Manual for business trips

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Three basic rules:

  1. You may not embark on a business trip or begin purchasing tickets, accommodations, etc., until your travel order has been approved.
  2. Please begin making travel arrangements, particularly purchases, well in advance and with cost-effectiveness in mind.
  3. When calculating travel expenses, do not forget per diems (meal allowance).
  4. Submit your business trip expense report within 10 business days of the trip’s completion.

Business trip administration procedures

Are you an employee of the Faculty of Arts at Charles University and interested in going on a business trip abroad? Check out the current opportunities for administrative and academic staff, or for students. Recurring opportunities and calls for applications are published in the staff newsletter; you can also find them, for example, on the International Office website (along with special opportunities from international partners) under the Open Calls for Applications tab.

Travel to high-risk areas must first be approved by the Vice-Dean for International Affairs. If you are traveling to regions that may be considered a high-risk area (e.g., regions with an ongoing armed conflict or that border a country where armed conflict is ongoing, such as Ukraine, Israel, or Belarus), check the situation on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (text provided in Czech) and contact the Faculty Coordinator (Nikola Meryová, nikola.meryova@ff.cuni.cz).

If you already have an idea where and why you would like to head on your business trip, please answer the following questions:

In order for the trip to take place, it is essential that the person responsible for the funding source (usually an administrator in the relevant department of the dean’s office or the project coordinator) secure the necessary funding. Before planning the trip, it must be clear under which project (and from which sources; there may be multiple sources for different purposes) the trip will be funded. For international trips, a competitive bidding process is usually held, or some other form of communication takes place with those interested in traveling.

If you receive funding, the project manager will contact you, discuss the next steps, and inform you of any specific requirements arising from the particular funding sources (these apply especially to grant projects). You will also be provided with the contract number (funding source), which you will need to include on your travel order, as well as any specific requirements associated with that funding source.

If you are going on a business trip abroad, this does not mean you have to contact the International Office. You should only contact them if you are traveling under programmes and agreements managed by our colleagues at the International Relations Office. 

Different projects have different rules. For example, some grants require a comparison of three accommodation offers in the form of screenshots, while others allow hotel stays only up to a certain amount or a certain number of stars. It may happen that you attend several conferences in a row in the same country, but the grant does not allow you to start your business trip from another country, interrupt your business trip, etc. Be sure to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the rules for business travel!

Sources can be combined for various purposes, such as using one source to cover transportation costs and another to cover accommodation costs, etc.

Administrative staff:

Academic staff:

To obtain funding, you must complete the competitive bidding process by its provided deadline, therefore, please familiarize yourself with the terms and conditions well in advance.

Does your supervisor know about your planned trip?

In addition to the project manager, it is essential that your supervisor be aware of your upcoming business trip as well. If the project manager is also your supervisor, you have already fulfilled this requirement in the previous step. If they are two different people, please obtain preliminary informal (ideally via email) approval from your supervisor for your planned business trip. You can then begin filling out the travel order form.

Fill out the travel order form and have it signed by your supervisor and the person responsible for funding the trip. Unless your travel order gets approved, you cannot embark on a business trip or begin purchasing airline tickets, accommodations, etc.

The supervisor’s signature is not simply a formality. By signing, the supervisor assumes responsibility for the business trip and any unaccounted-for expenses.

Instructions for filling out the form are also available in the points below:

Before starting your trip, you must fill out the following information:

  • order number (upper right corner)
  • name of the department/institute or office
  • if you do not know the amount for “CZK limit” (the amount of funds allocated for a business trip within the framework of a specific project), the project manager will provide it to you
  • your first and last name, title, address, phone number
  • start of the trip (place, date, time), meeting location, purpose of trip and end of the trip (location and date)
    • The start of the business trip may be designated by the employer as the employee’s regular workplace, residence (or other place of stay), or another agreed upon location
    • The business trip begins with departing from this designated location for the purpose of performing work outside the regular workplace
  • “Employee agrees with this business trip” – attach the date and your signature
  • list any travel companions
  • “Designated means of transportation” – list the types of transportation; when using a personal vehicle, you must first obtain approval from the supervisor in advance
    • It is always necessary to choose the means of transportation in accordance with the principles of economy, efficiency, and effectiveness
    • At the same time, it is necessary to verify whether the given type of transportation is covered by the applicable funding source
      • If the funding source allows for the use of, for instance, a taxi, but taking a taxi is more expensive than public transportation, you should choose public transportation; however, if a taxi is the fastest mode of transportation in that location and failing to use it would result in missing the conference, a taxi may be an appropriate means of transportation. Similarly, it may ultimately be more economical to use a comparatively more expensive plane ticket instead of a cheaper bus ticket that would extend the total travel time by several days
  • “Approved advance payment in CZK” (date of payment, receipt number, cashier’s signature) – do not fill this out, the Finance Office will fill it out if necessary
  • date and signature of the employee authorized to approve the trip: signed by your supervisor and the person responsible for providing funding for the trip (the originator; sometimes this person is also the supervisor, at other times you will need to gather two different signatures); this field is essential information as you cannot embark on a business trip without a signed travel order; the supervisor will sign the travel order once again after you return

