TRAVEL POLICY

IMKAAN WELFARE ORGANIZATION

 Travel Policy

1 Introduction
In order to discharge their duties, the Program staff has to travel within and outside the province and in
some exceptional circumstances the staff has to undertake international travel as well. The Policy sets
out the detailed procedures for official travel including methods, terms of travelling and outstation
residence, applicable TA/DA rates and reimbursement of travel expenses incurred during these visits. It
is essential that all the employees travelling for official duties remain familiar with the Travel Policy
which shall be periodically reviewed in order to cater for changing circumstances

2 Scope
The procedures defined in this policy applies to all employees at all levels and consultants and are
applicable to domestic as well as international travel. The management team shall have the authority to
amend the Policy at any time and request approval from the board. Changes in the procedures shall be
communicated to all staff and shall be effective from date of issuance.

3 Responsibilities of Management and Employees: It is the responsibility of all employees and

consultants to read and comply with the Policy and procedures.

Management shall:
 Update the travel policy in line of the changed circumstances
 Consider budget constraints and reasonableness of expenses.
 Ensure the safety and security of the traveler to maximum possible extent
 Consider alternatives, for instance, teleconferencing, prior to travel authorization.

Employee shall:
 Ensure optimal application of the Policy.
 Obtain appropriate approvals as and when required.
 The travelers shall act responsibly and will not indulge in any act which may harm the reputation
of the Program.
 Exercise discreet judgment with respect to expenses covered by the Policy.
 Report all expenses and advances in a prompt and accurate manner along with supporting
documents.
 Repay unused amounts due promptly.

4 Travel Status: Travel begins at the time when the traveler leaves his/ her residence, office or any other
point of departure and ends when he/ she returns to any of the said points. Travel costs include
expenses for transportation, and related items incurred by employees in travel status on official
business of the organization. Travel costs are allowable when they are directly linked to performance of
the work directly related to the project(s) and are incurred in the normal course of business of the
Program.

5 Travel Authorization/ Approval: Travel shall be authorized only when it is attributable to functions
essential for achieving the objectives of the Program and that those functions cannot be performed by
other means. All travels require formal pre-authorization of immediate supervisor and subsequent
approval of the Assistant Director Operations and the Director. Travel shall be approved at least five
working days in advance for domestic travel and twenty working days in case of international travel (in
 exceptional cases, the Director may relax the time limit on recommendation from immediate supervisor)
through Travel Authorization Form attached as Annexure – A.

6 Transportation:

6.1 Mode of Travel: The choice of transportation shall be based on efficient use of employees’
time and least cost to the organization. To the fullest extent possible, travel mode shall be the
most economical that reasonably meets official travel needs. The mode of travel shall be
recommended by the supervisor and approved by Assistant Director Operations/Director.
Common modes of travel are:
 Air travel.
 Ground Travel by
- Official Vehicle
- Public Transportation
- Taxi/ Cab
- Rental Car
- Personal vehicle
- Rail

Other modes of travel may be used only when the use of common modes of travel would
interfere with performance of official work or impose undue difficulty upon the traveler, or
when the total cost by common modes significantly exceeds the cost of other mode of travel.
When two or more employees are traveling together, travel related decisions/ choices during
travel period and record keeping is the responsibility of senior most employee. Further
guidelines for common modes of travel are provided in the following sections. The mode of
travel requires due recommendation of the reporting officer and approval by the Assistant
Director Operations/Director

 Air Travel: Air travel is only permissible when the inter-city distance via motorway is more
than 500 km. In order to optimize cost savings for the organization, employees shall make a
request for reservation immediately via the travel authorization form duly signed by the
supervisor.

 The management will be responsible for making Air reservations at least 5 working
days in advance of travel date in case of domestic travel while 14 working days in case
of international travel.
 Reservation should be made in lowest possible fare available at the time of booking.
Air travel is allowed only in economy class; however, business class is allowed in case
seats are not available.
 All international travels shall be recommended by the Director only.
 Travelers shall notify the management team in advance in case of change in travel
schedule.
 Traveler shall not be penalized against the cancellation costs borne by the organization
if the change in travel schedule is beyond traveler’s control.
 Unused tickets shall be returned by employees to the management team for onward
submission to airline/ travel agent for credit; otherwise, the traveler shall be
 responsible for the cost of unused tickets or penalties incurred which could have been
avoided by prompt notification from the traveler.

