DOE O 550.1A, Official Travel

AVAILABLE ONLINE AT: INITIATED BY: www.directives.doe.gov Office of Management U.S. Department of Energy ORDER Washington, D.C. Approved: 08-05-2026 SUBJECT: OFFICIAL TRAVEL 1. PURPOSE. To supplement the Federal Travel Regulation (41 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR § 300–304), which is the principal source of policy for Federal employee travel and relocation matters, and to establish United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) requirements and responsibilities governing official foreign travel by contractor employees. 2. CANCELS/SUPERSEDES. DOE Order (O) 550.1, Official Travel, Chg. 1, dated December 13, 2019; DOE O 552.1A, Chg. 2, Travel Policy and Procedures, dated October 26, 2016; and DOE O 551.1D, Chg. 2, Official Foreign Travel, dated August 9, 2016. Cancellation of a Directive does not, by itself, modify or otherwise affect any contractual or regulatory obligation to comply with the Directive. Contractor Requirements Documents (CRDs) incorporated into a contract remain in effect throughout the term of the contract unless and until the contract or regulatory commitment is modified to either eliminate requirements that are no longer applicable or substitute a new set of requirements. 3. APPLICABILITY. a. Departmental Applicability. Except for the exclusions in paragraph 3.c, this Order automatically applies to all DOE elements including those created after the Order is issued. The Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) must assure that NNSA employees comply with their responsibilities under this Directive. Nothing in this Directive will be construed to interfere with the NNSA Administrator’s authority under Section 3212(d) of Public Law (P.L.) 106-65, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, to establish Administration-specific policies, unless disapproved by the Secretary. DOE O 550.1A 2 DOE O 550.1A 08-05-2026 b. DOE Contractors. The requirements of this Order shall be incorporated into applicable contracts, including Management and Operating contracts. The contractor is responsible for flowing down the requirements of this CRD, if applicable. Contractors shall comply with the requirements of applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations in carrying out the requirements of this Order unless relief has been granted in writing. Omission of any applicable law or regulation from the Order does not affect the obligation of the contractor to comply with such law or regulation. Contractors must comply with the requirements of this Order, except to the extent modified by the equivalencies or exemptions identified herein or issued to the contractor in writing by DOE utilizing the process outlined in DOE O 251.1E, Departmental Directives Program, including as amended or updated. (1) The CRD must be included in all site/facility-management contracts that contain the clause at 48 CFR § 952.247.70, Foreign Travel. (2) This Order may not automatically apply to anything other than site/facility-management contracts. Application of any requirements of this Directive to other than site or facility-management contracts will be communicated separately from this Order through the inclusion of the CRD. (See paragraph 5, Responsibilities.). The officials identified in the responsibilities paragraphs are responsible for notifying contracting officers of which site/facility-management contracts are affected. Once notified, contracting officers are responsible for incorporating the CRD into affected site/facility-management contracts through the laws, regulations, and DOE Directives clause of the contracts.

(3) As the laws, regulations, and DOE Directives clause of site/facility- management contracts states, regardless of the performer of the work, site/facility-management contractors with the CRD incorporated into their contracts are responsible for compliance with the requirements of the CRD. Affected site/facility-management contractors are responsible for flowing down the requirements of the CRD to subcontractors at any tier to the extent necessary to ensure the site/facility-management contractors’ compliance with the requirements. In doing so, the contractor shall not unnecessarily or imprudently flow down requirements to subcontracts. That is, the contractor shall both ensure that it and its subcontractors comply with the requirements of this CRD; and only incur costs that would be incurred by a prudent person in the conduct of competitive business. DOE O 550.1A 3 08-05-2026 c. Equivalencies/Exemptions for DOE O 550.1. (1) Equivalency. In accordance with the responsibilities and authorities assigned by Executive Order 12344, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, codified at 50 U.S.C. § 2406, Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors, and 2511 and to ensure consistency through the joint Navy/DOE Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, the Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors (Director) will implement and oversee requirements and practices pertaining to this Directive for activities under the Director’s cognizance, as deemed appropriate. (2) Exemption. This Order does not apply to grantees. (3) Exemption. This Order does not apply to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as an independent commission. 4. REQUIREMENTS. For specific requirements not stated below, federal employees only, see DOE Manual 552.1-1A (hereafter the Travel Manual). a. General. (1) Travelers must receive final DOE approval in the Foreign Travel Management System (FTMS) prior to traveling. Travel arrangements authorized without DOE approval and not recorded within FTMS are at the risk of the traveler and may not be reimbursable. (2) Individuals traveling abroad for DOE are expected to comply with applicable immunization requirements associated with the travel, unless a medical exception is granted. (3) Official foreign travel for DOE must be on air carriers that are licensed by a foreign country with a Category 1 rating as determined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Program or countries that have achieved effective implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Safety Standards unless an exemption is granted by the Program Secretarial Officer. (4) Personal leave in conjunction with official travel and travel to perform strategic partnership projects may be granted, when approved by the traveler’s supervisor in accordance with DOE O 322.1C, Pay and Leave Administration and Hours of Duty. Per diem or actual expenses during leave or non-workdays (weekend, legal federal government holiday, or other scheduled non-workdays), while on official travel may be reimbursed for federal employees in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation, Chapter 301, Part 301-11. 4 DOE O 550.1A 08-05-2026 (5) The Science and Technology (S&T) Risk Matrix must be reviewed for each proposed official foreign travel to a foreign country of risk to determine if the travel involves an area identified in the S&T Risk Matrix as restricted.