If you plan to suspend your business trip (e.g., you would like to arrive at the conference venue a few days early or, conversely, return a few days later), check with the person responsible for funding the trip to see if and under what conditions this is possible, and consult with colleagues in the Finance Office regarding the details of the suspension. Any interruption of a business trip must also be approved by your supervisor before you depart.

Employees are entitled to travel allowances from the moment they begin their business trip until the moment they finish their work. On days when the business trip is suspended, you will not be reimbursed for accommodation costs, subsistence allowance, or incidental expenses. You do not however need to split the accommodation costs into two invoices; your colleagues from the Finance Office will calculate the number of nights to be reimbursed based on the length of the business trip. Suspensions of the business trip must also be recorded for non-working days.  In the travel order, state the reason for the suspension, e.g., personal reasons or vacation. Enter the days of the interrupted business trip into the attendance record in the Absences module as Vacation. 

In order to be sent on a business trip abroad, you must first obtain the A1 form, which is issued by the Czech Social Security Administration. If the eligibility requirements are met, the form can be requested for a period of up to two years. To submit an application, please contact Ms. Eva Antošová from Human Resources and provide details regarding the institution you are visiting, the country you are traveling to, and the dates of your trip.

Please consider whether you would like to receive an advance for travel expenses in advance, already when planning your trip.

Submit your request for an advance payment to the Finance Office no later than 10 business days before the requested pickup date or the planned start date of your business trip.

You can cover business trip expenses yourself and have them reimbursed later through a final expense report, or you can receive an advance payment in advance. You will detail the use of the advance in the business trip expense report and your colleagues from the Finance Office will settle any over- or underpayment with you. 

Request an advance payment using the form on the intranet. The request must be signed by the person responsible for financing the business trip. Submit the approved form together with the filled out travel order to the Finance Office.

Advance payments in Czech crowns and euros can be paid into a CZK or EUR bank account, provided the employee has one (in the request form, this option is indicated in the field “The advance will be collected at the cash desk on *) / Záloha bude vyzvednuta v pokladně dne *)”). Advance payments in other foreign currencies (U.S. dollars, British pounds, Swiss francs) may only be paid in cash at the cashier’s office. You may request an advance payment in multiple currencies for a single business trip.

If the destination country has its own national currency, you may exchange the necessary amount of foreign currency received into the national currency while abroad. In that case, you must submit a receipt from the currency exchange office when submitting your business trip expense report to verify the exchange rate. If the Finance Office does not receive the receipt, it will use the exchange rate of the Czech National Bank for the conversion, which is usually less favourable.

Travel by personal vehicle must be properly consulted and approved by the supervisor, who must include in the header of the travel order the statement: “I hereby authorise travel by private car.”

Compare the costs of other modes of transportation and explain why using a personal vehicle is more economical (e.g., too many transfers, more passengers, lack of other transportation options, etc.). You should also include a brief explanation in the final report.

The driver must have:

  • a driver’s license
  • a valid driver training

 The vehicle must have:

  • vehicle registration papers
  • liability insurance
  • comprehensive insurance
  • winter tires (mandatory to be used during the winter, pursuant to Act No. 361/2000 Coll., the Act on Road Traffic and on Amendments to Certain Acts (Road Traffic Act)

Copies of documents confirming all of the above must be forwarded to the supervisor during the approval process. They must be subsequently submitted to the Finance Office as part of the final expense report.

Driver training – You need to have a valid driver training. The training takes place every month and is valid for two years.

Fuel reimbursement – As the driver of your own vehicle, you may submit fuel receipts, which will be used to calculate the price per unit of fuel. The date of fuel purchase must fall within the duration of the business trip. Otherwise, the average price specified in an applicable Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs decree will be used to calculate the reimbursement.