 Ground Travel: Ground travel mode shall be selected based on cost-effectiveness and
safety. Common modes of ground travel are as follow:

a) Official Vehicle: Official vehicle shall be provided by the organization for domestic travel as
per availability and convenience. The concerned driver shall be responsible for maintaining
a log of all expenses incurred during the course of travel, including fuel, toll payments,
parking charges and maintenance (if any), supported by invoices/ receipts.

b) Bus: Employees shall avail Bus service while travelling inter-city when the inter-city
distance is lesser than 500km. Employees are allowed to avail bus service with a maximum
fare of Daewoo “Premium Class”, while for the support staff the maximum allowed fare is
Daewoo “Luxury Class”, subject to submission of actual receipts. However, if a situation so
arises where it is not possible to undertake travel by bus, rent-a-car shall be arranged with
the approval of Assistant Director Operations/Director on recommendation of concerned
supervisor.

c) Car Rental: The use of rental car must be justified as an official need and not as a matter of
personal convenience. It is generally an expensive mode of ground travel and shall only be
used when other modes are not available and when nature of the trip or the location being
visited is such that other modes of ground travel are unfeasible or expensive.

Car rental facility shall be availed for inter-city travel after prior approval from Assistant
Director Operations and/or Director. Travelers are expected to negotiate minimum rates
with car rental providers. Insurance cost shall not be reimbursed. Driver of the rented
vehicle must hold valid driver’s license. Driver/ car details and tracker link (if available)
should be shared with the administration. Car rental reimbursement shall be made against
invoices/ receipts, in cases where receipts are un-available, copy of CNIC of driver may be
attached with the acknowledgment of rental by the driver on a paper.

d) Personal Vehicle: Employees may use their personal vehicle (cars) for official travel
purpose, if it is less expensive than other modes of ground transportation or is timelier
than taking public transportation. Use of personal vehicle shall be pre-authorized by the
Assistant Director Operations and/or Director. Employees authorized shall travel at their
own risk, shall be responsible for making arrangements regarding insurance and shall not
claim against the project/organization in respect of any damage or injury caused during
travel. Amount equivalent to Daewoo premium fare from city of travel to city of
destination shall be paid against the use of personal vehicle.

e) Rail: Travel by rail is allowed in Air-Conditioned class. Reimbursement shall be made only
against actual receipts/ invoices.

f) Taxi/ Cab: The Organization encourages the use of Taxi/ Cab for intra-city travel and
recommends using registered/ authentic taxi services (if available) like Careem or Uber. In
absence of registered taxi services, employees may use ordinary taxis and negotiate
 minimum possible rates. While traveling away from home, overnight living
accommodations should to the extent practicable, be selected near to the place of duty so
as to eliminate or minimize the need for taxis or other local transportation. When taxis are
used, they should be shared to the maximum extent possible by employees traveling
together. Taxi payment shall be based on actual expense and shall be reimbursed against
receipts; when receipt cannot be obtained, a justification statement signed by the traveler
(senior most employee in case of two or more travelers) shall be required.

g) Rerouting: A direct travel route shall be used for all official travels. However, when
rerouting is required during a trip, travelers should contact the management team and
request the change. Any addition or reduction in expenses resulting from the change shall
be accounted for by the travel on his/ her trip report. In case of rerouting for personal
convenience, any increase in expenses shall be the responsibility of traveler and he/ she
will not be paid extra per diem for transit time involved.

