The AIARC Benefits Enrollment Guide provides you with information about the various benefits administered by the Association of International Agricultural Research Centers (AIARC) on behalf of its member Centers.

This guide also provides you with information about the forms that are required to be completed to enroll you in the benefits for which you are eligible. It is very important that you complete and return the forms to AIARC as soon as possible. Otherwise, your benefits will be delayed. Please consult with your Center’s HR department to confirm which benefits and respective forms are applicable to you based on your designated employment classification.

You can click here to print the pdf version of the guide or view the guide online by clicking on a topic in the following Table of Content:   

• About AIARC    
• Forms to Complete
• Participant Account
• Medical
• Emergency Medical, Security and Travel Assistance Services (ISOS)
• Death and Disability
• Business Travel Accident
• Payroll
• Retirement
• U.S.Taxpayer

Once you have been enrolled in the IARC benefits and payroll system, you will receive the Confirmation of AIARC Benefits Memo to your email address from your Center’s AIARC Coordinator. Using the instructions from the Benefits Memo, you will be able to register and activate your personal accounts to manage your various insurance and retirement plan benefits directly on the vendor platforms. If you do not receive a Benefits Memo, please contact your Center’s AIARC Coordinator.

You are eligible to participate in the International Agricultural Research Centers (IARC) Plan benefits and payroll because you meet the definition of an “Active Employee” based on the employment classification designated for you by your Center.

Please refer to the various employment classifications that are considered as an “Active Employee” for offshore retirement, U.S. retirement, and insurance eligibility purposes. Please note that the benefits for which you will be eligible are based on your employment classification. Further, not all employment classifications are eligible to continue certain benefits when terminating employment from a Center. As such, you may not receive all of the benefits described in this guide. If you are uncertain as to what benefits you are eligible for, please contact the Human Resource (HR) department at your Center to confirm your employment classification.

The following forms are required from all participants in order for AIARC to provide any benefit:

• Contact Details and Security Information Form — This form provides AIARC with your contact information in case of an emergency and with security information which helps prevent unauthorized access to your AIARC Participant Account.


• Tax Residency Declaration Form — This form is used to declare your country of legal tax residency to ensure that the appropriate payroll, retirement, and insurance accounts are established based on your citizenship and taxpayer status. This form will be shared with governmental tax authorities for anti-money laundering (AML) purposes, if requested. As such, your declaration in this form is considered a legal statement. It is your legal responsibility to notify AIARC of any changes of residency or taxpayer status.


• Passport/Official Photo Identification — Please make a copy of your valid passport or official government-issued photo identification and submit it with the required forms. Make sure that the copy clearly displays your photo, document title, issuing authority, document number, expiration date (if any), and your hand-written signature.


• Signature — When completing your forms, it is highly recommended that you provide a wet signature as another means for security verifications. If you cannot provide a wet signature, you can provide your digital signature on the condition that the digital signature matches the signature on your government-issued identification. If your governmental issued identification does not contain a signature page, you can write and print your signature on a white blank piece of paper, take a photo of the written and printed signatures with your smartphone, and send a copy of the photo with your enrollment forms.

Please note that if you do not complete and return these forms, your account cannot be established and your benefits will be delayed.

The Forms to Complete lists the forms that you will be required to complete to enroll in the various AIARC benefits. Depending on your Center’s benefit rules, you may not be eligible to enroll in all benefits. Before completing the forms, please confirm with your Center which benefits are applicable to you.

Following is a list of forms that you will be required to complete to enroll in the various AIARC benefits.

Depending on your employment classification designated by your Center, you may not be eligible to enroll in all benefits. Before completing the forms, please confirm with your Center the benefits for which your employment classification is eligible to enroll. Please note that if you do not complete and return these forms to AIARC, your account cannot be established, and your benefits will be delayed.

New Participant Account Setup (Forms required from all participants)

Contact Details and Security Information Form

Tax Residency Declaration Form

A Copy of Passport or Government-Issued ID

IARC Insurance Plan Enrollment (Forms required from all participants)

IARC Insurance Plan Enrollment Form

Beneficiary Designation Form for IARC Insurance Plan (if eligible for Death and Disability Coverage)

Personal History Questionnaire (if over Free Coverage Limit)

Offshore Retirement Plan Enrollment (if you are a Non-U.S. taxpayer)

Offshore Retirement Plan Enrollment Form - Zurich

U.S. Retirement Plan Enrollment (if you are a U.S. taxpayer)

U.S. Retirement Plan Enrollment Form – Vanguard

403(b) Salary Reduction Agreement Form

Payroll Account Setup (only required if AIARC processes the payroll for your Center)

Payroll Deposit Authorization Form

Bank Statement or Bank issued Document (A copy showing employee's name and bank account number)

Payroll Deduction Authorization Form

U.S. Taxpayer Forms (if applicable)

Form 673

Form W-4