State the number of kilometres travelled within each country and all times (dates and times) of border crossings uniformly in the travel orders for all passengers. This breakdown must be included in the attached final report; see the business trip expense report.

You may purchase your own tickets and arrange your own accommodation once your travel orders are approved, unless the total amount exceeds 50 000 CZK (excluding VAT), in which case please contact your project manager for further instructions.

Receipts for expenses exceeding 10,000 CZK including VAT and issued in the Czech Republic must be made out in your name but also include the faculty’s accounting details, even if you have paid the receipts yourself. On documents related to the reimbursement of expenses for a domestic business trip or the domestic portion of an international business trip, which the employee uses to substantiate the amount of expenses in the travel expense report, the relevant amounts must be stated only in CZK. For any conversion of an amount stated on a document in a foreign currency to CZK, neither the service provider’s exchange rate nor the bank’s exchange rate may be used.

Receipts for expenses exceeding 10,000 CZK including VAT and issued abroad may be issued in your name and with your details if you have paid the receipts yourself. For example, invoices for accommodation booked through booking.com may be issued in your name and address. Please submit any accounting documents for items you have paid for yourself after concluding trip as part of your business trip expense report.

Example of accounting information for an invoice issued to the faculty:

First and last name of employee
Charles University
Faculty of Arts
Jan Palach Square 2            
116 38 Prague 1
IN (identification number): 00216208
VAT ID: CZ00216208

Another possible approach: Ask an authorized person (the secretary of the department/institute, the project manager or a designated staff member) to request the service. That person will place the order instead of you, and, once it gets approved, also forward the invoice to the Finance Office for receiving payment from the appropriate funding source.

Invoices issued to the faculty (i.e., received invoices) must be forwarded immediately via the Mailroom to the Finance Office for entry into the filing system and later payment. Invoice processing is subject to statutory deadlines, and late payment may result in receiving penalties. 

If an employee places an order or makes an invoice-based purchase directly, the secretary is required to be included in the email communication.

You must include a copy of the invoice paid by the faculty in your business trip expense report and final report and mark them as “paid by the faculty.”

You may also use the services of a travel agency to make your purchase, such as:

The advantages of booking through an agency: tickets may appear cheaper on the website. However, the initial offers often do not include all fees (they exclude baggage and service charges), with the final price is only displayed when proceeding to checkout. In the event of potential complications (changes, delays, flight cancellations), it is easier to communicate with an agency representative than through the helpdesk of online booking sites.

Fees for the agencies mentioned above range from 200 to 500 CZK, depending on the type of service.

You may use the following e-mail template for ordering services from a travel agency:

Hello, I would like to request a quote for transportation / accommodation / both transportation and accommodation for the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, in accordance with the terms and conditions listed in the attachment. Payment: by invoice – to be paid by the Faculty of Arts, Charles University.

The order must always include:

  • the traveller’s full name as stated in the travel document
  • the traveller’s email address and/or telephone contact
  • date and place of arrival and departure
  • specification of the preferred connection or accommodation in the form of a link
  • in the case of air travel, specification of baggage (carry-on, checked)

Alternatively, please attach the request form (“Poptávkový formulář”) available on the ZO Intranet in the “Other” (“Ostatní”) section.

It is also possible to book tickets directly with specific carriers (e.g., České dráhy, Regiojet, Flixbus, various airlines).

The reimbursement of travel expenses is governed by relevant laws and regulations, faculty policies, and the rules of individual projects. For more details, please contact our colleagues in the Finance Office. 

The basic (daily) per diem rate for domestic business trips is determined by a decree of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

The basic (daily) per diem rates for individual countries is set by decrees of the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic valid for the relevant calendar year.

If you travel to multiple countries during a single business trip, the rate applicable to the country in which you spent the longest time on that calendar day of the business trip abroad will be used to calculate the per diems.

Per diems are payable to the employee for each calendar day of the business trip in the full or prorated amount of the basic rate, depending on the duration of the business trip (based on the number of hours spent abroad on that day). The time of crossing the border is decisive for determining the amount of per diems in foreign currency (for air travel, the time of departure from the Czech Republic or arrival in the Czech Republic). The per diem amount is also reduced if you are provided with a free meal that constitutes breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

If per diems are not fully covered by the host party or reimbursed by another institution, the estimated per diem amount must be included in the planned budget for the business trip.

If per diems are provided by the host party, you must provide confirmation of either the amount of the contribution or the number of meals provided. You must also indicate this fact on the travel expense report form.