(6) Exemption requests for any official foreign travel (see Attachment 2, Definitions) to a foreign country of risk involving areas identified as restricted in the S&T Risk Matrix must be submitted through the Program Secretarial Office or Cognizant Secretarial Office, as appropriate, for approval by the cognizant Under Secretary or designee, or the Deputy Secretary or Deputy Secretary’s designee for offices not reporting to an Under Secretary. Exemptions must be approved by the cognizant Under Secretary or designee, or the Deputy Secretary or designee prior to initiating such a travel request. b. Foreign Travel Management System. (1) The FTMS is the official Departmental system for tracking, monitoring, reporting, and securing approval of all foreign travel conducted by federal employees. (2) All official foreign travel requests shall be entered in the FTMS at least 30 calendar days before the proposed departure date, unless exigent circumstances exist. The FTMS request must be approved prior to departure. (3) If the traveler is NOT able to select an air carrier that is licensed by a country with adequate implementation of ICAO safety standards, then: (a) The traveler shall enter the travel request in FTMS and include all planned air carriers that serve their proposed flight routes. (b) Final approval is not to be entered into FTMS until country clearance has been received and recorded in FTMS, as outlined in paragraph 4.c. c. Host Country Clearance Requests. (1) U.S. Government (USG) policy requires that country clearances be obtained for official travel to a foreign country. Individuals traveling in an official capacity for DOE must request and receive a country clearance from the U.S. Embassy in the country to be visited. Verbal approval should be followed up by the U.S. Embassy via an email or fax to the requesting Program Element. (2) Requests for country clearance should be submitted as soon as possible to receive appropriate and timely clearance to enter that country. DOE O 550.1A 5 08-05-2026 (3) Adhere to the Department of State’s training requirements for overseas travel. Information on required training may be found at How to Apply (https://sis.fsi.state.gov/MySISWeb/s/how-to-apply) and Travel|Department of Energy (https://www.energy.gov/management/travel). (4) The Deputy Chief of Staff will notify the Office of Cabinet Affairs, the White House, of proposed travel by Secretarial Officers and the Secretary of Energy. d. Passports. (1) The Department will provide an official or diplomatic passport to U.S. citizens, at DOE expense, for approved foreign travel to conduct official Departmental business abroad. The acquisition of a diplomatic passport depends on the type of activities conducted by the traveler for USG. (2) All federal employees who are U.S. citizens traveling to a foreign country on official business for DOE must obtain an official or diplomatic passport and, when required, appropriate official visas prior to leaving the United States. It is a “violation of sovereignty” for federal employees to use a tourist (personal) passport when traveling in an official capacity and is strongly discouraged by the U.S. Department of State. (3) The DOE Office of Travel Management maintains Departmental responsibility for the management and accountability of all DOE official and diplomatic passports. (4) When the official and/or diplomatic passport is not in use, travelers have the responsibility to safeguard their own passports.

(5) Prior to receipt of a passport, each traveler or person with authorization for pickup must sign and date the record of release maintained in the Office of Travel Management. If a field traveler does not have a local contact that would pick up and forward the passport to the traveler, the Office of Travel Management will overnight mail the traveler’s passport to the traveler and sign and date the record of release and note the shipping account number used to forward the passport. (6) DOE emergency response teams or designated personnel, including personnel required to cross an international border to conduct business on a daily or short-notice basis, must provide protocol for the maintenance and protection of their official/diplomatic passports. (7) Employees must turn in their official and/or diplomatic passport to the Office of Travel Management when there is a change in employment status, such as a transfer to other agencies, resignation, or retirement. 6 DOE O 550.1A 08-05-2026 e. Review Procedures. (1) Each organization must have an approval process for official foreign travel. FTMS will issue notification of travel to the appropriate security and program officials (e.g., Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, Office of Headquarters Security Operations, and Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation) to ensure review for compliance with U.S. and DOE official security policies and guidance. (2) Final approval for official foreign travel conducted by federal employees can be granted only by the Program Secretarial Officer or Under Secretary and Administrator, NNSA or designee that is funding the official foreign travel, or if there is no DOE funding, the official having programmatic responsibilities associated with the official foreign travel. (3) Substantial changes listed below will require reapproval: (a) Addition of one or more countries in the trip request, (b) Change in trip sensitivity from nonsensitive to sensitive, (c) Changes to trip itineraries that include countries of risk, and (d) Changes to planned agendas or topics that include research areas or technology topics identified as restricted within the S&T Risk Matrix. f. Counterintelligence Briefings. All federal employees traveling to sensitive countries, and/or interacting with sensitive-country foreign nationals, regardless of destination country, will be provided appropriate pre-briefings and debriefings by and at the discretion of the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence. g. Trip Closeout. (1) The Program Secretarial Officer or Deputy Administrator, NNSA, is responsible for determining trip report requirements by the traveler upon completion of travel, where appropriate, after return to duty station, with the exception of advance and security personnel supporting travel by the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, or an Under Secretary. (2) Classified information shall NOT be included in trip reports. If a Program Element requires a trip report outside of FTMS for a trip that concerns a classified subject area, the report must be reviewed by a derivative classifier to ensure that it contains no classified or controlled unclassified information, in accordance with DOE O 475.2, Identifying Classified Information, current version. DOE O 550.1A 7 08-05-2026 (3) The traveler/travel arranger will provide the estimated travel cost for reimbursement, into the FTMS. (4) All trip requests should be closed out in FTMS within 60 calendar days of traveler’s return date.

