RULES FOR TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST/ EXPENSES FOR ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS
Please read carefully before completing the travel request.
IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE PAYMENT, THE PARTICIPANT MUST:
- Select the most economical means of transportation; make their transportation arrangements as early as possible upon receipt of the official invitation to the meeting; and arrive/depart as close as possible to the beginning/end dates of the meeting.
- Register their bank detail prior to the meeting in e-COST: https://e-services.cost.eu;
- Submit a duly completed and signed by hand Travel Reimbursement Request (TRR) form within 30 calendar days after the end date of meeting (together with the supporting documents), and declare that he/she will not receive any similar reimbursement or allowance from a third party.
- Original invoices/receipts must be kept by the claimant for 3 years after the activity end date for audit purposes.
ELIGIBLE EXPENSES (additional details available on the COST Vademecum Part 1):
Accommodation (including breakfast) and Meals
Accommodation expenses are based on flat rates only (at a maximum EUR 120 per person per night, breakfast included), calculated on the actual attended meeting days (as confirmed by the signatures on the meeting attendance list) plus 1 night, assuming the arrival takes place one day before the meeting and departure one day after the meeting. No additional nights will be reimbursed without a justification and prior approval of the COST Association.
The accommodation expenses must be paid directly by the participant. If sharing the accommodation with another participant, only one participant can claim the reimbursement of the nights.
Accommodation expenses paid centrally by the Grant Holder or by the Local Organizer are noneligible.
Meals are based on flat rates only (at a maximum of EUR 20 per person per meal). Meals provided by other sources are deducted from the number of meals to be reimbursed;
Airplane, Train or Bus, Car and Ferry
Only economy class tickets are eligible for reimbursement. Air tickets exceeding EUR 1 200 require prior approval from the COST Office; seat reservations and transport of luggage costs are eligible.
Travel from/to countries other than the host country and your country of residence (as registered in e-COST), must be explained in the justification box and with a comparative quote of a round trip ticket.
For Train or Bus, business and economy class tickets are eligible for reimbursement; and supplements for fast trains and sleepers are eligible expenses.
Car travel is limited to a maximum distance of 2 000 km and is reimbursed at EUR 0.20 per km, when an eligible participant to be reimbursed is travelling alone or at EUR 0.30 per km, when additional eligible participants to be reimbursed are travelling in the same car. Only the driver shall be reimbursed. The names of the passengers must be mentioned on the remarks section of the TRR submitted by the driver. Proof of distance which shows the traveled route beginning at the city of origin to the approved meeting destination has to be submitted along with the TRR by means of a print-out from Google Maps.
In order to be reimbursed, participants must submit as a supporting document the original ticket (and the related invoice if the price is not indicated on the ticket) mentioning the name of the passenger, the price, dates of travel, departure and arrival times and the booking class – essentially the full itinerary of the trip.
Local transport expenses
Local transport expenses include any transport costs (including shuttle, buses, trains, metro, tramway, taxis, car costs (up to 2000 km) and parking costs), incurred to go from Home to Airport /train station; Airport / train station to meeting venue / hotel; Hotel to meeting venue; Meeting venue to hotel; Meeting venue / hotel to airport / train station; Airport / train station back to home.
If the claimed amount is less than EUR 25, no tickets are required to be submitted for reimbursement but the journey must be detailed on the TRR (for both the outbound & inbound journeys). If the claimed amount exceeds EUR 25, receipts justifying the total amount claimed must be provided. All receipts must display the amount and the date that the expenses were incurred.
Eligible participants are limited to use taxis only when no other means of public transport is available or for early departures (departure before 7 am) or late arrivals (arrival after 10 pm) up to a maximum of 80 EUR for the entire journey, against receipt.
Other eligible expenses
Short term visa fees relevant to attending a meeting and eventual additional overnight stays and/or extra meals aiming to significantly reduce the overall transportation costs (by minimum EUR 160 per additional night), require provision of comparative cost statements at the day of purchase, and an explanatory note to be provided together with the TRR.
NON-ELIGIBLE EXPENSES
Registration, honorarium or lecture fees; transportation expenses to obtain the visa; health related expenses, life and medical insurance; travel cancelation and luggage insurance; overnight stay during a trip by car, fuel costs, tolls and car rental costs; Wi-Fi, telephone, internet and minibar consumption; printing costs, postage; regional or national taxation fees, stamp duty expenses.
MI-NET 