Business Trips

Employment agreements normally stipulate the city, which is considered the workplace for all HSE employees.

Please note that travelling without formally documenting your absence can only be done on:

public holidays;
days off (this should not be confused with annual leave).

The formal procedures in place at HSE for documenting absence from the workplace on a workday as a registered leave, or a business trip, need to be completed in advance in order to comply with Russian migration regulations, as well as the University’s internal bylaws.

Please make sure to follow the formal procedures no matter what funds are used to cover your business trip expenses.

Guidelines

Before your business trip

An advance payment for travel expenses:

During your business trip

After your business trip

Supporting Documents for Reimbursement

We strongly recommend reviewing these requirements before you go on your business trip.

Golden Rules

All expenses must be paid by the employee. Services purchased using someone else’s bank card will not be reimbursed.
Original copies of supporting documents with translation into Russian must be submitted for reimbursement – your coordinator is to submit them to the accounting office within 3 days after you come back from your business trip.
All documents proving payments must contain payment references.
Bank statements issued by Russian banks must contain a signature and a seal.
Reimbursement for one trip cannot be made in parts. Only a complete package of documents will be accepted.
An employee will only be reimbursed for those expenses that are proven by correct documents. Please, see below for the reimbursement rules.

AT THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU SUBMIT THE REPORTING DOCUMENTS NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 10 OR IT WILL BE REIMBURSED OUT OF THE NEXT YEAR’S BUDGET.

What documents do I need to present to be reimbursed for a business trip?

Expenses	Paid in cash/by bank card in person	Purchased online	Helpful information
Per diem	Scanned copies of: the main page of a passport; current visa; passport pages with entry and exit stamps from both the Russian Federation and the county of destination.		A per-diem is provided by HSE on a compulsory basis, unless a hosting party/ colleague does this. If a hosting party/ colleague provides per-diems, an invitation letter stating this fact should be submitted. The daily living costs depend on the destination country. Please see the business travel per diem list. NB! If you only claim per-diem expenses, please make sure to also keep boarding passes and submit them to the Accounting Office.
Travel	plane tickets and boarding passes (with an 'inspected'/ 'досмотрено' stamp on them), OR train tickets; cashier's receipt; sales receipt.	plane tickets and boarding passes ((with an 'inspected'/ 'досмотрено' stamp on them), OR electronic train tickets; bank statement.	Plane and train tickets may be reimbursed only when travelling from/to a city of employment. Employee travel on a business trip from and/or to a vacation destination (or short-term sabbatical leave) cannot be covered. Only economy class plane tickets can be reimbursed.
Transfer	Aeroexpress ticket OR taxi receipt specifying the route “airport – hotel” or “hotel – airport”	electronic Aeroexpress ticket bank statement	Taxi receipts must specify the date and route, as well as contain the driver’s signature. If you travel in Russia, taxi expenses will not be reimbursed, only Aeroexpress. If you take a train to travel abroad, transfer from and to the railway station won’t be reimbursed as it will be part of my per diem.
Accommodation	HOTEL invoice; cashier’s receipt.	electronic booking confirmation OR payment confirmation; invoice OR an equivalent document confirming stay at the hotel; bank statement.	Only a stay in a single standard room in an economy class hotel can be reimbursed. Confirmation of stay documents should contain the following information: hotel name; your full name; total number of guests (must not exceed one person); dates of check-in and check-out; cost of stay; means of payment.
Accommodation	RENTED APARTMENT (e.g., Airbnb) Payment to an agency: original rental agreement signed by two parties; sales receipt (must contain your name and the dates of stay). Payment to a host: original rental agreement signed by two parties; note signed by the host confirming payment; a scanned copy of the main passport page with the photo and a signature.	electronic agreement; electronic receipt; bank statement.	A stay at a private apartment must be approved by director.
Registration fee, membership fee	sales receipt; cashier’s receipt.	electronic payment confirmation; bank statement.	NB! Membership fee reimbursement must be first discussed with the Accounting Office and then - approved by the director. Please consult your coordinator on the possibility. Membership fee can only be reimbursed if it is a mandatory payment for a participation and does not exceed 1 year of membership. Invoice (sales receipt/ electronic payment confirmation) should contain the following information: your full name; title of the event; cost of the fee; means of payment.
Medical insurance	sales receipt; cashier’s receipt; health insurance policy.	elctronic health insurance policy; bank statement.
Visa expenses	an invoice or sales receipt, OR an equivalent document specifying payment reference; cashier’s receipt; scanned copy of your visa.	invoice; bank statement; scanned copy of your visa.	Extended fees for urgent visa issuance cannot be reimbursed. If you are using a commercial visa service, a receipt specifying payment reference and a cashier’s receipt must be submitted.

For questions, please contact International Office at internationalnn@hse.ru

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