Volunteer Support Germany-Austria-Switzerland/Reimbursement of travel costs
| This page is a translation of de:WP:Förderung/Reisekostenerstattungen. It gives an overview of the support programs for volunteers residing in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol. The translation is for information purposes only. Addressed volunteers may use the original page. Last update: March 2019 |
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Reimbursement of travel costs
You’re traveling to create open content, to hold a Wikipedia workshop, or to attend an editorial or WikiProject meeting? Following the legal requirements and the respective support guidelines, the German-language Wikipedia organizations can reimburse your costs of travel, accommodation, and meals. |
Scope of support
For participation in various kinds of events, reimbursements may be requested through the German Wikimedia organizations and, if applicable, entry costs may also be covered. This includes:
- Projects for content creation, e.g. editing meetings (edit-a-thons), photo tours, and the like
- Projects to raise awareness about Wikimedia projects, e.g. by giving lectures, participating in fairs, etc.
- Thematic events, e.g. meetings of WikiProjects, portals, etc.
- Training events, e.g. workshops, conferences, etc.
- National and international exchange meetings, e.g. WikiCon and Wikimania (partly through scholarships)
Generally refundable travel costs
- Train: 2nd class, normal price for long distance trains. The cost for BahnCards can also be reimbursed if a person with primary residence in Germany obtains a cheaper ticket overall through the acquisition of a BahnCard or if at least two additional trips for Wikimedia projects are made within 12 months
- Car, after prior approval and with a justification given: in the amount of verified costs; please specify route, e.g. with map print out. Carpooling is encouraged, whenever possible
- Required local public transport during the trip
Travel costs refundable only after prior consultation
- Travel expenses to meetings outside the country of primary residence or for participants residing abroad
- Use of means of transport other than those indicated above. Taxi rides, in particular, will only be reimbursed after consultation in exceptional and justified cases
- Parking fees (esp. over multiple days) in exceptional and justified cases
- Cancellation costs in case of a justified non-commencement of travel
Reimbursement of accommodation and meals
The costs of accommodation and meals can be assumed for meetings lasting several days. If not every meal is provided at an event, volunteers can claim a meal allowance. The terms for that differ depending on the country where you reside. You can find more information in the boxes below on the Wikimedia organizations.
Approach
Please contact the Wikimedia chapter of your primary residence prior to an event with the following details:
- your name
- your username in the Wikimedia projects
- name, date, and location of the event
- your trip’s point of departure
- your preferred means of transport and, if necessary, the reasons for the choice of transport when travelling by car or airplane
- a rough estimate of the trip’s expected costs
If a trip needs to be unexpectedly called off, get in touch with us as soon as possible (preferably by phone and e-mail) so that accommodations can still be canceled, if necessary.
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To request travel costs, please send an e-mail to community@wikimedia.de.  For certain events, special event tickets for the German railway might be available due to a cooperation with Deutsche Bahn. Forms and further information regarding the reimbursement of travel costs: WMDE’s travel expense regulation FAQ for the reimbursement of travel costs (German only) The support guidelines of Wikimedia Deutschland apply. |
To request travel costs, please send an e-mail to verein@wikimedia.at. Forms and further information regarding the reimbursement of travel costs: Reimbursement form (XLS als ZIP) The support guidelines of Wikimedia Österreich apply. |
To request travel costs, please send an e-mail to info@wikimedia.ch. Forms and further information regarding the reimbursement of travel costs: The reimbursement guidelines of Wikimedia CH apply. |
Please tell us and others about your experiences, for example on a subpage of your user page and link them here (in German only). By doing so, you will on the one hand help the Wikimedia organizations to understand the benefits of the support initiative; on the other, your experiences can be helpful to others.