Departments and faculty hosting foreign visitors should inform their guests about U.S. immigration requirements governing eligibility for reimbursement of travel expenses. The type of visa the individual uses to enter the U.S. is critical to determining what reimbursement is allowed. There are no exceptions or retroactive do-overs. For detailed information about providing payments to foreign individuals who are invited to the campus by Berkeley Law hosts, go to Reimburse Foreign Visitors for Travel Expenses on the Berkeley Travel website, which explains what information and forms each host is responsible for obtaining before a foreign guest arrives and when this guest is on campus. Based on the guest’s visa classification, the forms* and travel items+ may include:
- Photocopy of Passport +
- UC W-8BEN Form*
- I-94 Form+
- Certification of Academic Activity*
- Understand GLACIER and the required GLACIER Setup Form
Services
For independent services work done entirely outside of the U.S. and the individual will not enter the U.S. for any reason connected to this service, the following document is required:
- A completed UC W-8BEN (*.pdf) form (Sections A, H and I) or Foreign Sourced Statement
- Payments for work done outside of the U.S. by a foreign person are not reportable or taxable in the U.S.
If partial work was performed in the U.S., we require the following:
- Must have a GLACIER Record for services performed in the U.S. and the completed UC W-8BEN (*.pdf) form for services performed outside the U.S.
Paying Foreign Suppliers
International guests, and vendors can be added to BFS and the UCB procurement system via the vendoring portal where they will be prompted to add their home or resident country’s bank information . If the guest or vendor has had a profile in BFS that predates the new system, they may update their information on the Foreign Supplier Information Update / Foreign Bank Authorization (Wire Transfer) Form . Please be sure to provide the guest or vendor their previously established BFS Supplier ID number. If you have questions regarding a vendor’s status, you may e-mail vendoring@berkeley.edu .
A wire transfer payment can be made to a foreign vendor by electronically transferring payment from UCB’s bank account directly to the vendor’s bank account. For detailed instructions, see Wire Transfers (https://controller.berkeley.edu/financial-operations/accounts-payable/payment-options/wire-transfers) .
Generally, international wire transfers are accepted world-wide, though a wire transfer cannot be processed to a sanctioned country. (https://www.treasury.gov/resourcecenter/sanctions/Programs/Pages/Programs.aspx)