Updated Travel Guidance

This Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) updated established policies and procedures for official and unofficial travel to meet Department of Defense (DoD) requirements. The update provides pre- and post-travel guidance for purposes of Force Health Protection (FHP) of DoDEA civilian employees and family members, and contractor personnel.

Worldwide travel is changing rapidly. Fully vaccinated individuals are not restricted from official travel. Individuals who are not fully vaccinated, or who decline to provide information about their vaccination status, are limited to mission-critical official travel. The attached DoDEA memorandum provides guidance for compliance with all DoD updates and requirements for the various phases of official and unofficial travel.

1. Pre-Travel Requirements.
   1. Travel Health Risk Assessment.
   2. Approved Mission Essential Travel Request (METR) waiver for non-fully vaccinated traveler(s).
   3. COVID-19 Testing, if applicable by current guidance.
   4. Use of Government Travel Office (SATO) for government-funded air transportation.
2. Enroute Travel Requirements: Adherence to public health measures.
3. Post-Travel Requirements.
   1. Host nation quarantine/command-directed Restrictions of Movement (ROM), if applicable.
   2. Specific travel destination ROM guidance.
4. Unofficial/Leisure Travel.
5. Entering the DoDEA Workplace Post-Travel Requirements.

This guidance applies to travel for DoDEA civilian employees, DoD family members, and DoD contractor personnel. Applicable travel types include Temporary Duty (TDY), Educational Travel (EdT), Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Renewal Agreement Travel (RAT), Separation/Retirement travel, travel by civilian employees complying with overseas tour rotation agreement requirements, Employee/Dependent Medical Travel (EDMT), and Emergency Visitation Travel (EVT) and Funded Environmental Morale Leave (FEML).

Travel waivers are not required for Educational Travel (EdT), Renewal Agreement Travel (RAT), Separation/Retirement travel, and travel by civilian employees complying with overseas tour rotation agreement requirements, however, all travelers must maintain a Travel Health Risk Assessment with his/her supervisor, comply with COVID-19 testing requirements (as applicable), adhere to public safety standards while enroute, complete post-travel host nation quarantine or command-directed Restriction of Movement (ROM) (as applicable), and follow DoD workplace/DoDEA School access protocol.

DoDEA COVID-19 Pandemic Travel Guidance (pdf)

RAT Frequently Asked Questions (pdf)

Reimbursement for COVID-19 Testing Memo