Per diems are granted as a flat-rate allowance according to the tariff (see above) and do not need to be supported by receipts.

  1. International travel expenses
  2. Local transportation expenses
  3. Accommodation expenses
  4. Subsistence allowances
  5. Necessary incidental expenses, i.e. expenses incurred in direct connection with the business trip and paid during the trip such as conference registration fees, admission fees, photocopying costs, parking fees and tolls when the use of a private vehicle is permitted, airport fees, baggage storage fees, mandatory vaccinations for specific destinations not covered by health insurance, parking fees when the use of a motor vehicle is permitted during the business trip, etc. However, it is always necessary to adhere to the allocated budget and the rules for the specific funding source.

All of them. Please attach all purchase documents to the final business trip expense report. Since purchased documents may not always include all of the necessary details, it’s best to keep all of them: receipts, invoices, payment confirmations from online banking, airline tickets, boarding passes (including electronic ones), train tickets, etc.

Yes. All payment documents must be issued in the passenger’s name. If it is not immediately clear from the document who paid for it (e.g., if the payment was made from a joint account held by a married couple), you must state this in the final expense report in a signed Declaration of Honour.

The reimbursement of travel expenses is governed by relevant laws and regulations, faculty policies, and the rules of individual projects. For more details, please contact our colleagues in the Finance Office. 

The basic (daily) rate of subsistence allowance for individual countries is set by decrees of the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic valid for the relevant calendar year.

If you travel to multiple countries during a single business trip, the rate applicable to the country in which you spent the longest time on that calendar day of the business trip abroad will be used to calculate the subsistence allowance.

The subsistence allowance is payable to the employee for each calendar day of the business trip in the full or prorated amount of the basic rate, depending on the duration of the business trip (based on the number of hours spent abroad on that day). The time of crossing the border is decisive for determining the amount of the subsistence allowance in foreign currency (for air travel, the time of departure from the Czech Republic or arrival in the Czech Republic). The subsistence allowance amount is also reduced if you are provided with a free meal that constitutes breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

If the subsistence allowance is not fully provided by the host party or reimbursed by another institution, the subsistence allowance (in the estimated amount) must be included in the planned budget for the business trip.

If the subsistence allowance is provided by the host party, you must provide confirmation of either the amount of the contribution or the number of meals provided. You must also indicate this fact on the travel expense report form.

Very closely. Purchases must be made in the most cost-effective for the employer possible.

You may only use higher than basic classes in public transportation only in cases when the transportation last longer than 4 longer and only if the rules for subsidies are followed.

Yes, as long as all of the travellers’ expenses are covered by the same funding source (orders). If someone pays for instance the accommodation for multiple travel companions, then all participants must indicate so in the final report (detailed instructions are included in the Business Trip Final Report form available on the intranet).

Since January 1, 2026, the Faculty of Arts at Charles University utilizes a framework agreement for travel insurance for all employees abroad. Every employee will be automatically insured for all business trips abroad as soon as the trip is approved (i.e., the travel order has been signed by all responsible parties). Please remember to enter the trip into the Absences module (IS VERSO).

If a suspension of the business trip is approved, the employee is insured only for the duration of work; it is recommended that the suspension period be covered by individual private insurance.

Please review the information on travel insurance for trips abroad in the document Insurance Contract – Information for Employees available on the intranet before your trip. The document contains basic information about the terms of the contract as well as instructions on how to proceed in the event of trip cancellation, for example. You will also find an assistance card at the same link, which you should download either as a PDF or to your mobile device.

A business trip will be considered covered by faculty insurance even if the employee has their own private travel insurance. The costs of privately arranged travel insurance are not considered eligible expenses and will not be reimbursed, except in duly approved cases where the insurance provided by the Faculty of Arts, Charles University does not cover the specific needs of the business trip. These exceptions must be addressed prior to travel by notifying the faculty coordinator (Nikola Meryová, nikola.meryova@ff.cuni.cz).

Travel to high-risk areas must first be approved by the Vice-Dean for International Affairs. If you are traveling to regions that may be considered a high-risk area (e.g., regions with an ongoing armed conflict or that border a country where armed conflict is ongoing, such as Ukraine, Israel, or Belarus), check the situation on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (text provided in Czech) and contact the Faculty Coordinator.

Insurance claims (e.g., an accident during travel or causing damage to a third party) must first be reported by the employee to the assistance service. Subsequently, at the earliest opportunity on the next business day, they must be reported to the immediate supervisor, the head of the basic unit or faculty administration unit and the faculty coordinator.

