Contribution to travel and subsistence expenses for candidates invited to attend a selection procedure (test, interview) or medical examination

Transcription

1 1 August 2015 EMA/407052/2013 Administration Contribution to travel and subsistence expenses for candidates invited to attend a selection procedure (test, interview) or medical examination Frequently asked questions 30 Churchill Place Canary Wharf London E14 5EU United Kingdom Telephone +44 (0) Facsimile +44 (0) Send a question via our website An agency of the European Union European Medicines Agency, Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

2 Table of contents 1. Entitlement Is there a financial contribution from EMA towards the expenses related to the written test/interview/medical examination? Are travel costs always reimbursed and how much? Does EMA pay anything else apart from travel reimbursement? If I fail my test/interview, am I still entitled to reimbursement? Travel Will EMA pay for first/business class travel? How is the distance between my place of residence and EMA calculated? Can I come by car? What if I drive and have to pay for a ferry or euro shuttle fare? Will EMA pay for transfers to/from the airport/the train station? What if I travel from a place outside the European Union? EMA has booked my ticket, but I would like to change the time and/or date of the flight. Can I do this? will be booking the ticket myself. Do I still have to send the travel request form to EMA Meeting Management Services? I will be travelling from another place than my place of residence. Will the travel costs be reimbursed? Being invited to the test, I would like to take the opportunity to spend some more days at the place of the test for personal reasons. Am I still entitled to receive the reimbursement of travel expenses? I have to change my departure date because of personal reasons. Will you refund the new ticket with different departure date since I cannot change the original ticket because of its restrictions? Do you reimburse taxi costs? Daily subsistence allowance (DSA) If I am obliged to stay two nights in London, will I receive the double daily allowance? I stay in London overnight as I may not be in time for my appointment early in the morning or in time to take the last flight/train back home after my interview/test? What if I stay overnight with friends? Can I ask EMA to book a hotel for me? Does EMA recommend any hotels and is it possible to get the Agency rates at a hotel? If I stay in a hotel where a rate per night is less/more than 100, how much will I be entitled to receive as daily subsistence allowance? I shared a hotel room with another candidate. How will hotel expenses be reimbursed? 8 4. Reimbursement procedure What do I have to do to claim reimbursement?... 8 EMA/407052/2013 Page 2/10

3 4.2. What documents do I need to provide in order to receive reimbursement? Where can I find the candidates reimbursement rules and a statement of expenses for candidates? Do I have to provide boarding passes if my travel was booked by EMA Meeting Management Services? What is the deadline to apply for reimbursement? Can I receive my daily allowance in cash on the day of my test/interview? When should I expect my reimbursement? My travel was not paid in pounds. What is the currency of the reimbursement? Contact... 9 EMA/407052/2013 Page 3/10

4 1. Entitlement 1.1. Is there a financial contribution from EMA towards the expenses related to the written test/interview/medical examination? Travel costs are reimbursed if the travel distance between the place of residence (as specified in your application) and the place of the written test/interview/medical examination is more than 150 km. In addition, a flat-rate of daily subsistence allowance (DSA) is 30 for a distance of more than 50 km, or, 100 for a distance of more than 150 km and a required overnight hotel stay (hotel invoice required). All reimbursements are processed by bank transfer only. Overview table: Contribution Travel by air /train /bus /ship /car Daily subsistence allowance (DSA) < 50 km Distance > 50 km and < 150 km > 150 km nil nil paid nil Are travel costs always reimbursed and how much? There is no reimbursement of any travel costs if the distance is less than 150 km. Train tickets are reimbursed for a travel distance of more than 150 km for the most economic, standard 2 nd class return fare. Economy class flights are reimbursed for a travel distance of more than 500 km distance between the place of residence and the place of the test/interview/medical examination (as per invitation letter) or if a sea-crossing is involved Does EMA pay anything else apart from travel reimbursement? Yes, EMA may pay a flat rate of daily subsistence allowance (DSA) to help you with your expenses if your residence is located more than 50 km from the place of the written test /interview /medical examination, see point If I fail my test/interview, am I still entitled to reimbursement? Yes. EMA/407052/2013 Page 4/10

5 2. Travel 2.1. Will EMA pay for first/business class travel? No, EMA only reimburses an economy class flight/ 2 nd class train (if the travel exceeds 150 km, see point 1. Entitlement) How is the distance between my place of residence and EMA calculated? For the purpose of contribution, the travel distance is calculated by (kilometric distance by land transport) Can I come by car? Means of transport other than flight or train are reimbursed based on kilometric flat rate, i.e per km from 1 to 1000 kilometres; 0.08 for each kilometre for kilometres ,000; 0 for kilometres above 10,000 km. That applies to a travel distance of more than 150 km only. Please provide a print-out of the route with the number of kilometres. A travel by car must be justified and economically viable What if I drive and have to pay for a ferry or euro shuttle fare? These fares are covered within the kilometric flat rate (see 2.2) Will EMA pay for transfers to/from the airport/the train station? The actual cost of travel between an airport/main rail station and a place of test/interview/medical examination can be reimbursed. The most economical option must be considered. You need to make your own arrangements. The cost of transfer between a place of residence and an airport/main rail station is not reimbursed. However, should the distance between a place of residence and the closest airport/main rail station exceed 150 km, it is no longer considered a transfer and can be reimbursed upon presentation of supporting documents. EMA/407052/2013 Page 5/10

