What is a mission order and what does it have to say? (+ free model to download)

Whether it's for a local meeting or an international business trip, the mission order is essential for employers and employees alike. It protects both parties by specifying the conditions of travel and reimbursement of business expenses related to the assignment.

It enables better management of expense claims , and is legally admissible proof in the event of unforeseen circumstances. It can be adapted to all types of company, but its legal obligation is always at the heart of discussions.

What is a travel order? What exactly is it used for? What are its legal mentions? How can it be optimized to improve your expense management? Find out in this article.

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What is an engagement order?

Definition

An "ordre de mission" (mission order) is a professional document, generally in Word or PDF format, which allows an employee to travel during working hours to carry out professional assignments. It offers several advantages for employees:

• They benefit from the advantages and protection of their status, even when they are away from the company.
• They are also covered in the event of a workplace accident.
• They can claim reimbursement of professional expenses, also known as mission expenses. These expenses mainly include travel (transportation), meals and accommodation.

As for the employer, he or she benefits from a clearer, better-organized expense claim management system. All trips are detailed and signed off, which also protects the employer in the event of unforeseen circumstances.

Is a travel order compulsory?

The travel order is a compulsory document for all employees wishing or needing to travel on business, whether international or not. To be legally valid, it must comply with a specific format. It can therefore take several forms:

• form,
• letter,
• Word document converted to PDF.

⚠️ An e-mail cannot replace this official document. It will not be accepted.

According to Article L411-2 of the French Social Security Code, a business trip may be considered a private journey. It is therefore in the employee's interest to request an "ordre de mission" (travel order) before setting off on an assignment.

Why request a travel order?

Requesting authorization to travel

When an employee needs to make a business trip as part of his or her duties, he or she must request authorization from his or her manager. To do so, he or she must provide a number of more or less precise details about the trip.

👉 The mandatory details are detailed a little further down in the article!

Request a travel reservation

If an employee needs to make a business trip, he or she must request validation from :

• their manager , by means of a mission order,
• reservation services, specifying the main details of the trip without going into too much detail. It's up to the specialized departments to organize the trip according to the rates, availability and budget allocated by the company.

Ask for approval to purchase equipment

When an employee needs to purchase professional equipment as part of his or her duties, he or she must request approval from his or her manager and/or the person concerned.

👉 He can therefore request a mission order, attaching an estimate as supporting evidence, along with the reason for purchasing the equipment.

What information must be included?

For an engagement order to be valid and admissible in the eyes of the law, it must contain the following information:

• the purpose of the mission ;
• dates of travel and/or outward and return journeys;
• outward and return travel times;
• the full address of the place where the trip is to take place;
• the means of transport the employee will be using (airports and train stations must also be indicated);
• personal address;
• the employer's signature

👉 The travel order must then be converted into PDF format.

Download our mission order template free of charge!

Would you prefer a faster, more efficient way to draw up your mission order? You can download our job order template in Word format.

You'll then have access to a complete job order structure. All you have to do is add your own information, have it signed by both yourself and the employee in question, and download it in PDF format.

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Travel orders and expense reports: how to optimize the reimbursement process?

Expense claim management software offers features that enable you to set up your dematerialized travel requests according to the specific criteria of your corporate policy.

When you are faced with an expense claim expenditure, your employees fill in fields with varying degrees of detail, automatically linking your travel order to this expense.

👉 This gives your accounting department more optimal overall visibility.

The benefits are many:

• adaptation to your company and expense management policy, facilitating your reimbursement system;
• considerable time savings, avoiding time-consuming tasks and the various approval and verification stages;
• increased efficiency, with all the information you need on a single form.