The University of Michigan safety plan process is designed to help international travelers develop mitigation strategies for health, safety, and security risks. For travel to a Travel Warning and Travel Restriction destination, or to a COVID-19 Medium or High Risk destination, COVID-19 Travel Plans or Safety Plans  must be submitted for review at least 3 weeks prior to departure and ideally before making any non-refundable purchases towards a trip in the event travel is not approved or must be postponed.

Steps for completing requirements are in this  U-M COVID-19 Travel Plan and Safety Plan Process Flowchart and are below: 

1. Click on the continent on the U-M Travel Designations page where your travel destination/s is located and find your destination country.
2. Determine whether your travel destination/s is a U-M Travel Warning, a U-M Travel Restriction, a COVID-19 Medium Risk, or a COVID-19 High Risk designation.
3. Complete requirements depending on your status as an undergraduate student, graduate student, or faculty/staff. These travel requirements do NOT take into account entry-requirements, so be sure to validate your ability to enter the country before making travel plans.

Instructions for submitting travel safety plans for review:

1. Launch the appropriate plan in M-Compass. Direct links are here: INDIVIDUAL Safety Plan for international travel, COVID-19 Travel Plan, or a GROUP Safety Plan for international travel (for Program Leaders)
2. An account will be created for you in M-Compass and M-Compass will send you email instructions for next steps.
3. Follow the instructions in the email, which include locating, completing, and submitting the plan in M-Compass.
4. Once submitted, completed plans will automatically be forwarded to the International Travel Oversight Committee (ITOC) for review. You do not need to email plans to ITOC.
5. Need help? a Download M-Compass Help – Submit a Safety Plan for International Travel 

The following Example Safety Plans are for reference and can help you gather the information needed to complete your Safety Plan in M-Compass. All Safety Plan proposals for Travel Warning / Restriction destinations must be completed in M-Compass. 

Example Safety Plan for Individual Traveler

Example COVID-19 Travel Plan 

Example Safety Plan for Group Travel

Flowchart for U-M COVID-19 Travel Plan and Safety Plan for International Travel Process

Preparing to stay safe and healthy is key to a successful experience abroad. The U-M Safety Abroad orientation walks you through important travel strategies, including risk assessment, situational awareness, and handling emergency situations.  This on-line orientation is open to all members of the U-M community.

Visit safetyabroad.umich.edu to start the orientation.

Technology needs can vary by international destination. Personal information and sensitive university data can be at risk during overseas travel. U-M Information and Technology Services offers the following resources for traveling with technology:

• Mobile device security
• Safe Computing Guidelines for Domestic and International Travelers
• Traveling with Duo
• Protect Sensitive Data

Additional Technology Resources and Policies

• Export Controls and International Travel
• Security of Personally Owned Devices That Access or Maintain Sensitive Institutional Data (SPG 601.33)
• Institutional Data Resource Management Policy (SPG 601.12)
• Information Security Policy (SPG 601.27)
• Information Security Incident Reporting (SPG 601.25)
• Report an IT Security Incident

• OSAC: The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides Country Security Reports, daily news, and U.S. consulate alerts and warnings. Visit OSAC to download the Country Security Report.
• Smart Traveler Enrollment: Enrollment with STEP will enable U.S. citizens to receive information from the Embassy regarding new or updated State Department Travel Warnings and/or Alerts, as well as security and informational messages. In addition, the Embassy can reach out to travelers in the event of an emergency in country, and facilitate communication with the traveler should their family need to reach them in an emergency. Travelers who are not U.S. citizens should enroll in her or his country’s STEP equivalent. 
• Students Abroad – U.S. Department of State: A user-friendly tool that consolidates multiple U.S. Department of State resources to assist travelers in learning about proper visas, Travel Warnings, recent embassy message, important contact information, general safety and security advice, and more.
• Travel Advisories and Alerts: To gain a better, holistic understanding of the travel risks in your intended travel destination, please view more than one government’s travel warning and alert information. A few to explore may include: United States Department of State, Australian Government Smart Traveller, Canada Country Travel Advice, and the United Kingdom Foreign Travel Advice.