list it as "Per Diem Meals" with travel dates (ex. mm/dd/yy-mm/dd/yy) in the date column and estimated total in the meals cost column. If you're unsure of the cost total, you may leave the meals cost column blank for CIRES Travel to fill in. If there were meals provided at no additional cost or there should be a max per diem meal allowance, please add this information in your email message to CIRES Travel.
If you are a Non-U.S. Citizen with a non-U.S. Mailing Address AND your reimbursement total is at least $100, you may opt to receive your reimbursement as a direct deposit with a Wire Payment Request (WPR) form.
1. For International Supplier Information, please enter your name as listed on your bank account.
2. For Banking Information for Beneficiary/ Payee, please either enter in the information on the cells below with your bank account information or select the box indicating that you are providing a separate form with this information listed.
3. Please review the information provided for accuracy to ensure ease in the wire transfer.
Email completed form with receipts and any additional details to CIRES Travel at cirestravel@colorado.edu.