3 FAH-1 H-3760
TRAVEL MESSAGES
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Office of Origin: HR/CDA)
3 FAH-1 H-3761 DEFINITIONS
3 FAH-1 H-3761.1 Abbreviations
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
AKA: Also known as.
ATA: Actual time of arrival.
ATD: Actual time of departure.
DIRTRAN: Direct transfer.
EFM: An eligible family member who is included
on Form OF-126, Residence and Dependency Report, and/or travel orders.
EOD: Entry on duty.
ETA: Estimated time of arrival.
ETD: Estimated time of departure.
ETADC: Estimated time of arrival in Washington, DC.
FM: From.
FSTEXP: First expense incurred against a travel
authorization/travel order.
GEMS: Global Employment Management System, the
Departments Human Resources Management System.
GFS: Global Financial Services, formerly known
as the Charleston Financial Services Center (CFSC).
HL: Home leave.
HLADD: Home leave address.
HLELIG/TRANSELIG: Home leave eligibility/transfer
eligibility date (AKA TED).
HLRT: Home leave/return (to post).
HLT: Home leave/transfer.
HR: Bureau of Human Resources.
HR/CDA: The Office of Career Development and
Assignments.
HR/CDA/AD: The Assignments Division.
LVENROUTE: Leave en route.
LVINUS: Leave in the United States.
PCS: Permanent change of station (onward
assignment).
POV: Privately owned vehicle.
SEP: Separation.
SMA: Separate maintenance allowance.
SSN: Social Security Number.
TDY: Temporary duty.
TM: Travel message.
We/Our: The Department of State.
You/Your: The employee.
3 FAH-1 H-3761.2 Travel Messages
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
TMONE: Assignment Notification.
TMTWO: Proposed Itinerary.
TMTHREE: Is now Welcome to Post.
TMFOUR: Travel Authorization.
TMFIVE: Departure from Post.
TMSIX and TMSEVEN: Are no longer used.
TMEIGHT: Arrival at Post.
3 FAH-1 H-3762 REQUIRED ELEMENTS
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
The following elements must be used in all Travel Messages
(TMs):
(1) All Travel Messages must include the caption TM
CHANNEL. The caption HR CHANNEL should not be used;
(2) TAGS are APER and AFIN;
(3) The SUBJECT line must include the appropriate,
spelled-out TM number and title of the TM (e.g., TMFOUR―Travel
Authorization), your name, your protected Social Security Number (SSN) per 06
State 067970, grade, and skill code;
(4) The gaining post and/or gaining bureau must be
included as an addressee on all TM messages not originating from that post/bureau;
(5) If either the gaining or the losing post is a
subordinate post, i.e., consulate, consulate general, etc., the principal post,
i.e., embassy, must be included as an info addressee;
(6) SECSTATE WASHDC must be included as an addressee
on all TMs not originating in Washington, DC;
(7) To request an amendment to a TM, the SUBJECT line
must start with the phrase, REQUEST FOR AMENDMENT TO TM_____; and
(8) All TMs must include the Global Financial Services
in Charleston (GFSC) as either an action or info addressee (USOFFICE FSC
CHARLESTON), as appropriate.
3 FAH-1 H-3763 TRAVEL MESSAGES
3 FAH-1 H-3763.1 Guidelines
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
Only those abbreviations shown in 3 FAH-1
Exhibit H-3764(1), 3 FAH-1
Exhibit H-3764(2), 3 FAH-1
Exhibit H-3764(3), and 3 FAH-1
Exhibit H-3764(4) may be used, and they must be used exactly as shown.
3 FAH-1 H-3763.2 Travel Messages
Originating in Washington
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
a. TMONE―ASSIGNMENT NOTIFICATION and TMFOUR―TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION
messages originate in the Department.
b. The TMONE―ASSIGNMENT NOTIFICATION announces a
pending assignment.
c. The TMFOUR―TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION provides you,
and the losing and gaining posts, with the specific authorizations for travel,
home leave, shipment and storage of effects, training, or other temporary duty
(TDY) en route to the gaining post.
d. As both documents are automatically formatted for
transmission by HR/CDA, no samples follow.
3 FAH-1 H-3763.2-1 TMONE-Assignment
Notification
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
A TMONE―ASSIGNMENT NOTIFICATION notifies you, your
gaining post and gaining bureau, and your current post and current bureau of
your pending assignment. It is not an authorization to incur expenses. It
will also advise you of any special requirements in connection with the
transfer such as home leave, medical examinations, training, etc.