h. Travel by the Office of the Secretary of Energy and Program Secretarial Officers. (1) For the purposes of this Order, the Chief of Staff (COS) to the Secretary or designee serves as head of the organization and, in that capacity, approves and authorizes travel for the Office of the Secretary and all officials who report directly to the Secretary. (2) After authorizing travel for the Secretary, the COS must approve a draft budget for the trip and forward it to the Office of Management. Only the COS or his/her designee may authorize trip expenditures. No expenses in excess of the approved mission budget can be incurred without prior approval from the COS or the designee of the COS. (3) The COS reviews and approves all participation in Secretarial travel, including that of DOE employees, contractors, representatives from other agencies, and private-sector participants. (4) Due to the unique nature of travel by the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, or Under Secretaries, trip reports, where appropriate, for their travel will be maintained by the Executive Secretary. i. Security. (1) Each organization will have access to official foreign travel data under its cognizance in FTMS. The Office of the Secretary, Office of Management, and Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence will have access to all FTMS data. (2) Access to FTMS information on travel of the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Under Secretaries, members of their staff, and security personnel directly supporting them will be limited to the Office of the Secretary, the Office of Management, and the designated Agency Ethics Official. The Office of Management may distribute this information only with the authorization of the Office of the Secretary. (3) Disclosure of information contained within FTMS, except for the purpose of obtaining country clearance, is prohibited unless approved by the Office of the Secretary. Reports for disclosure outside DOE will be prepared by or coordinated with the Office of Management for review and approval by the Office of the Secretary. The Office of Management will coordinate and develop approval procedures with the Office of the Secretary to meet its approval requirements. 8 DOE O 550.1A 08-05-2026 (4) Nothing in this Order will preclude access to FTMS information by federal law enforcement agencies. Disclosures pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act will be in accordance with applicable Departmental regulations and directives, including classification review requirements for public release found in DOE O 475.2A, current version. When appropriate, the Deputy COS will be notified before disclosures to federal law enforcement agencies or pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act. (5) Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence should establish procedures to review official foreign travel involving interactions with sensitive-country individuals. j. Private-Sector Participation. (1) Private-sector participants may accompany travelers when their participation is consistent with the goals of travel. (2) Mission-specific, objective criteria for selecting participants from the private sector must be approved by the head of the organization before such participation is invited in accordance with 10 CFR § 1060.101, Persons who may be paid. Final approval for foreign travel by a private-sector participant must be submitted to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, or the responsible Under Secretary.

5. RESPONSIBILITIES. a. Deputy Secretary. Approve/disapprove exemption requests based on the current S&T Risk Matrix, for offices not reporting to an Under Secretary. b. Under Secretary (of Energy), Under Secretary for Science, Under Secretary for Nuclear Security (as appropriate), or Designees. Approve/disapprove exemption requests based on the current S&T Risk Matrix. c. Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary. Represents the Office of the Secretary to implement the requirements set forth in paragraph 4.h of this Order, as appropriate. d. Assistant Secretaries, Deputy Assistant Secretaries, Deputy NNSA Administrators, and NNSA Assistant Deputy Administrators. Designate isolated official duty stations under the conditions specified in Chapter 302, Part 8, of the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR). e. Office of Management (MA). (1) Ensure implementation of statutes, Executive Orders, and regulations related to official travel, transportation, and relocation. DOE O 550.1A 9 08-05-2026 (2) Draft policies relative to the payment of expenses for official travel, transportation, and relocation. (3) Ensure travel-related training is made available when needed. (4) Approve and/or designate employees to approve the use of first-class and business-class accommodations by employees under the cognizance of non-NNSA Headquarters organizations. (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 301‑10.122.) (5) Approve and/or designate employees to approve emergency cash purchases of common carrier transportation in excess of $100 made by employees or invitational travelers under the cognizance of non-NNSA Headquarters organizations. (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 301-51.102.) (6) Approve requests for extensions in time for Senior Executive Service (SES) employees under the cognizance of non-NNSA Headquarters organizations to begin their “last move home.” (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 302‑3.315.) (7) Act as the DOE liaison to the General Services Administration for all policy issues relating to employee travel and relocation. (8) Provide oversight for the DOE travel management program involving use of travel management services, passenger transportation, relocation policy, and travel charge card services. (9) On a case-by-case basis for employees under the cognizance of non-NNSA organizations, approve exceptions to requirements in the Travel Manual. (10) Approve requests for exemption from mandatory use of the travel charge card from employees under the cognizance of non-NNSA Headquarters organizations (does not apply when an employee’s card was canceled due to delinquency or misuse). (11) Designate an employee to serve as the DOE program coordinator for travel charge card issues. (12) Waive regulatory relocation allowance limitations for employees under the cognizance of non-NNSA Headquarters organizations when the employees are relocating to or from remote or isolated locations. (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 302‑2.106.) (13) Approve releases from terms of relocation service agreements when an employee under the cognizance of a non-NNSA Headquarters organization does not fulfill the terms of the agreement. (See DOE M 552.1‑1A, 302‑2.14.) 10 DOE O 550.1A 08-05-2026 f. Office of Travel Management. (1) Maintain the contents of this Order. (2) Act as the primary point-of-contact with the Department of State on DOE foreign travel matters and with full participation by the Program Element on all foreign travel matters specific to that Program Element.