6 2.6. What if I travel from a place outside the European Union? Travel expenses are reimbursed only from the point of entry in the European territory of a member state which is nearest to the place of your residence as specified in the invitation letter. For example, if you live in New York City, USA, you may be reimbursed up to the cost of the return travel from Cork, Ireland (a point of entry to the EU). You have to arrange the travel yourself. Should you have any questions, please candidates@ema.europa.eu EMA has booked my ticket, but I would like to change the time and/or date of the flight. Can I do this? No, once EMA Meeting Management Services have booked your tickets and provided you with the itinerary, you cannot change the travel times and/or day of your travel I will be booking the ticket myself. Do I still have to send the travel request form to EMA Meeting Management Services? No, if you are going to book your ticket, you do not send the travel request form to the Meeting Management Services. However, please inform a selection procedure secretary that you will be making your own travel arrangements. Your ticket may then be reimbursed in accordance to the candidate's reimbursement rules I will be travelling from another place than my place of residence. Will the travel costs be reimbursed? Yes, however, the reimbursement cannot exceed the cost of travel to and from your place of residence specified in the letter of invitation. A travel quote from EMA travel agent will be a basis of the calculation. You need to arrange your own travel Being invited to the test, I would like to take the opportunity to spend some more days at the place of the test for personal reasons. Am I still entitled to receive the reimbursement of travel expenses? We only reimburse those expenses, which are directly related to the test/interview/medical examination. This means that you can only be refunded for up to the equivalent of the trip from/to your place of residence for the respective period according to the letter of invitation. EMA/407052/2013 Page 6/10

7 2.11. I have to change my departure date because of personal reasons. Will you refund the new ticket with different departure date since I cannot change the original ticket because of its restrictions? We can only reimburse the tickets or parts of a ticket that have actually been used Do you reimburse taxi costs? No. 3. Daily subsistence allowance (DSA) 3.1. If I am obliged to stay two nights in London, will I receive the double daily allowance? On the condition that the candidate could not have arrived in London on the day of the test/interview/medical examination or could not leave London on the same day, candidates might be obliged to spend a second night in London. If you book the flight through EMA, ask the travel agent to write a short note on this special situation. Under these circumstances (when candidate is obliged to stay for 2 nights in a hotel) s/he can be entitled to 200 (2 x 100). If the candidate does not have a hotel invoice (e.g. staying with family or friends), the DSA of 60 (2 x 30) may be paid. When double DSA is paid, prior authorisation from EMA is required. Please contact candidates@ema.europa.eu I stay in London overnight as I may not be in time for my appointment early in the morning or in time to take the last flight/train back home after my interview/test? Yes, however, this needs to be reasonable and justified (time schedule interview, travel). We leave it to the candidate to judge whether that is necessary or not. We will verify if the hotel night was necessary by checking the flight/train timetable and the time of the test /interview /medical examination What if I stay overnight with friends? If your travel distance is more than 50 km and you have no accommodation expense, you are be entitled to 30 a flat rate daily allowance. EMA/407052/2013 Page 7/10

8 3.4. Can I ask EMA to book a hotel for me? No, hotel bookings are not done by EMA. You need to make your own arrangements Does EMA recommend any hotels and is it possible to get the Agency rates at a hotel? No, EMA does not recommend any particular hotel and there are no Agency rates If I stay in a hotel where a rate per night is less/more than 100, how much will I be entitled to receive as daily subsistence allowance? If an overnight stay at a hotel is required, you will still get the flat-rate of 100 regardless of the actual price of the hotel. However, the proof that you stayed at the hotel in form of the invoice with a proof of payment needs to be provided I shared a hotel room with another candidate. How will hotel expenses be reimbursed? The daily allowance of 100 will be paid to the candidate mentioned on the hotel invoice. The other candidate will be granted a daily allowance of 30 for the day of the test/interview. 4. Reimbursement procedure 4.1. What do I have to do to claim reimbursement? In order to request the reimbursement, please complete the statement of expenses for candidates and together with supporting documents it to candidates@ema.europa.eu or post it to EMA. Returning the statement to EMA is regarded as your legal declaration What documents do I need to provide in order to receive reimbursement? You need to provide: boarding passes (or used train tickets or any documents giving proof of the travel); a proof of travel cost if travel was arranged by yourself; an original hotel bill or e-booking with a proof of payment in case of a required hotel stay; a print-out of the route planner showing the overall distance if you travel by car. EMA/407052/2013 Page 8/10

9 4.3. Where can I find the candidates reimbursement rules and a statement of expenses for candidates? They can be found on EMA website under 'About Us/Careers/Applying to work at EMA: Rules for the reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses for persons invited to attend a selection procedure test, interview or medical examination Statement of expenses for candidates 4.4. Do I have to provide boarding passes if my travel was booked by EMA Meeting Management Services? Yes, you still need to provide boarding passes to prove that you have actually travelled What is the deadline to apply for reimbursement? You need to submit your documents within 30 days from the date of your test /interview /medical examination Can I receive my daily allowance in cash on the day of my test/interview? No. All reimbursements are processed by bank transfer to the indicated bank account When should I expect my reimbursement? A payment is processed within 30 working days from the time all required documents are provided My travel was not paid in pounds. What is the currency of the reimbursement? If you are a UK bank holder, the payment is processed in Pound Sterling (GBP). For any non-uk accounts, the payment is processed in Euro with the European Commission exchange rate applied. 5. Contact If you have any other questions regarding the reimbursement of your expenses, please send it to candidate@ema.europa.eu or post to: EMA/407052/2013 Page 9/10

10 Joanna Pietroń European Medicines Agency Administration HR SPO 30 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf London, E14 5EU, United Kingdom Tel. +44 (0) EMA/407052/2013 Page 10/10