3 FAH-1 H-3763.2-2 TMFOUR-Travel
Authorization
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
The TMFOUR―TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION is the sole official
authorization for all travel and travel-related actions regarding Foreign
Service appointments, permanent changes of station (PCS), home leave, or
separation. It contains all necessary fiscal data, which must be included on
all vouchers and other documents supporting the authorized travel or other
related actions.
3 FAH-1 H-3763.3 Travel Messages
Originating at Post
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
a. TMTWO―PROPOSED ITINERARY, TMTHREE―WELCOME
TO POST, TMFIVE―DEPARTURE FROM POST, and TMEIGHT―ARRIVAL AT POST, are
travel messages that originate at post.
b. Requests for amendments
now must have the subject line, Request for
Amendment to TM ____, referencing the
TM to be amended. The TMSIX―REQUEST
FOR AMENDMENT is no longer used.
3 FAH-1 H-3763.3-1 TMTWO-Proposed
Itinerary
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
a. The losing post uses the TMTWO―PROPOSED ITINERARY (see 3 FAH-1 Exhibit
H-3764(1) for a domestic assignment and 3 FAH-1
Exhibit H-3764(2) for an assignment abroad) to propose a travel itinerary
with the dates and modes of travel, the training requested, consultation days,
etc. (If the Department is the losing post, your Bureau of Human Resources assignments technician sends the gaining post an Arrival Notice,
which should not be confused with a Travel Message.)
b. The caption/slug line must be addressed to the
assignments officer in HR/CDA/AD with responsibility for your new post of
assignment (HR/CDA/AD/IO, HR/CDA/AD/AF, etc.). If the onward assignment is in
the Department, the caption/slug line also must be addressed to the gaining
bureaus executive office (AF/EX, CA/EX, etc.).
c. If the onward assignment is in the United
States, the TMTWO must include the office symbol for the onward assignment in
the first paragraph of the cable, i.e. Losing Post to WashDC (IO/UNP), etc.
d. Post must review the TMTWO for completeness and
accuracy. The TMTWO must specify the number of work days scheduled for home
leave and must specifically request a waiver if the number of days is less than
the minimum required or more than the maximum allowed, as outlined in 3 FAM 3434 and 3 FAM 3435.
e. All unusual requests, such as for deferred or delayed
home leave, should be included in the last or remarks paragraph of the TMTWO,
along with a well-written justification.
f. The TMTWO must specify if business class travel is to be
authorized, and if so, for which segment of travel.
g. The TMTWO must specifically request a waiver of the
repayment of rest and recuperation (R&R) expenses and/or the Service need differential,
if applicable, if the proposed itinerary would require more than a 30-day
curtailment of your tour of duty.
h. When transferring to another assignment abroad, the
TMTWO must indicate if your eligible family members (EFMs) will accompany you
to your next assignment or if you plan to apply for a separate maintenance
allowance (SMA).
i. The TMTWO must include your home leave address and a
telephone number where you may be reached, as well as a personal email address, if available.
3 FAH-1 H-3763.3-2 TMTHREE-Welcome
To Post
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
a. The gaining post uses the TMTHREE―WELCOME TO
POST cable to provide you with necessary information regarding the post, such as
which documents you will need upon arrival and whether you will need additional
photographs. The cable may include information regarding post housing
policies, importation of a privately owned vehicle (POV) and other personal
effects, or other information the post deems necessary.
b. As information concerning each post is different,
there is no particular format for any text following the subject line of a
TMTHREE cable.
c. You may respond to the TMTHREE―WELCOME TO
POST by sending a cable to post with further questions, with the subject line
Response to TMTHREE.
3 FAH-1 H-3763.3-3 TMFIVE-Departure
from Post
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
a. The losing post sends a TMFIVE―DEPARTURE FROM
POST (see 3
FAH-1 Exhibit H-3764(3)) to the Department, gaining post, and the Global
Financial Services Center in Charleston (USOFFICE FSC CHARLESTON) to advise them
of your actual time of departure (ATD). This should be sent on the day of
departure or by the next work day following, at the latest.
b. The TMFIVE―DEPARTURE FROM POST must include
the following information:
(1) Paragraph 1: Must include your agency, grade,
type of transfer, travel authorization (TA) number, from (FM) [name of the
losing post], TO [name of the gaining post], the estimated time of arrival (ETA)
at the gaining post, the ETA in Washington, DC (ETADC), the actual time of
departure (ATD) from the losing post, and the mode of travel (usually air); and
(2) Paragraph 2: Must include the date of the first
expense incurred against that TA (FSTEXP), a home leave contact address, phone
number, and personal email, if available.
c. The TMFIVE―DEPARTURE FROM POST is used by Global
Financial Services (GFS), formerly known as the Charleston Financial
Services Center (CFSC), to terminate allowances and differentials due to your
transfer from post and/or home leave.
d. If the TMFIVE―DEPARTURE FROM POST concerns
separation travel, then also include the following information: The last duty
day at post, any planned leave, mode of transportation, a mailing address for
final salary adjustments, whether sick leave was taken, and if so, how much.
