About

The office of Global Administrative and Travel Support (GATS) was created in 2013 to oversee the University's International Travel Registry and administer the Provost's Travel Policy and Restricted Regions List.  The office also plays an integral role in identifying travelers in an affected region following a tragic event.  Through communication, coordination of external providers and partnering with internal offices here at Duke, travelers who find themselves in an emergency situation while they are abroad are connected to resources to get them what they need to stay out of harms way and, if deemed necessary, this can include evacuating them to a safer location.

GATS also provides support to Duke's Faculty and Staff in the realm of travel documentation.  Whether it's passports, proof of insurance needed to enter another country, entry visas or full blown immigration support to take a long-term assignment abroad, GATS can guide you through the steps and alleviate the administrative burden.  GATS staff engage directly with Embassies and Consulates of the nations Duke travelers visit.  By centralizing the visa processing, we gain volume leverage which in turn enables us to negotiate and trouble-shoot with Embassy/Consulate staff.  A typical traveler handling their own travel documentation would not necessarily be able to do this.

GATS offers its services at no additional cost and charges back to the traveler only expenses required for the approval of travel documentation, such as consular application fees, shipping costs, and third party expediting agency service fees.

GATS operates under the assumption that:

• Approval for the international travel has been secured in advance from approval authorities within the traveler’s school, unit, or department.
• Travel to destinations that have comprehensive embargoes or targeted sanction programs imposed by the U.S. government has been cleared by the Duke University Office of Export Controls.
• GATS will be reimbursed expenses for obtaining travel documentation by the traveler or the traveler’s school, unit or department.  In most cases, the traveler provides GATS with a Duke Cost Object (“fund code” or WBS element) for the expense.  If a grant is the source of funds for payment, GATS assumes that the traveler has verified the grant allows for this type of expense.

Please contact the Office of Global Administrative and Travel Support at globaltravel@duke.edu if you encounter difficulty in accessing the travel registry or if you have travel related questions.