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NRO NC Travel Policy

This document describes the travel support policy for members of the Number Resource Organization Number Council (NRO NC) in the APNIC region.

NRO NC members often have to travel to APNIC-related conferences and meetings. They often incur expenses for attending such events and it is necessary to obtain APNIC Secretariat approval if travel expenses need to be claimed from APNIC. This document sets out the guidelines for claiming legitimate business expenses when travelling for APNIC.

APNIC travel expenses are classified as either ‘Business’ expenses which are covered directly by APNIC, or ‘Personal’ expenses which are the responsibility of the individual traveller. APNIC provides standard travel allowances to cover these personal expenses.

Meals and incidental allowances for business travel are provided, by referring to the Australian Tax Office (ATO) reasonable travel allowance rates for the economy where the travel takes place or as advised by the Secretariat.

Subject to the approval/pre-approval of the APNIC Finance Director, the following travel expenses can be claimed when traveling to APNIC-related conferences.

Business travel expenses covered by APNIC

As a general rule, the following travel expenses, incurred when undertaking APNIC business activities, are covered directly by APNIC:

  • Airfare
    • Economy return airfares from the individual’s home economy to the destination.
    • Travel outside of the APNIC region:
      • Travel dates are flexible to allow for more recovery time after arriving at the meeting location, and any incidentals and/or additional meals can be reimbursed with receipts according to the expense claims process.
    • Additional air travel, flight rerouting, or stopovers arranged for personal reasons must be paid by the individual.
  • Accommodation
    • Accommodation costs based on the availability of flights and the conference or meeting period will be covered by APNIC. Given the inconvenient travel times for some flights to and from the conference venue, such special circumstances would allow for an extra night’s accommodation. The APNIC Secretariat should be notified of this additional requirement when necessary. Where additional accommodation or incidental hotel expenses are arranged and incurred for personal reasons, these must be paid directly by the individual.
    • For hotel accommodation related to APNIC meeting or conferences, APNIC normally pays these expenses directly to the hotel.
  • Ground transportation
    • Transportation expenses to and from the airport at the conference venue are covered directly by APNIC.
    • Transportation expenses to and from the airport at your home economy/city can be claimed, supported by receipts.
  • Meal and Daily incidental allowance
    • Meals will usually be provided during the conference or meeting.  APNIC will only cover meals which have not been provided during the period of the conference. Any claims for meals not provided at the conference will need to be supported by receipts.
    • Daily incidental expenses can be claimed based on the conference or meeting period and the duration of your stay at the event.  For example, if you only stay for one day to attend a four-day conference or meeting, APNIC will provide the daily incidental expenses for up to two days.
    • The daily meal and incidental allowance is a per diem (per day) rate based on the APNIC travel expense policy and varies depending on the country or economy.
  • Other
    • Relevant travel visas and departure taxes are covered directly by APNIC or can be claimed.
    • APNIC will pay for the reasonable costs of travel insurance.

Personal travel expenses

The following expenses are considered as personal expenses and are covered by the daily incidental allowance paid by APNIC:

  • Snacks and beverages (alcoholic or otherwise)
  • Personal phone calls
  • Entertainment (for example, hotel movies, cable television, gym, sauna, and mini bar etc)
  • Tips or gratuities for services such as waiters and baggage handlers
  • Excess baggage charges for personal belongings
  • Laundry and dry cleaning
  • Personal items such as newspapers, magazines, snacks, etc
  • Social events or tours not related directly to the purpose of the business trip
  • Currency exchange charges

Record-keeping of expenses

For accounting audit purposes, it is necessary to keep a record of all expenses covered by APNIC incurred during an APNIC business trip. Support documentation is not required if you are claiming Incidental allowance which is based on the APNIC travel expense policy per diem (per day) rate. Auditory rules require that APNIC receive clear readable support documentation before making any payment.

Lodging of expense claims

In order to meet fiscal and budgetary deadlines, APNIC requires that all Number Resource Organization Number Council members claiming reimbursement from APNIC do so within two weeks after the conference or meeting.  Please ensure expenses are being claimed from one party only.