Scope
Introduction
This directive recognizes that it is in the interest of both management and employees that employees and their families have access to an allowance for Post Travel Assistance to visit Canada and/or travel away from the post during each posting, with more frequent travel provisions for employees at more difficult posts.
Issue and verification procedures are found in FSD 70 - Allowances and Reporting Requirements.
Directive
50.1.1 An employee and any dependant normally residing with the employee at a post, including primary and secondary school students who are being educated away from the post but not in Canada under the provisions of section 34.5 of FSD 34 – Education Allowances where educational facilities at the post are not compatible, shall be entitled to an allowance for Post Travel Assistance (PTA) to assist them in travelling from:
- posts which are not listed in Appendix B of FSD 58 – Post Differential Allowance, once per tour of duty (including any extension), of three years or more; where an employee is assigned to a non-hardship post for a period of less than three years, such an employee shall only be entitled to an allowance at the end of the posting in accordance with subsection 50.4.1;
- posts at Levels I and II in Appendix B of FSD 58 – Post Differential Allowance, once per two-year tour of duty plus one allowance for each additional year beyond two years;
- posts at Levels I and II in Appendix B of FSD 58 – Post Differential Allowance, twice per three-year tour of duty, plus one allowance for each additional year beyond three years;
- posts at Levels III, IV and V in Appendix B of FSD 58 – Post Differential Allowance, once for each year for the number of years of the tour of duty, plus one allowance for each additional year beyond the normal tour of duty.
50.1.2 An employee shall use the allowance for travel outside the post, and may be used on one or more occasions upon submission of a travel plan which shall indicate travel for everyone for whom an allowance has been authorized.
50.1.3 Where a PTA is authorized, dependants do not have to travel together or with the employee.
50.1.4 All travel entitlements under this directive may be taken at any time during a posting, but all such travel entitlements automatically lapse on the termination of each posting.
50.1.5 Where assistance has been authorized in accordance with FSD 18 - Special Family Separation Assistance, the allowance authorized under subsection 50.1.1 may be used by the employee and all the employee's dependants for certification under FSD 70 – Allowances and Reporting Requirements.
50.2 Employee-Couple
50.2.1 This directive shall apply to each employee of an employee-couple. However, when both employees are at the same post, where a dependant is eligible for travel under this directive, only one employee may claim the entitlements under this directive for each dependant.
50.3 Calculation and Certification of Allowance
50.3.1 Where travel is authorized under subsection 50.1.1 and/or 50.4.3, the deputy head shall authorize a non-accountable allowance which is subject to certification and possible verification as outlined in FSD 70 – Allowances and Reporting Requirements.
50.3.2 The allowance shall be established in accordance with the methodology agreed to by the NJC FSD Committee for FSD 50 – Post Travel Assistance and section 56.11 - Post Specific Allowance effective June 1st of each year as published in Appendix B of FSD 56 – Foreign Service Incentive Allowances to be equivalent to:
- 80% of an unrestricted full economy airfare for return travel from the employee's post to the headquarters city; or
- where there is no unrestricted full economy airfare for all or a portion of the journey, 100% of the highest available economy class airfare.
50.3.3 Employees are required to certify that 75% of the allowance is spent on travel and travel related expenses, including transportation, accommodation, meals and incidental travel expenses such as tours, entry fees etc. Certification is required on completion of the last travel or at the end of the posting, whichever is earlier, in accordance with FSD 70 – Allowances and Reporting Requirements. Pursuant to the provisions of section 70.4, employees must retain evidence of travel and may be required to demonstrate that the allowance has been used for the purpose intended.
50.4 Deferred Relocation Travel
50.4.1 In addition to the travel entitlements specified in subsection 50.1.1, an employee and any dependant normally residing with the employee at the post, including primary and secondary school students who are being educated away from the post but not in Canada under the provisions of section 34.5 of FSD 34 – Education Allowances where educational facilities at the post are not compatible, may request to travel between the post and the headquarters city, on the termination of each posting in accordance with section 15.3 of FSD 15 - Relocation.
50.4.2 The employee does not have the option of deferring relocation travel under section 15.3 of FSD 15 - Relocation.
50.4.3 The deputy head has the right to defer an employee's relocation travel to the headquarters city under section 15.3 of FSD 15 - Relocation for operational reasons. In such a case, the employee shall have one additional PTA under this directive for travel to the headquarters city during the new posting. This travel to the headquarters city must be identified on the FSD 70 Travel Certification form for FSD 50.