Foreign employees are also contractually insured for travel abroad, with the exception of their country of permanent residence, which is considered to be the country where the insured person has lived for at least 6 months during the preceding 12 months, or the country in which the insured person is a participant in public health insurance.

According to the Dean’s Measure no. 25/2024, for travel abroad costing more than 12,000 CZK, the option to cancel or change the business trip must always be secured, particularly through a so-called flexible fare or by purchasing insurance covering costs related to the cancellation or any change of the business trip. The master faculty insurance also covers flight cancellations, with a 10% deductible.

Business trips are not automatically recorded in attendance, so be sure to enter them in the Absences module in a timely manner (as business trip) yourself.

Don’t forget to also note any suspensions of the trip in the same place (as vacation leave).

For example, if a business trip is cancelled or postponed due to an illness, a flight cancellation by the airline, a hotel cancellation, an accident, an injury, family reasons, etc., always report this to the project manager or the relevant officer as well as your supervisor.

If you know you will not be able to submit the documents by the deadline, please inform your project manager. In the event of any discrepancies, colleagues from the Finance Office will contact you to arrange an appropriate extension of the deadline.

  • Fill out the other side of the travel order and gather the signatures of the supervisor and the person responsible for financing the business trip.
  • For both domestic and international business trips, please complete and sign the form Business Trip Final Expense Report
  • Attach the paper accounting and travel documents (see more details below).

Submit all these documents in accordance to the procedures at your workplace or of type of project: either to the secretary, the supervisor or directly to the Finance Office via the mailroom.

Attach all paper travel documents (train tickets, plane tickets, flight itineraries, etc.) and paper tax documents (using tape or a stapler, avoiding the text on the document) to separate sheets, on which you must always include:

  • Your name
  • Your document number (simply number the documents for easier identification on the paper to which they are attached),
  • The number of the order.

If you have documents only in electronic form, please print them out and attach them as well.

Overview of documents you will hand over in paper form attached to your final report:

Please remember to include information regarding the method of payment in your final report (paid by an employee or in advance by the faculty).

It is essential that the accounting documents clearly show the passenger’s name, the price, and that the ticket has been paid for.

Mandatory documents for a plane ticket paid for by the employee:

  • the plane ticket
  • proof of payment (such as a cash register receipt or an online confirmation from online banking)
  • boarding passes: if you have electronic boarding passes, print them out in advance (so you don’t have to look for them later)
  • invoice (this may be replaced by another document, provided it shows the final amount identical to the amount on the payment confirmation)

 Mandatory documents for a plane ticket paid for by the faculty:

  • the plane ticket
  • boarding passes (only if you still have them and if the project rules require them)
  • a copy of the invoice

Please remember to include information regarding the method of payment in your final report (paid by an employee or in advance by the faculty).

 Mandatory documents for a ticket paid for by the employee:

  • the ticket + seat reservation, if applicable
  • proof of payment (such as a cash register receipt or an online confirmation from online banking)
  • invoice (this may be replaced by another document, provided it shows the final amount identical to the amount on the payment confirmation)

Mandatory documents for a ticket paid for by the faculty:

  • the ticket + seat reservation, if applicable
  • a copy of the invoice

Please remember to include information regarding the method of payment in your final report (paid by an employee or in advance by the faculty).

Mandatory documents for accommodation paid for by the employee:

  • invoice (or confirmation of accommodation, if it includes the final amount) + names of guests and dates
  • proof of payment in the case of payment by card/bank transfer or payment confirmation from online banking

Mandatory documents for accommodation paid for by the faculty: a copy of the invoice in paper form.

Eligible incidental expenses are those that were paid during the business trip.

  • public transportation tickets
    • Attach the original ticket and proof of payment. A missing ticket or proof of payment may be replaced by a payment confirmation from online banking and/or a Declaration of Honour.
  • conference fees
    • Provide a document showing the amount of the conference fee and proof of payment (online banking payment confirmation, receipt).
  • taxi rides
    • Submit proof of payment for the taxi ride.
    • In the final report, explain the cost-effectiveness, appropriateness and/or necessity of using more expensive transportation.
  • using a copy machine
  • entrance to a library
  • visas
  • other

The rules governing business travel for employees of the Faculty of Arts, Charles university, are set forth in Dean’s Measure No. 2/2026. And Rector’s Directive No. 1/2026.