On 7th August 2024 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Travel (DFAT) updated their travel advice for travellers to Do not travel to Bangladesh, due to the volatile security situation and civil unrest.
The University understands that travel to Bangladesh may be necessary, however the health and safety of all UQ travellers is a priority. To enable us to continue to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our people, effective immediately:
- Travel to Bangladesh on UQ approved travel is not permitted
- UniTask approvals will be rescinded by UQ Travel
- Travellers will need to Withdraw the travel request
- Any travel yet to be approved and / or booked should be deferred until further notice
Travellers are advised to:
- Refer to Smartraveller for specific country advice
- Subscribe to Smartraveller updates
- Ensure travel details are registered with International SOS (ISOS)
- Download the International SOS (ISOS) mobile app to receive updates and alerts.
Travel Insurance
Travellers with confirmed bookings for travel to Bangladesh should continue to monitor the situation and investigate their options now for changing or cancelling their travel arrangements. Travellers should be aware of cost implications and time restrictions (e.g. cancellation window). If existing travel bookings to Bangladesh which were part of previously approved UQ travel are altered or cancelled, please be aware that:
- Where possible, costs should be recovered from the travel supplier, including airline, travel agent, accommodation or other transport provider, before making an insurance claim.
- Travellers who will not be entitled to a full refund or credit, and therefore will need to make an insurance claim under UQ’s travel insurance, will be required to demonstrate that it was necessary to alter or cancel their journey. Cover for cancellation will therefore depend on the date of travel, the date on which you change your travel arrangements, and the situation in Bangladesh at the time of making that change.
- If your travel arrangements are more than four (4) weeks away, it is therefore recommended that you delay cancelling your travel until the travel date is less than four (4) weeks away, in case the position on travel improves. Cover is unlikely to be available for cancellation of travel arrangements that are more than 4 weeks away, unless cancellation is necessary for other reasons (e.g. where the purpose for travel no longer exists because it has been cancelled by a third party).
Contacts and further information
For more information regarding UQ’s travel insurance, please contact UQ Insurance Services.
UQ travellers with travel booked to Bangladesh can contact FCM Travel Solutions for assistance with changing travel plans if required. Bookings not made by FCM Travel Solutions, please contact the travel provider.
All approved travel should be registered with International SOS (ISOS), for more information please refer to UQ Travel.
Refer to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for more information on Bangladesh:
DFAT Smart Traveller – Bangladesh
Travel emergency 24/7 contact
International SOS (ISOS) Assistance is the University’s 24/7 emergency contact.
Phone +61 2 9372 2468 (reverse charge available). If you do not have telephone access, email sydney@internationalsos.com.
Quote UQ membership number 12AYCA778031
The situation will continue to be monitored.