(3) Maintain in FTMS up-to-date points of reference for the FAA IASA website and the ICAO Safety Audit Information website. (4) Review and process program and staff offices internal travel guidance and requirements that are outside the provisions of this Order, for possible inclusion into the FTMS, prior to placement upon travelers by such elements. g. Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Maintain the FTMS. h. NNSA Associate Administrator for Management and Administration. (1) Approve and/or designate employees to approve the use of first-class and business-class accommodations by employees under the cognizance of NNSA organizations. (See DOE M 552.1‑1A, 301‑10.122.) Within 10 business days after the end of the fiscal year, supply report of approved requests in the format required by the FTR to the Director, Office of Management. (2) Approve and/or designate employees to approve emergency cash purchases of common carrier transportation in excess of $100 made by employees or invitational travelers under the cognizance of NNSA organizations. (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 301-51.102.) (3) Approve releases from terms of relocation service agreements when an employee under the cognizance of an NNSA organization does not fulfill the terms of the agreement. (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 302-2.14.) (4) Waive regulatory relocation allowance limitations for employees under the cognizance of NNSA organizations when the employees are relocating to or from remote or isolated locations. (See DOE M 552.1‑1A, 302‑2.106.) (5) Approve requests for extensions in time for SES employees under the cognizance of NNSA organizations to begin their “last move home.” (See DOE M 552.1‑1A, 302‑3.315.) (6) On a case-by-case basis for employees under the cognizance of NNSA organizations, approve exceptions to requirements in the Travel Manual in consultation with the Director, Office of Management. DOE O 550.1A 11 08-05-2026 (7) Approve requests for exemption from mandatory use of the travel charge card from employees under the cognizance of NNSA organizations (does not apply when an employee’s card was canceled due to delinquency or misuse). i. Heads of Departmental Elements (including the NNSA Administrator). (1) Approve their own travel, official travel of employees and other persons traveling for DOE, and employee relocation allowances in accordance with the requirements set out in the Travel Manual. (a) Approval authority (except authority to approve their own travel) may be delegated to subordinates with the authority to redelegate at any level. (b) Individuals delegated this authority will be referred to as Approving Officials in the Travel Manual. (2) Approve actual expense reimbursement not to exceed 300% of locality per diem under special or unusual circumstances as identified in the FTR. (a) Redelegation of this authority is limited to two levels below the head of the Departmental element. (b) Requests for exceptions to this policy will be forwarded to the Director, Office of Management for non-NNSA organizations or the NNSA Associate Administrator for Management and Administration for NNSA organizations. (3) Ensure employees are fully informed of official travel and relocation rules and regulations and, as needed, are provided access to prescribed travel management services. (4) Distribute travel charge card delinquency and misuse reports to supervisory personnel to ensure that supervisors are aware of noncompliant cardholders.

(5) Approve employee acceptance of payments by sources outside the federal government for travel expenses after obtaining legal review. (6) Designate an employee and an alternate to serve as the element’s travel coordinators for travel issues. j. Heads of Field Elements. In addition to responsibilities listed in paragraph 5.g., Heads of Field Elements will do the following. 12 DOE O 550.1A 08-05-2026 (1) Approve the use of first-class or business-class air transportation for employees under the cognizance of the respective Field Element. (See DOE M 552.1‑1A, 301‑10.122.) Within 10 business days after the end of the fiscal year, supply report of approved requests in the format required by the FTR to the Director, Office of Management. (2) Approve emergency cash purchases made by employees or invitational travelers for transportation expenditures in excess of $100. (See DOE M 552.1‑1A, 301‑51.102.) (3) Approve releases from terms of relocation service agreements when an employee under the cognizance of the respective Field Element does not fulfill the terms of the agreement. (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 302-2.14.) (4) Waive regulatory relocation allowance limitations for employees under the cognizance of the respective Field Element when the employees are relocating to or from remote or isolated locations. (See DOE M 552.1‑1A, 302‑2.106.) (5) Approve requests for extensions in time for SES employees under the cognizance of their respective field elements to begin their “last move home.” (See DOE M 552.1-1A, 302-3.315.) (6) Designate an employee and an alternate to serve as the Field Element’s Travel Charge Card Program Coordinators for travel charge card issues. (7) Approve field employees’ requests for exemption from use of the travel charge card (does not apply when an employee’s card was canceled due to delinquency or misuse). (8) Report approval of exemptions from use of the travel charge card to the Office of Travel Management within 5 working days of approval. (9) Approve employee acceptance of payments by sources outside the federal government for travel expenses after obtaining legal review. k. Cognizant Secretarial Officer. Review and concur on exemption requests for any official foreign travel to a foreign country of risk involving an area identified as restricted in the current S&T Risk Matrix. l. Program Secretarial Officer. A term used by the DOE foreign travel community and in this Order to describe the approving Secretarial Officer or NNSA Deputy Administrator that is funding or has programmatic interest in the trip. (1) Ensure implementation of the requirements of this Order in facilities under his/her cognizance. DOE O 550.1A 13 08-05-2026 (2) Instruct Field Element Managers to notify affected site/facility-management contracting officers to incorporate the CRD of this Order into contracts. Ensure that procurement requests for new non-site/facility-management contracts require inclusion of the CRD of this Order in the resulting contracts, if appropriate. (3) Develop and issue instructions for implementing this Order to organizations under the Program Secretarial Officer’s programmatic cognizance. Instructions for implementation are not to supersede this Order but provide additional program guidance to the travelers to accomplish the specific Program Element’s missions and goals. (4) Coordinate any additional requirements outside of this Order through the Office of Travel Management.

