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• Family Visit

HOME LEAVE

WHAT IS HOME LEAVE?

A period of annual leave taken by a staff member in order to visit his or her home country. The United Nations may provide travel expenses for the staff member and his or her eligible family members for home leave.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

• Staff member regarded as an international recruit who continues to reside in a country other than that of which he or she is a national, while performing his or her official duties; and
• Staff member whose service is expected to continue at least six months beyond the date of his or her return from any proposed home leave.

  * In the case of the first home leave, at least six months beyond the date on which the staff member will have completed two years of qualifying service.

* In the case of a staff member who is a native of a non-metropolitan territory of the country of the duty station and who maintained his or her normal residence in such non-metropolitan territory prior to appointment, he or she must continue to reside, while performing his or her official duties, outside such territory.

* A staff member who has changed his or her residential status in such a way that he or she may be deemed to be a permanent resident of any country other than that of his or her nationality may lose entitlement to home leave.

HOW OFTEN?

Normally once in every two years of qualifying service. However, in the case of designated duty stations having very difficult conditions of life and work, eligible staff members shall be granted home leave once in every twelve months.

Staff members and their eligible family members traveling on home leave shall be required to spend no less than one week in the place of home leave.

* Except in the case of staff members serving on probationary appointment, a staff member's first home leave shall fall due in the calendar year in which the staff member completes two years of qualifying service.

* A staff member appointed on probationary basis shall not be entitled to the first home leave until he or she has been granted a permanent appointment or an extension of probationary period. However, if the Secretary-general considers that it will not be possible for the Appointment and Promotion Board to review the staff member's case within six month's after the completion of two years' service, he or she may be granted home leave subject to other requirements.

HOW TO DETERMINE THE PLACE OF HOME LEAVE?

The place of home leave shall be the country of the staff member's nationality, subject to the following terms, conditions and exceptions.

• The place of home leave of the staff member within his or her home country shall be, for purpose of travel and transportation entitlements, the place with which the staff member had the closest residential ties during the period of his or her most recent residence in the home country. In exceptional circumstances, a change in the place in the country of home leave may be authorized, under conditions established by the Secretary-General.
• In exceptional and compelling circumstances, a country other than the country of nationality may be authorized as the home country. A staff member requesting such authorization will be required to satisfy the Organization that the staff member maintained normal residence in such other country for a prolonged period preceding his or her appointment and that the staff member continues to have close family and personal ties in that country.

TRAVEL EXPENSE COVERED BY UNITED NATIONS

For home leave travel, the staff member would be entitled to the following travel expenses for the staff member and his or her eligible family members:

• Economy class air fare ticket for a round trip between the duty station and the place of home leave by the most direct route;
• One bag in addition to the free baggage allowance or up to 25 kilograms per traveller;
• An unaccompanied shipment of up to 50 kilograms or 0.31 cubic meters per person;
• Terminal expenses for the staff member and family member authorized to travel at United Nations expense.

  For designated duty stations, the staff member may opt for lump-sum payment for his or her home leave. The staff member will receive a lump-sum payment equivalent to up to 75% of full fare economy class ticket by the most direct route in lieu of the applicable travel and related entitlements on home leave and make his or her own travel arrangements.

  Example:

  • Duty station : New York
  • Place of home leave: Bangkok, Thailand
  • Full fare economy class air ticket from New York to Bangkok: U$2000
  • Lump-sum payment entitlement: U$1500

FAMILY VISIT

Staff members serving at duty stations designated as having very difficult conditions of life and work may be authorized family visit travel.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

• Staff members who are internationally recruited under staff rules and who are serving outside their home country;
• Staff members who are assigned to serve with a United nations mission away from their official duty station at which they are considered to be locally recruited under staff rules.

  The staff member's spouse may be authorized to visit the staff member as an alternative to the exercise of the staff member's entitlement to family visit travel.

HOW OFTEN?

According to the following conditions:

• The staff member has completed not less than one year of service at the duty station or with mission after his/her initial appointment or assignment, or not less than nine months since departure on the last home leave journey;
• In the case of staff members serving at duty stations having a 12-month cycle of home leave, the staff member has completed not less than six months of service at the duty station or with the mission after the initial appointment or assignment, or not less than 12 months since departure on the previous family visit travel;
• The staff member's service with the Organization is expected to continue at least six months beyond the date of return from the family visit travel;
• During the preceding 12 months none of the staff member's eligible dependents has been present with him or her at the duty station or in the mission area after their travel there at United nations expense other than on education grant travel;
• Family visit travel may not be authorized in the calendar year in which home leave falls due.

  Staff members and their eligible family members traveling on home leave shall be required to spend no less than one week in the place of home leave.

TRAVEL EXPENSE COVERED BY UNITED NATIONS

The staff member would be entitled to the following travel expenses:

• Economy class air fare ticket for a round trip between the duty station and the place of home leave by the most direct route;
• One bag in addition to the free baggage allowance or up to 25 kilograms per traveller;
• An unaccompanied shipment of up to 50 kilograms or 0.31 cubic meters per traveller;
• Terminal expenses for the staff member and familymember authorized to travel at United Nations expense.

  For designated duty stations, the staff member may opt for lump-sum payment for his or her home leave. The staff member will receive a lump-sum payment equivalent to up to 75% of full economy class fare air ticket by the most direct route in lieu of the applicable travel and related entitlements on home leave and make his or her own travel arrangements.

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