7 Travel Advances: A travel advance is provided to compensate expenses that are expected to be
incurred in conjunction with a trip. Upon traveler’s request through the travel authorization/
approval form, a travel advance is recommended by the immediate supervisor and authorized by
Assistant Director Operations and/or Director. The advance shall cover project travel expenditures
and be accounted for in Travel Expense Report (Annexure – B). Advances issued for trips cancelled
afterwards shall be returned to the finance team within 3 working days. The travel advance shall
not exceed 80% of the total anticipated expenses. Advance for international travel shall be
provided on case-to-case basis, depending on travel destination and duration. Travel advance shall
be settled no later than 10 working days after completion of trip. Non-settlement for more than 14
calendar days may result in appropriate disciplinary action

8 Cancellations: Airline, hotel and transportation reservation cancellations shall be made

immediately after a change in travel plans. Reservations directly made by travelers are their
responsibility to cancel within one working day of the change in travel plans. Any fees associated
with the failure to cancel in a timely manner shall be the responsibility of the traveler. If
cancelation is being made for personal purposes, any additional expenses incurred shall be
responsibility of the traveler. Moreover, the unused fare/ tickets shall be returned/refunded to the
organization within 3 days of cancellation.

9 Clearance of Travel Accounts: Employees and the consultants are entitled to a fixed daily
allowance (DA) for meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and related tips and taxes) and incidental
expenses (for example, gratuities and tips, laundry, toiletries), in case the traveler spends one night
out of city for official travel or the duration of travel is more than twelve hours. In addition to DA,
the employee can claim reimbursement against other allowable expenses with submission of
actual receipts for the expenses. Lodging expenses shall be paid on actual basis upon submission of
actual hotel bills in case where the management is not making any reservations. For bills less than
Rs.2,000/-, if a receipt is not available or missing, the traveler shall provide a written justification
explaining the circumstances. The management holds the right to settle travel expenses based on
appropriateness and cost-effectiveness. Employees making day trips will be allowed
reimbursement of meal expenses (subject to submission of actual receipts) with the maximum
reimbursement cap mentioned in the below table:
 Per Diem Rates for TA/ DA, Meal’s reimbursement Cap
S. No. Designation Daily Allowance Per Diem Meal Reimbursement Cap
1 Project Director Rs. 6500/- Rs. 1500/-
2 Assistant Director Rs. 6500/- Rs. 1500/-
3 Senior Officers Rs. 6000/- Rs. 1000/-
4 Officers Rs. 5500/- Rs. 800/-
5 Consultants Rs. 5500/- Rs. 800/-
6 Drivers Rs. 1500 Rs. 300/-

10 Daily Allowance/ Per Diem Calculation

Daily Allowance (DA) covers the cost of living, meals and other miscellaneous expenses during
official travel. Time and cost efficiency shall be taken into account while planning travel and also
during travel. DA shall be paid on per diem basis based on the following guidelines:
 Calculation of DA shall be based on number of nights stayed during official travel.
 If travel duration of a day trip is greater than 8 hours, the traveler shall be entitled to
reimbursement of meal expenses up to an amount not exceeding the maximum
reimbursement cap. DA shall only be admissible for Sunday or Public Holiday falling during
official travel.
 In case the travel takes up to three (03) hours or less under usual circumstances, the
employee shall travel in the morning and shall be required to undertake work on the same
day and no DA shall be admissible if the duration of the travel will be less than twelve hours.
 The DA will only be admissible if the duration of the travel exceeds twelve hours in the day.
In case the travel takes more than three (03) hours, the staff shall travel one day advance
and DA shall be admissible against that night stay.
 If an employee takes casual leave during the trip, he/ she shall not be paid any DA for the
leave period and DA shall be admissible only for period of duty.
 If an employee performs official duties during a personal visit, he/ she shall be entitled to DA
or meals reimbursement on the same basis as the employee would be entitled to on an
official trip.
 The entitlement to DA/ meals’ reimbursement shall be applicable only for the days spent in
performing official functions for which pre-authorization will be required

11 Reimbursement procedures: Employees seeking reimbursement shall submit a Travel Expense

Report (Annexure-B), duly filled substantiated with original invoices/ receipts and duly signed by
the employee. Following are necessary for reimbursement:
 Employee’s signature certifies that all expenses listed on Travel Expense Report are clearly
and correctly described and actual amounts are shown in all instances.
 Reimbursements over Rs.1,000/- must be supported by receipts.
 For bills of less than Rs.1,000/-, if a receipt is not available or missing, for expense to be
considered for reimbursement, the employee must provide a written justification explaining
the circumstances on the format given by the finance team.
 Travel Expense report should be accompanied by all the receipts in original as well as
boarding passes and copy of air ticket, in case of air travel.
 Travel Expense Report shall be submitted to immediate supervisor and Administration
Department no later than 10 days of trip completion. Travel expenses over 10 days old shall
 only be reimbursed with the Directors authorization and shall require proper justification
from the traveler.
 Reimbursements claimed after 14 calendar days of trip completion shall not be entertained
and shall remain the personal liability of the traveler unless authorized by the Director in
special circumstance to be recorded in writing.