(5) Ensure that appropriate country clearances have been granted before official foreign travel can begin. (6) Ensure that official/diplomatic passports are obtained for official travel. (7) Communicate with the traveler/travel arranger as to when an approval decision will be forthcoming. (8) Grant or delegate the granting of final approval of official foreign travel funded by the Program Element under his/her cognizance, or if there is no DOE funding, have programmatic responsibilities associated with the requested travel. (9) Establish requirements for trip reports. (10) Ensure completion of foreign travel closeout in FTMS within 60 calendar days of traveler’s return. (11) Review and concur on exemption requests for any official foreign travel to countries of risk involving an area identified as restricted in the current S&T Risk Matrix. m. Designated Agency Ethics Official. (1) Establish policies and procedures for DOE acceptance of travel payments from non-federal sources. (2) Provide advice, as necessary, regarding invitational travel under 5 U.S.C. § 5703, Per diem, travel, and transportation expenses; experts and consultants; individuals serving without pay (see 10 CFR § 1060, Payment of Travel Expenses of Persons Who Are Not Government Employees). 14 DOE O 550.1A 08-05-2026 n. Human Resources Directors. When appropriate, concur with travel authorizations for interview travel of potential employees (invitational travel) initiated by the organizational elements requesting the interviews and, for current federal employees, authorizations issued at the request of other DOE organizations wishing to interview. o. Head of Traveler’s Organization. (1) Ensure compliance with: (a) Programmatic requirements for travel, security issues, and effective use of resources; (b) Requirements governing conference management, adequacy of funding, and non-federal source travel; (c) U.S. national security, counterintelligence, and nonproliferation policies for travel to countries on the Sensitive Countries List or involving sensitive subjects; (d) U.S. export control laws and regulations; and procedures established by the Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation for reviewing official foreign travel to countries on the list of state sponsors of terrorism maintained by the Department of State. (2) Ensure that travel requests are entered into FTMS 30 calendar days prior to departure to comply with all requirements for review, approval, and country clearance unless exigent circumstances exist. (3) Ensure that official/diplomatic passports are obtained for official travel. (4) May request that an official passport be provided to contractor personnel who engage in frequent travel for the Department of Energy. The Department of State will determine whether an official or diplomatic passport must be issued. (5) Ensure that, prior to approving official foreign travel, consideration has been given to employee safety regarding travel including airline carriers and short-term medical and evacuation coverage to all countries. (6) May grant or delegate approval and oversight of all official foreign travel under the organization’s purview. (7) Ensure closeout of trip requests in the FTMS within 60 calendar days of traveler’s return date. p. Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence. Establish procedures to review official foreign travel involving sensitive items (e.g., country, subject, interactions with sensitive-country individuals).

DOE O 550.1A 15 08-05-2026 q. Supervisors. (1) Authorize the issuance of travel charge cards, as needed, to subordinate employees. (2) Counsel employees who are delinquent in paying their travel charge card bills or have questionable or inappropriate charges to their accounts; allow employees the opportunity to explain delinquencies or questionable charges and maintain records of the meetings and the explanations. (3) Contact the servicing human resources office for determinations of appropriate disciplinary actions if explanations for delinquencies or other questionable charges/activities are inadequate and take appropriate actions. At the discretion of the supervisor, the travel charge card may be canceled at this time. (4) Notify the Travel Charge Card Program Coordinator to suspend the travel charge card if there is a second instance of inappropriate use, and reactivate the card on an as needed basis. (5) Notify the Travel Charge Card Program Coordinator to cancel the travel charge card if there is a third instance of inappropriate use, an explanation for delinquency is inadequate, or the employee is leaving the Department. (6) On an annual basis, identify those employees who have not traveled for 1 year or more and determine, based on the employees’ future travel requirements, whether their individual travel charge cards should be canceled. For those travel charge cards that should be canceled, notify the Travel Charge Card Program Coordinator to cancel the cards. (7) Sign relocation service agreements when required. (8) Certify an itemized list of professional books, papers, and equipment (PBP&E) as necessary for the employee to perform his/her new job when relocation requires an excess weight allowance for PBP&E. r. DOE Travel Charge Card Program Coordinator. (1) Manage the DOE travel charge card program. (2) Serve as the primary contact point for the travel charge card contractor. (3) Monitor DOE summary reports of delinquent activity for centrally billed travel accounts and individually billed travel accounts and, as necessary, consult with Travel Charge Card Program Coordinators to improve delinquency performance. (4) Notify Travel Charge Card Program Coordinators of changes in the travel charge card program. 16 DOE O 550.1A 08-05-2026 s. Travel Charge Card Program Coordinators. (1) Ensure completeness of information on travel charge card applications. (2) Complete DOE information and authorization sections of travel charge card applications. (3) Forward original applications to the travel charge card vendor and maintain copies of the applications with employee acknowledgment statements. (4) Monitor pre-suspension reports and delinquency reports and notify the affected employees and the heads of their respective Departmental elements of the status of accounts. (5) Review account activity reports on a monthly basis for charges that are not travel related and notify the employees and the heads of Departmental elements of inappropriate charges. (6) Coordinate temporary increases or decreases in individual employee charge limits with the travel charge card vendor. Record permanent changes online on the travel charge card vendor website. (7) Cancel an employee’s travel charge card when notified to do so by the employee’s supervisor when an employee has resigned, retired, transferred to another Agency, or transferred to another DOE duty station and the account has not transferred within 30 days of the employee’s transfer.