50.4.4 Travel authorized under section 50.4 on termination of posting may only be authorized in conjunction with relocation travel under FSD 15 - Relocation, and does not apply to situations of posting extension.
50.5 Leave
50.5.1 When the employee travels under subsection 50.1.1 of this directive, there is no minimum number of compensation days of leave with pay which must be taken.
50.5.2 Employees are expected to travel during non-working hours; however, where travel is during working hours, the employee shall be charged the appropriate leave. An exception is made when travel is not possible during non-working hours (for example, all international flights are scheduled for morning, mid-week departures). In such exceptional situations the deputy head shall grant an employee travel leave for a period sufficient to reach the destination of the travel. This period shall not exceed the travelling time by air required for a journey between the post and headquarters city.
50.6 Additional Shipment of Goods
50.6.1 An employee authorized to travel under this directive who is returning to a Level III, IV or V hardship post may arrange for the shipment of additional personal and household goods as an extension of the provisions of sections 15.13 to 15.15 of FSD 15 - Relocation. The employee will be entitled to either one piece of accompanied excess baggage per eligible traveller or one air shipment not to exceed 20 kilos for the employee and for each accompanying dependant.
50.6.2 The cost shall be limited to the lesser cost of either air cargo or accompanied excess baggage, as determined by the deputy head on the basis of the employee's weight entitlement for shipment from the employee's headquarters city to the employee's post at the time travel is taken.
50.6.3 Such shipment may originate from one or more locations where such location(s) must be on the return routing to the post and must relate to the period of travel.
50.6.4 An employee may claim the cost of charges for customs duties, taxes and/or clearance charges imposed by the host country on the air cargo/accompanied excess baggage.
50.6.5 An employee is responsible for any demurrage or similar charges incurred as a result of fault, choice or negligence of the employee or dependant and for local transportation costs at the points of origin and destination of the shipment.
50.7 Temporary Duty
50.7.1 Where an employee travelling under the provisions of this directive is accompanied by a dependant and is instructed to report for temporary duty during the period of authorized travel, the deputy head may authorize the payment of the reasonable and actual living expenses for the period of temporary duty for a dependant who accompanies the employee, in accordance with section 15.11 of FSD 15 - Relocation.
50.8 Change in Family Size
50.8.1 Employees should anticipate changes in family size when applying for PTA. Once issued, PTA cannot be adjusted to recognize the arrival or departure of a dependant.
50.9 Change in Post Rating Level
50.9.1 Where the frequency of PTA changes as a result of a reduction in a post's Post Differential Allowance level under FSD 58 – Post Differential Allowance, this change shall not affect an employee at the post on the effective date of the reduction for the duration of the current tour of duty.
50.9.2 Where the frequency of PTA changes as a result of an increase in a post's Post Differential Allowance level under FSD 58 – Post Differential Allowance, this change shall only affect an employee at the post on the effective date of the increase where the employee has approximately 12 months remaining in the tour of duty.
50.10 Early Termination
50.10.1 In cases of early termination of posting at the initiation of the employee or resignation before the end of the employee's tour of duty at a post, all or a portion of the allowance may be recovered by the deputy head. Such recovery action may be waived when, in the opinion of the deputy head, there are extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the employee. (See related provisions FSD 15.26 and FSD 15.27 of FSD 15 - Relocation.)
50.11 Managerial Discretion
50.11.1 Notwithstanding the specific limitations prescribed in subsection 50.1.1 of this directive, when the deputy head is of the opinion that the full year is not completed as a result of operational requirements which are beyond the employee’s control, the deputy head may pro-rate the allowance for the employee and any dependants who relocated at the same time as the employee.
50.11.2 Notwithstanding the specific limitations prescribed in subsection 50.1.1 of this directive, when the deputy head is of the opinion that employees and/or dependants who are subject to the provisions of FSD 64 – Emergency Evacuation and Loss should be authorized to use the allowance provided under this directive to travel away from the evacuation location in lieu of from the post, the deputy head may authorize the use of the allowance issued from the employee’s post for travel.
50.11.3 Where travel occurs during an emergency evacuation, travel must occur away from the post and from the evacuation location. Expenses covered under FSD 64 – Emergency Evacuation and Loss cannot be used to certify the use of FSD 50 – Post Travel Assistance.
50.11.4 Where managerial discretion is exercised:
- the allowance is subject to the same conditions as a full allowance; and
- the details shall be reported to the appropriate foreign service interdepartmental coordinating committee.