11.1 Reimbursable expenses: The following travel expenses/ items are allowed for
reimbursement:
 Transfer, storage and checking of baggage necessary for the purpose of travel.
 Commissions for conversion of currency for official expenses.
 Fees for travellers’ cheques.
 Fees in connection with issuance of visas, photographs for visas and expenses
associated with obtaining visas.
 Necessary public stenographic or typewriting services or rental of type writer,
computers printers required to carry out official functions, with prior approval.
 Hiring of room as a secretariat for official use when necessary to transact official
business with prior approval.
 Vaccinations or disease prevention treatments required.
 Other expenses directly linked to official duties or purpose of travel.

11.2 Non-reimbursable expense: The following travel expenses/ items are not authorized for
reimbursement:
 Passport fee
 Fees and tips to waiters, drivers, porters, baggage handlers, bellhops and hotel servants
for personal handling of luggage.
 Lost luggage and contents.
 Transportation from place of lodging or business to places where meals are taken.
 Taxi charges or car rentals from airport to hotel or from hotel to airport where such
transportation is provided complimentary by the hotel or the management has provided
car rental service in case of outstation duties.
 Meals and drinks in excess of the maximum cap for reimbursement in case of day trips
 In-house movies and entertainment expenses.
 Phone and internet cards.
 Additional expenses associated with the cost of business class airfare.
 Personal medication.
 Expense incurred by failure to cancel reservations.
 Expenses incurred by the traveller’s spouse or other dependents accompanying travel.
 Magazines or newspaper expenses.
 Other expenses not directly linked to official duties or purpose of travel.

12 Sponsored/ Funded Travel: Expenses for all international travels fully sponsored by another
organization shall be paid by the sponsoring/ inviting agency and Program employees shall not be
entitled to transportation costs or DA from the organization. If an international travel is not fully
funded, DA rates and other travel related costs shall be approved by the on case-to-case basis
dependent on the funding availability.
13 Other Guidelines:
 In general, the Program does not support a substitution or exchange philosophy regarding travel
expenses. If an employee chooses a less expensive option, it would be inappropriate to utilize
this cost saving somewhere else, especially if it is personal in nature.
 The traveler shall mention on his/her Travel Request Form an address where the management
team may reach him/her for discharge of official work.
 When an employee on official travel is summoned in his/her official capacity by a court of law or
any other authority in Pakistan; he/she shall be entitled to travelling allowance as on official
tour, subject to prior approval for the journey.

14 Consultant: All the consultants hired for the project /organization shall abide by the travel policy,
The project staff working with the consultant shall share the travel policy with the consultant as
soon as the consultant is hired. Any travel expense incurred by the consultant in violation of the
Policy shall not be reimbursed.

15 Guidelines for the Management Team: The Management Team is required to make arrangements
for travel of all project employees. The following rules policies provide clarity and streamline the
travel process for employees, ensuring efficient and organized arrangements while also delineating
responsibilities between the management team and traveling employees. Following are the
guidelines the management has to adhere to strictly.
 Air Travel Booking: All air travel arrangements will be handled by the management team
through their designated vendor.
 Rental Car Service: For employees traveling outside the city, the management team will
arrange rental car services through the registered vendor. Payment for the same will be
made by the management.
 Lodging Booking: The management team is responsible for booking lodging
accommodations. Payment will be made in advance directly to the hotel or guesthouse if
the accommodation is within the country. This eliminates the need for employees to carry
cash for lodging expenses.
 Adherence to Agenda: Travel arrangements will be aligned with the agenda of the meeting
or event requiring travel outside the work city. If a meeting ends at 5pm and air travel back
to the duty station is feasible on the same day, any additional nights of lodging beyond the
duration of the event will be the responsibility of the traveling employee.