(8) Contact the gaining organization’s Travel Charge Card Program Coordinator when an employee transfers to another geographic location within the Department and initiate transfer of responsibility for oversight of the travel charge card account. (9) Obtain the new supervisor’s signed approval before transferring in an employee’s travel charge card account at the new duty station. (10) Monitor the individual travel charge card account listing to ensure that all open accounts are for current employees and that all accounts for employees who resigned, retired, transferred to another Agency, or otherwise left the employ of the Department have been canceled. (11) Forward travel charge card vendor requests for salary offset of delinquent account balances to the appropriate payroll office. t. DOE Site Relocation Coordinators. (1) Act as primary liaisons between DOE and relocation services companies. DOE O 550.1A 17 08-05-2026 (2) Provide advice and guidance to relocation coordinators regarding relocation issues. u. Relocation Coordinators. (1) Act as primary points of contact for employees and program offices to provide guidance on relocation allowances under the guidance of the FTR, Travel Manual, and Site Relocation Coordinators. (2) Provide required paperwork to employees eligible for relocation allowances. (3) Review completed paperwork, including forms and travel authorizations, for compliance with the FTR and Travel Manual. Consult with program offices and approving officials regarding corrections and/or additional justifications/information to support authorizations. (4) Facilitate or make arrangements for the relocation of eligible employees. v. Travel Coordinators (Arrangers). (1) Respond to inquiries from employees, including experts or consultants employed intermittently, regarding travel issues. (2) Act as liaisons between employees, accounting service centers, and the Office of Travel Management. w. Contracting Officers. (1) After notification by the appropriate program official, incorporate the CRD into affected site/facility-management contracts in accordance with the laws, regulations and DOE Directives clause of the contracts. (2) Assist procurement request originators who want to incorporate the requirements of the CRD of this Order in new non-site/facility-management contracts, as appropriate. (3) For all applicable contracts and upon notification that a site/facility-management contract is affected by this Order, incorporate the requirements into the affected contract(s) via the “Laws, Regulations, and DOE Directives” clause of the contract, or through negotiation and modification, as appropriate. x. Federal Travelers. (1) Meet travel charge card obligations in a proper and timely manner pursuant to 5 CFR § 2635, Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, or be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, such as reprimand, suspension, or dismissal. 18 DOE O 550.1A 08-05-2026 (2) Report lost or stolen travel charge cards to the travel charge card contractor and local travel office or Travel Charge Card Program Coordinator immediately. (3) Notify the local travel office or Travel Charge Card Program Coordinator when the traveler resigns, retires, or transfers to another Agency. (4) Immediately upon transferring to another duty station within DOE, obtain the new supervisor’s signed approval to transfer the travel charge card account to the new duty station and forward the approval to the Travel Charge Card Program Coordinator at the new duty station.

(5) Review and become familiar with appropriate federal travel regulations, DOE policies, orders, and guidance related to official foreign travel and aviation safety. (6) Provide the required information for entry and approval in FTMS and provide required country clearance information in sufficient time to permit approval by the appropriate programmatic elements and to obtain clearance, as required, from the U.S. Embassy in the country to be visited. (7) Provide a copy of the appropriate paperwork (e.g., granted country clearance, letter of invitation) to the appropriate Program Element when traveling for another organization. (8) Receive country clearance, as required, from the U.S. Embassy in the country to be visited, through the Responsible Program Secretarial Office or Deputy Administrator, NNSA, before travel begins. (9) Ensure that official/diplomatic passports are obtained for official travel. (10) Ensure that visas, when required, are obtained for official travel. (11) Check with medical support staff to ensure awareness of safety and health issues of the country to be visited. (12) Discuss with appropriate management safety concerns related to upcoming or past travel. (13) Decline travel if there is a concern about the traveler’s personal safety. (14) Ensure that information is submitted to update the FTMS when official foreign travel requests are entered and subsequently canceled or disapproved. (15) Ensure that FTMS trip requests are closed out within 60 calendar days of return. DOE O 550.1A 19 08-05-2026 (16) Ensure that information as to conference attendance, including but not limited to agenda and presentation, are attached to trip request in FTMS. y. Emergency Response Personnel. Provide briefings to appropriate offices/officials as requested upon return from emergency response activities travel. z. Office of Scheduling and Advance. Manage all Secretarial travel logistics. 6. INVOKED STANDARDS. This Order does not invoke any DOE technical standards or industry standards as required methods. Note: DOE O 251.1, current version, provides a definition for “invoked technical standard.” 7. DEFINITIONS. See Attachment 2. 8. REFERENCES. See Attachment 3 9. CONTACT. Questions concerning this Order should be addressed to the Office of Travel Management at (202) 586-4048. BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY: JAMES P. DANLY Deputy Secretary DOE O 550.1A Attachment 1 – CRD, Contractors Only 08-05-2026 Page 1-1 ATTACHMENT 1 CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT DOE O 550.1, OFFICIAL TRAVEL Regardless of the performer of the work, the contractor is responsible for compliance with the requirements of this Contractor Requirements Document (CRD). The contractor is responsible for flowing down the requirements of this CRD to subcontracts at any tier to the extent necessary to ensure the contractor’s compliance with the requirements. This CRD establishes the requirements for Department of Energy (DOE) contractors. Disclosure of information contained in the Foreign Travel Management System (FTMS), except for the purpose of obtaining country clearance, is prohibited unless approved by the Office of the Secretary. Foreign travel information may also be classified or controlled unclassified information and subject to the protections applicable to the corresponding category of information. In addition to the requirements in this CRD, contractors are subject to the information set forth in Attachments 2 and 3 to DOE Order (O) 550.1.

