Working Abroad
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All employees of the University of Pennsylvania must work primarily within the United States. Penn’s Flexible, Hybrid, and Remote Work Policy applies only to work conducted within the United States, and does not permit individuals paid through Penn payroll to work outside the country without prior written approval from Global Support Services (GSS). If an employee is either required to or requests to work abroad, GSS will work with the school/center and departmental leadership to consider the purpose of the work abroad, the location of work, the individual employee’s status in that country, and the duration of the work abroad to make an assessment.
Working Abroad for Penn
Any current Penn employee or new hire who will work outside the U.S. for 30 days or more must seek prior approval by submitting an Employment Abroad Request. Requests should be submitted to GSS as far in advance as possible, but no fewer than 4 weeks prior to the anticipated work abroad start date. Please note, departmental preliminary approvals should be obtained before submitting a request for GSS review.
Current Penn employees conducting short-term international business travel or remote work from outside the U.S. for periods under 30 days per calendar year are permissible without Global Support Services’ approval. Departmental or school/center approvals may still be necessary. Note that business travelers are those already employed by Penn in the U.S. prior to the international business travel and who will return to continuing working for Penn in the U.S. at the end of their business travel.
In general, most work conducted outside the U.S. by Penn’s U.S. employees can occur for periods up to 90 days. Individual circumstances may limit the amount of time a current employee can work compliantly abroad, including for periods less than 90 days.
Any anticipated work outside the U.S. by U.S. employees for more than 30 days will require prior notification to GSS via the Employment Abroad Request process so that University compliance requirements can be met. Personal days, vacation, and other non-work time spent outside the U.S. may still impact compliance requirements and should therefore be included as part of any request.
International Independent Contractors
International independent contractors are subject to distinct processes and policies from employees. For information about engaging an independent contractor outside the U.S., visit our International Independent Contractors page.
