Frequently Asked Questions

The amount of the relocation grant, which is in lieu of shipment of personal effects, is linked to the travel of the family members. As only family members are being authorized to travel to the duty station join the staff member, that portion of the relocation grant relating to family members is payable.

Travel of family members in connection with a staff member’s appointment or assignment can be made only to the duty station that the staff member is assigned to, as the purpose of the travel to for the family to reside with the staff member at the duty station of assignment. However, children attending school outside of the duty station may be eligible for education grant travel.

Entitlements are based on the duty station where the staff member is assigned. As you are assigned to a non-family duty station, there is no entitlement to travel of your family members to the duty station or an alternative location. However, you are entitled to the non-family hardship allowance, which compensates for the added financial burden and psychological hardship of being separated from your family members.

Where a non-family mission location is designated as a family duty station internationally-recruited staff members with eligible dependents (i.e. a spouse and dependent children who would normally reside with the staff member when not serving in a non-family duty station) are eligible for travel related entitlements for family members. These include:

Initial travel of eligible family members to the duty station,

The overall quality of life at a duty station is taken into consideration in the hardship categorization of the duty station. However, the hardship classification of a duty station in itself does not determine the status of a duty station as “family” or “non-family”.

Duty stations from which dependents have been evacuated will be designated as “non-family duty stations” where a determination has been made that the medium- or longer-term presence of non-essential staff and/or dependents is dangerous or unsuitable for reasons of their safety and security. The determination of a duty station as non-family will normally be made within six months of the declaration of an evacuation.

Please click here for the latest list of non-family duty stations designated by the International Civil Service Commission, which is effective from 1 July 2014.

Acting on the basis of a recommendation of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), which regulates and coordinates the conditions of service of staff in the entire UN common system, the General Assembly decided that benefits and allowances for staff working in non-family duty stations should be the same for the entire UN common system, whether you work for a UN field mission or for a UN agency, fund or programme.

Consultants at non-Secretariat United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes may apply for any position and at any level they consider themselves qualified, and are screened for eligibility according to the same criteria as any other external applicant.

Yes, upon separation an internationally recruited staff member can defer their entitlement to removal expenses for up to two years. The entitlement expires if removal has not commenced within two years of the date on which the staff member became entitled to such expenses.