1. In preparing for or performing official foreign travel, contractors must comply with the following requirements. a. Review, approve, and oversee all foreign travel under their purview. b. Establish appropriate internal controls to ensure accountability within their organizations. c. Delegate to the Laboratory and other facility site contractors the authority to approve foreign travel at the site/facility and shall notify the sponsor in advance. The Program Secretarial Officer or Deputy Administrator, NNSA, may disapprove within 5 business days, request clarification or justification of costs at any point in the process as part of financial due diligence of appropriated funds. If a contractor fails to meet the requirements set forth in the CRD, including specifically that of securing granted country clearance prior to departure, the corresponding laboratory/site may have its delegation of authority revoked. d. Ensure that official or diplomatic passport requests are submitted to the Program Secretarial Officer or Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), for review, approval, and submission to the Department of State. The Department of State does not require contractors to obtain an official passport when conducting United States Government (USG) business, but the Program Office may decide that, based on the contractor’s mission, it would be beneficial for the contractor to have an official passport and may request that the Department of State issue an official passport. The Department of State will determine whether an official or diplomatic passport is warranted. If an official or diplomatic passport has been issued to the , then the contractor must only travel on the official or diplomatic passport (except in cases where the USG does not have diplomatic relations with another country). Attachment 1 – CRD, Contractors Only DOE O 550.1A Page 1-2 08-05-2026 e. Coordinate the review of official foreign travel as necessary with DOE officials responsible for export control and technology concerns and with DOE officials responsible for intelligence, counterintelligence and security when the traveler has a Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance or the trip is for official DOE business. f. Ensure travelers are on airline carriers that are licensed by International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 countries or those countries that have implemented International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Safety Standards. The site/facility will have the responsibility to establish procedures and policy involving the traveler in reviewing and making a determination as to the necessity and method of travel when an airline carrier is not licensed by a Category 1 country on a FAA IASA results list or a country that has not achieved adequate implementation of ICAO safety standards. g. Consult with export licensing officials at the Department of Commerce, State, Energy and Treasury, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as appropriate, to ensure compliance with U.S. export laws and regulations applying to specific foreign travel requests. h. Comply with the following requirements for obtaining country clearance. (1) Provide sufficient information for the Program Secretarial Officer or Deputy Administrator, NNSA, to provide notification to the U.S. Embassy in the country to be visited. (2) Receive country clearance from the U.S. Embassy in the country to be visited before the start of the travel.

(3) Comply with pre-briefings, as appropriate, prior to the start of official foreign travel and provide debriefings, as appropriate, upon return by and at the discretion of the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence when travel is to a sensitive country, and/or interacting with sensitive-country foreign nationals regardless of destination country, irrespective of whether the traveler holds a security clearance. i. The Science and Technology (S&T) Risk Matrix must be reviewed for all proposed and any official foreign travel to a foreign country of risk to determine whether the travel involves areas identified in the S&T Risk Matrix as restricted. j. Exemption requests for any official foreign travel to a foreign country of risk involving areas identified as restricted in the S&T Risk Matrix must be submitted for approval by the cognizant Under Secretary or designee. Exemptions must be approved by the cognizant Under Secretary or designee prior to initiating any official foreign travel request. k. Coordinate with emergency response personnel to provide briefings to appropriate offices/officials as requested upon return from travel. DOE O 550.1A Attachment 1 – CRD, Contractors Only 08-05-2026 Page 1-3 l. Consider the travel risk and employee safety regarding travel, including airline carriers and short-term medical and evacuation coverage to all countries. m. Check with Medical Health Support Services to ensure awareness of safety and health issues of the country to be visited. n. Ensure that visas, when required, are obtained for official travel. o. Adhere to the Department of State’s training requirements for overseas travel. More information may be found at http://www.state.gov/m/fsi/tc/securitytraining/index.htm and https://fsitraining.state.gov/Home/Index/8. p. Ensure that, when traveling for an organization other than DOE or the contractor, a copy of the appropriate paperwork (e.g., granted country clearance, letter of invitation) is provided to his/her Responsible Program Secretarial Officer. 2. In controlling official foreign travel to a foreign country of risk, contractors must comply with the following requirements. a. Utilize FTMS as the official Departmental system for tracking, monitoring, reporting, and securing approval of all foreign travel to a foreign country of risk conducted by contractor employees. Trip information and approvals shall be entered into FTMS by contractors with appropriate authorities. b. Enter all official foreign travel requests to a foreign country of risk in the FTMS. This documentation should be added at least 30 calendar days before the proposed departure date, unless exigent circumstances exist. c. Ensure that foreign travel to a foreign country of risk does not begin unless all required approvals have been finalized. Substantial changes listed below will require reapproval: (1) Changes to trip itineraries that include countries of risk, and (2) Changes to planned agendas or topics that include research areas or technology topics identified as restricted within the S&T Risk Matrix. d. Ensure for those attending conferences in foreign countries of risk that conference agendas and presentations, where applicable, are uploaded into FTMS. DOE O 550.1A Attachment 2 – Federal Employees and Contractors 08-05-2026 Page 2-1 ATTACHMENT 2 DEFINITIONS The following definitions apply to this Order. Additional definitions may be found in Department of Energy (DOE) Travel Manual.

