Emergency Contact

Should you need to reach McGill in the event of an emergency, click here

Emergency Contact
McGill.CA / McGill Abroad

Get ready to take off!

Start preparing today for your safe and healthy travel experience.

Emergency Situations

Know who to contact in case of an emergency or crisis

In an Emergency

Pre-Departure Orientation

Learn, prepare and get equipped for your international experience

Pre-Departure Orientation

McGill Student Travel Registry

Allows us to keep record of your domestic & international travel dates and locations

Mandatory Travel Registry
International educational experiences offer many benefits to students but can also expose them to certain travel, health, and safety risks. Students must familiarize themselves with their destination country and prepare for risks they may encounter during their travel or stay abroad.
 

Students going on University-related international activities must comply with the following university requirements: 

Government of Canada’s Travel advisory

Check the Government of Canada’s Travel Advice and Advisories on a regular basis to stay informed of any changes for your destination.

Mandatory Pre-Departure Orientation

Complete Pre-Departure Orientation on MyCourses. For information on how to register, please consult the McGill Abroad Pre-Departure Orientation webpage.

Registration of your travel

With your home government: If you are a Canadian citizen, register with Registration of Canadians Abroad. If you are not a Canadian citizen, register with your home country’s foreign affairs office.

McGill Student Travel Registry

Create an account for the McGill Student Travel Registry. Follow the steps to ensure that the registration of your travel is complete and is up-to-date at least 4-weeks before your departure.
Note: Exchange students are required to complete the travel registry as soon as their documents are available

Medical and Travel Insurance

Ensure you have sufficient travel and medical insurance that covers medical emergencies, emergency evacuation, and trip cancellation and interruption. Most members of the community already have some coverage through the McGill Supplemental Health Insurance Program or their student insurance, but travelers should explore whether additional insurance is required for their destination and activities. Don't forget to ask about policy exclusions and limitations related to:

  • Personal health factors
  • Participation in political demonstrations
  • Extreme sports and other risky activities
  • Travel advisories issued for the host country and/or regions within
  • Other circumstances that may affect insurance coverage

For information regarding field work safety guidelines, please view Field Work Safety.

Before you leave

  • Ensure you have the appropriate Travel Health Insurance. Please visit the following McGill websites for more details: SSMU, PGSS, MCSS, international students. Additional information on travel insurance is available from the Government of Canada - Travel Insurance.
  • Plan in case of an emergency. Have the following numbers on hand:
    • Local central emergency number (e.g., 911 equivalent) or telephone number for local police, ambulance, fire
    • Emergency number of the host partner institution
    • Canadian consular assistance number or your home country’s equivalent
    • Understand the conditions of the pandemic and prevailing health directives at your destination and plan accordingly
    • Have the McGill Student Travel Registry app installed on your phone for quick access to travel advisories, emergency resources, and McGill's support resources
  • Research what means of communication will be available to you during your trip. Internet access may be limited depending on your destination. Furthermore, depending on the country, certain website access may be prohibited. Students travelling abroad are advised to download the two-factor authentication (2FA) on their mobile device prior to their scheduled departure. This will allow students to sign into their McGill affiliated email address while travelling which is required for safety purposes. In the event that a student will be using a different physical phone and telephone number while travelling,  please consult the following article prior to your scheduled departure: McGill IT Knowledge - FAQs for two-factor authentication (2FA) (service-now.com). Should you have any questions, please contact the IT Service Desk for support: 514-398-3398.  
  • Hibernation Mode: Both Iphone and Android users are required to sign into their McGill Student Travel Registry at least once every 30 days while abroad
  • Stay abreast of any health regulations (including immunization) which may apply during your university-related travels
  • Familiarize yourself with any additional travel health warnings for your destination. The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Travel Health Notices outline potential health risks to Canadian travelers and recommend ways to help reduce them

While abroad

  • Regularly check the Government of Canada's Travel Advice and Advisories for reports on your host country
  • Regularly check your McGill email
  • Hibernation Mode: Both Iphone and Android users are required to sign into their McGill Student Travel Registry at least once every 30 days while abroad
  • Check if local police force or municipal administration have a twitter account or other social media accounts that you can follow
  • Keep your travel documents in a secure place. Make copies of important documents and save them to your email, cloud or a USB
  • Stay connected with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development's social media feeds and follow @TravelGoC on Twitter
Tags: 
Safety Abroad McGill Abroad

Note: McGill’s PDF iconInternational Mobility Guidelines stipulate that students are not permitted to participate in University-related activities in locations with an “Avoid non-essential travel” advisory by the Government of Canada, without an approved travel exemption. If you deem your travel to a location that is listed as "Avoid non-essential travel" by Global Affairs Canada to be essential, or if you are currently abroad in such a location and deem your participation in a University-related activity in your current location to be essential, you must request an exemption.

Exemption requests made prior to departure must be submitted with sufficient notice to allow for a detailed evaluation process to take place - at least 4 weeks before making any travel arrangements or 2 months before travel or start of the activity. Exemptions for travel or stay in a country, city or region with an “Avoid all travel” advisory will not be granted.

 

Exemption Request
McGill University is situated on the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehà:ka, a place which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst nations. We recognize and respect the Kanien’kehà:ka as the traditional custodians of the lands and waters on which we meet today.
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