Travel insurance and assessment
Goldsmiths provides free standard travel insurance to staff and students travelling overseas and UK overnight trips on Goldsmiths related business.
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You require authorisation to travel and to complete the necessary travel insurance forms. Otherwise, you will not be covered by Goldsmiths’ Travel Insurance Policy.
Planning ahead of your trip
You need authorisation to travel from your department.
You then need to apply for travel insurance at least two weeks before you travel (allowing for Goldsmiths closure days).
Depending on the destination or purpose of the trip, the insurance team may need to seek additional guidance or cover from our insurers, and this can take time.
If forms are submitted just before travel, we cannot guarantee cover.
Step 1 - Research the risks of your destinations and activities
Check gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for all the countries you will be visiting. Check each time you travel as the advice may change.
You should also check if the World Health Organisation has issued any advice.
Step 2 - Authorisation
All travel needs to be approved by your Head of Department and the Insurance Office. A travel risk assessment needs to be completed along with an email from your HoD supporting your travel request. The HoD is signing off the travel on behalf of Goldsmith’s to say that the travel is “safe and required”.
Both supporting documents then should be emailed to the Insurance Office insurance@gold.ac.uk.
Higher-risk areas and Sanctioned Territories often require additional insurance policies, which would incur additional costs that have to be agreed with your department.
Step 3 - Submit forms
Submit a Travel Insurance Application Form at least two working weeks before you travel.
The College’s Travel Insurance is suitable for most overseas work and study scenarios. Check the cover is sufficient for you. For example, if you are going to a higher-risk area or undertaking a higher-risk activity. The College’s Insurance Team can help if you have any queries regarding this.
If you are taking additional personal travel or planning higher-risk activities during your personal time this will not be covered by the College’s insurance. You will need to arrange your own personal travel insurance. For example, if you travelled to a higher-risk part of the country or participated in an extreme sport.
Many countries will not provide any medical treatment without proof of insurance.
A Risk Assessment must be provided in addition to the Travel Insurance Application Form.
The traveller is responsible for developing an effective risk assessment, and it must be signed off by the Head of Department.
The member of staff approving the risk assessment is confirming that they are comfortable with the mitigations outlined, they believe the traveller is aware of all of the potential risks and the travel is essential to College business.
It is the responsibility of the traveller to implement the mitigations outlined in the risk assessment.
Submit a AIG Sanctions Questionnaire (XLSX) for travel to any of the countries listed above.
The insurance underwriters need at least two weeks to assess applications.
Travellers and departments need to complete all questions.
- Check gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find the risk level of your destination
- Check all locations you are visiting
- Research trips/work have to be approved by your department’s ethics committee
- If your trip is part of your course make the Global Opportunities team aware as they can provide you with guidance
- Have you checked if any additional travel you are planning - either for work, study or personal purposes - puts you at greater risk?
- Would the activities or the research you intend to do make your trip higher risk? For example, are you investigating a potentially controversial topic or are there safeguarding risks attached to your work
- Dual passports, in some locations, can cause an increased risk
- Do you have the appropriate visas for your trip, including for countries you are travelling via?
- Are you taking any computer equipment that holds personal data in relation to Goldsmiths?
- Are you undertaking any research that requires you to collect personal data?
Step 4: Confirmation and preparation
Following the confirmation of travel insurance, you will be given the policy detail.
Make sure you have a copy of the AIG worldwide medical contact details, these should be used in an emergency.
You can also download the AIG Lifeline Mobile App Download Guide (PDF) - you will need our policy number 0010016144 for registration.
The AIG Lifeline Mobile App Download Guide (PDF), provides travellers with an online resource, giving up-to-date travel information on the countries you are visiting, including a comprehensive coronavirus advisory section.
This online portal is a central point of reference with detailed country dossiers covering a variety of topics, with medical and security risk ratings and summaries, country alerts, healthcare overviews, travel tips, vaccination requirements, medical briefings and much more.
Policy
All staff travel bookings (flights, rail and accommodation) should where possible be made through Goldsmiths’ appointed Travel Management Company. See section 5 of Expenses, Travel and Subsistence Policy (PDF).
Visa Information
It is the traveller's responsibility to check they have all necessary visas, documents and sufficient passport validity and blank pages for the countries they are visiting.
Most countries require that a passport be valid for at least six months beyond the completion of a trip. If your passport expires sooner than that, you must apply to renew your passport.
Entry and visa requirements can be found on gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. We recommend all travellers check this before travel.
iatatravelcentre.com is also a good source of advice on visas.