1. Classified Information. Restricted data or formerly restricted data as defined by the Atomic Energy Act or 10 CFR § 1045, Nuclear Classification and Declassification; Transclassified Foreign Nuclear Information classified by the Atomic Energy Act; and National Security Information classified by Executive Order 13526, Classified National Security Information, or prior Executive Orders. 2. Cognizant Secretarial Officer. Headquarters Assistant Secretaries, Deputy Administrator and Directors responsible for oversight or institutional management of DOE/NNSA facilities. 3. Country Clearance. Notification from the U.S. Embassy of the country to be visited that a request to travel to that country has been approved. Some U.S. Embassies will, from time to time, agree (with appropriate language in the cable) that clearance may be assumed. 4. Emergency Response. The national technical capability to respond to radiological and nuclear incidents and accidents within the United States and abroad. This capability typically supports the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Department of State, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other government agencies. 5. Foreign Country of Risk. Any foreign country determined to be of risk by the Office of Science in consultation with the Under Secretary for Science; the Under Secretary of Energy; the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security; and the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence. Referred to as country or countries of risk throughout this Order. 6. Foreign Travel Management System (FTMS). The official Departmental system for tracking, monitoring, reporting and securing approval of all foreign travel conducted by federal and contractor employees. Trip information and approvals are entered into FTMS by users with appropriate authorities. 7. Heads of Field Elements. Federal managers of Field Elements and Directors of government-owned and government-operated entities. Heads of Field Elements that have line accountability for all site program/project execution and contract management. Field element can refer to operations office, integrated support center, field office, or site office. 8. Head of Traveler’s Organization. The top official for the organization in which the traveler is employed. For a federal employee, the responsible Assistant Secretary or equivalent; for a contractor employee, the head of the contractor organization. Attachment 2 – Federal Employees and Contractors DOE O 550.1A Page 2-2 08-05-2026 9. Official Foreign Travel. Approved travel (whether wholly or partly on official business) from the United States (including Alaska, Hawaii, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories and possessions of the United States) to a foreign country and return or travel between foreign countries by persons, including foreign nationals, whose salaries or travel expenses or both will ultimately be funded, in whole or in part, by DOE from its appropriations. Official foreign travel also includes travel funded by non-DOE entities for which the traveler represents the Department or conducts business or discusses work on behalf of the USG.

10. Program Secretarial Officer (or Deputy Administrator, NNSA). Headquarters Assistant Secretaries, Deputy Administrators, and Directors who have management responsibility for program planning, budgeting, and execution, of DOE/NNSA mission program activities. For purposes of this Order, the Program Secretarial Officer is not necessarily a program officer, but is the senior DOE Headquarters official whose office will fund the requested travel or, if there is no DOE funding, the federal official having responsibilities associated with the purpose of the requested travel. For federal employees, this may be the same person as the head of the traveler’s organization. 11. Sensitive Country. A country to which particular consideration is given for policy reasons. Countries may appear on the sensitive-country list for reasons of national security, nuclear nonproliferation, regional instability, threat to national economic security, or terrorism support. The Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence maintains the list. 12. Sensitive Subjects. Unclassified subjects/topics identified in existing federal regulations governing export control as well as those identified by the Department as unique to its work, which involve information, activities, and/or technologies that are relevant to national security. DOE O 550.1A Attachment 3 – Federal Employees and Contractors 08-05-2026 Page 3-1 ATTACHMENT 3 REFERENCES This Attachment provides information applicable to contracts in which the CRD (Attachment 1 to DOE Order (O) 550.1) is inserted. 1. Title XXXII, National Nuclear Security Administration Act, of P.L. 106-65, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, as amended. 2. Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 1017, Identification and Protection of Unclassified Controlled Nuclear Information. 3. 10 CFR § 1060, Payment of Travel Expenses of Persons Who are Not Government Employees. 4. Implementation regulations at 10 CFR § 1060.101, “Persons who may be paid.” 5. 41 CFR § 300–304, “Federal Travel Regulation.” 6. 41 CFR, Chapter 301, “Federal Travel Regulations, Temporary Duty (TDY) Travel Allowances.” 7. 41 CFR, Chapter 304, “Federal Travel Regulations, Payment from a Non-Federal Source for Travel Expenses.” 8. 5 U.S.C. § 5703, Per diem, travel, and transportation expenses; experts and consultants; individuals serving without pay (see 10 CFR § 1060, Payment of Travel Expenses of Persons Who Are Not Government Employees). 9. Executive Order 13589, “Promoting Efficient Spending,” effective November 9, 2011. 10. Open Skies Agreement (https://2009-2017.state.gov/e/eb/tra/ata/index.htm). 11. Chapter 925, Per Diem Supplement to the Department of State’s Standardized Regulation (Government Civilian Foreign Areas). 12. DOE O 440.2C, Aviation Management and Safety, current version. 13. DOE O 471.1B, Identification and Protection of Unclassified Controlled Nuclear Information, current version. 14. DOE O 475.1, Counterintelligence Program, current version. 15. DOE O 475.2B, Identifying Classified Information, current version. 16. DOE Manual 552.1-1A, Chg. 1, U.S. Department of Energy Travel Manual, current version. 17. DOE Handbook on Overseas Assignments, dated August 2014.