3 FAH-1 H-3763.3-4 TMEIGHT -
Arrival At Post
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
a. The receiving post uses a TMEIGHT―ARRIVAL AT
POST (see 3
FAH-1 Exhibit H-3764(4)) to notify the Department and Global Financial
Services (GFS), formerly known as the Charleston Financial Services
Center (CFSC), of your actual time of arrival (ATA), and whether your arrival
is the result of a permanent change-of-station (PCS) transfer or a return from
home leave. Any temporary duty (TDY) or consultation days en route to post
must be specifically listed as TDY/CONSULT. Authority and effective dates to
start post-specific pay and allowances must be included in the TMEIGHT. Post
must cite the appropriate post-held fiscal data for those pay and allowances
that are paid from post funds. For all International Cooperative
Administrative Support Services (ICASS) positions, this must include the
post-assigned ICASS cost pool for the U.S. citizen employee. Posts must also
ask GFS to restart any differential or allowances that were terminated when you
departed post on mid-tour home leave (home leave/return travel).
b. The TMEIGHT―ARRIVAL AT POST also indicates
your home leave transfer eligibility date (HLELIG) and transfer eligibility
date (TRANELIG, AKA TED).
c. Generally, your assignments
technician uses a TMEIGHT―ARRIVAL AT POST to establish the actual effective
date of your official assignment for Form SF-50, Notification of Personnel
Action, purposes. The execution of Form SF-50 provides the basis for starting
your pay and most allowances.
3 FAH-1 H-3764 TRAVEL MESSAGE EXAMPLES
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
(State)
Travel Message examples are shown in 3 FAH-1
Exhibit H-3764(1), 3 FAH-1
Exhibit H-3764(2), 3 FAH-1
Exhibit H-3764(3), and 3 FAH-1
Exhibit H-3764(4).
3 FAH-1 H-3765 through h-3769
Unassigned
3
FAH-1 Exhibit H-3764(1)
sample TMTWO-Proposed Itinerary to a Domestic Assignment
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
LOSING POST
GAINING DOMESTIC POSTs ADDRESS (IF OTHER THAN SECSTATE)
SECSTATE WASHDC
USOFFICE FSC CHARLESTON
EMBASSY OF LOSING POST, IF APPLICABLE
TM CHANNEL
DEPT FOR BUREAU/EX AND HR/CDA/AD/BUREAU ACRONYM Jane
Smith
TAGS: APER, AFIN
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: TMTWO - PROPOSED ITINERARY (ROE, Richard M.,
XXX-XX-6789, FS-04, 2010, Management)
REF: State 123456 (TMONE)
1. State, FS-04, HLT, Losing Post to WashDC (office
symbol), Air
2. Employee proposes the following itinerary:
a. Depart post:
mm/dd/yyyy
b. Arrive home
leave address: mm/dd/yyyy
c. Home leave
dates and days: mm/dd/yyyy mm/dd/yyyy (between 20 45 days, or 10 45 days
if coming from an unaccompanied post (06 State 131837 and 06 State 119416))
d. Arrive
Washington, DC: mm/dd/yyyy
e. Consultations
and training (if applicable): mm/dd/yyyy mm/dd/yyyy
f. Entry-on-duty
date: mm/dd/yyyy
g. Business class travel authorized/which segments:
Yes/No, name of city to name of city
h. R & R/SND repayment waiver needed? Yes/No, plus
justification if a waiver is needed
i. Remarks, if applicable
3. Post management concurs with this itinerary.
3
FAH-1 Exhibit H-3764(2)
sample TMTWO-Proposed Itinerary to an Assignment abroad
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
LOSING POST
GAINING POST
SECSTATE WASHDC
USOFFICE FSC CHARLESTON
EMBASSY OF LOSING POST, IF APPLICABLE
EMBASSY OF GAINING POST, IF APPLICABLE
TM CHANNEL
DEPT FOR BUREAU/EX and HR/CDA/AD/BUREAU ACRONYM Jane Smith
TAGS: APER, AFIN
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: TMTWO - PROPOSED ITINERARY (ROE, Richard M.,
XXX-XX-6789, FS-04, 2010, Management)
REF: State 123456 (TMONE)
1. State, FS-04, HLT, Losing Post to Gaining Post, Air
2. Employee proposes the following itinerary:
a. Depart post: mm/dd/yyyy
b. Arrive home leave address: mm/dd/yyyy
c. Home leave dates and days: mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy (between 20 45 days, or 10 45 days if coming from an
unaccompanied post (06 State 131837 and 06 State 119416))
d. Arrive Washington, DC: mm/dd/yyyy
e. Consultations and training: mm/dd/yyyy
mm/dd/yyyy
f. Depart for gaining post: mm/dd/yyyy
g. Arrive gaining post: mm/dd/yyyy
h. Business class travel
authorized/which segments: Yes/No, name of city to name of city
i. Family members will accompany to
post or draw SMA? Accompany to post/Will draw SMA
j. R&R/SND repayment waiver
needed? Yes/No, plus justification if a waiver is needed
k. Remarks, if applicable
3. Post management concurs with this itinerary.
3
FAH-1 Exhibit H-3764(3)
Sample TMFIVE-Departure from Post
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
LOSING POST
GAINING POST
SECSTATE WASHDC
USOFFICE FSC CHARLESTON
EMBASSY OF LOSING POST, IF APPLICABLE
EMBASSY OF GAINING POST, IF APPLICABLE
TM CHANNEL
TAGS: APER, AFIN
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: TMFIVE DEPARTURE FROM POST (ROE, Richard M.,
SSN: XXX-XX-6789, FS-04, 2010, Management)
REF: State 123456 (TMFOUR)
1. State, FS-04, HLT, TA-XXXXXXXXXX, mm/dd/yyyy (ATD),
Losing Post to Gaining Post, Air
2. ATD: mm/dd/yyyy
3. Dates:
- ETA US: mm/dd/yyyy
- ETADC: mm/dd/yyyy
- LVENROUTE: None/2 days
- LVINUS: mm/dd/yyyy mm/dd/yyyy (HL: 10/20-45 days)
4. FSTEXP: mm/dd/yyyy
5. HLADD: 148 Bonny Meadow Rd., New Rochelle, NY
10805
Tel: 914-555-1234
email: RichardRoe@yahoo.com
6. For GFS: Please terminate post allowance,
differential and SMA, effective ATD.
3
FAH-1 Exhibit H-3764(4)
Sample TMEIGHT-Arrival at Post
(CT:POH-128; 04-13-2007)
LOSING POST
GAINING POST
SECSTATE WASHDC
USOFFICE FSC CHARLESTON
EMBASSY OF LOSING POST, IF APPLICABLE
EMBASSY OF GAINING POST, IF APPLICABLE
TM CHANNEL
TAGS: APER, AFIN
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: TMEIGHT ARRIVAL AT POST (ROE, Richard M., SSN:
XXX-XX-6789, FS-04, 2010, Management)
REF: (A) State 123456 (TMFOUR); (B) Losing Post 9876
(TMFIVE)
1. State, FS-04, HLT, TA-XXXXXXXXXX, mm/dd/yyyy (ATA),
Losing Post to Gaining Post, Air
[or, for HLRT travel:]
[1. State, FS-04, HLRT, TA-XXXXXXXXXX, mm/dd/yyyy (ATA),
Post to Home Leave Point/Return, Air]
2. ATA: mm/dd/yyyy
3. HLELIG/TRANSELIG: mm/yyyy, mm/yyyy
4. TDY/CONSULT: N/A or number of days
5. EFM(s) at post: number of EFMs
6. For Assignments Technician: Please process a
Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) ASAP. [Do not include this sentence
in a TM-EIGHT for HLRT travel.]
7. For GFS: Please start the following pay and
allowances upon the receipt of the SF-50 from HR/CDA/AD (list all authorized):
Pay/Allowance Effective Start Date
Post Differential mm/dd/yyyy
Post Allowance mm/dd/yyyy
Other Pay/Allowance [name]...mm/dd/yyyy
[or, for HLRT travel:]
[7. For GFS: Please restart the following pay and
allowances, effective mm/dd/yyyy (list all authorized):
Pay/Allowance
Post Differential
Post Allowance
Other Pay/Allowance (name)]
8. Fiscal data for pay and allowances charged to
post-held funds:
Appropriation (For example: 19X4519, 1950113, as
appropriate)
Post Allotment (For example: 5XXX, 4XXX, as appropriate)
Function Code (ICASS American employee cost pool or appropriate
function code for non-ICASS employee)
Post (post code)
Sub-post (sub-post number)
9. [Optional: Additional information post feels is
appropriate.]