Planning an Overseas Military Move

Every family member traveling overseas needs a valid passport, and some duty stations also require a visa or Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) documentation. The type of passport you need depends on your destination and whether you're a service member or dependent. Official (no-fee) passports are issued through your personnel office, but tourist passports are required for personal travel in most countries.

Before your family can travel on OCONUS orders, every accompanying family member must complete overseas screening. This includes medical, dental, and behavioral health evaluations to confirm that adequate care is available at your gaining duty station. Some locations have limited specialty care, so the screening process ensures your family's needs can be met.

Schedule your screening appointments as early as possible, ideally 120 days out. If any family member requires a waiver or additional referrals, the extra lead time prevents delays that could push back your entire move timeline.

Command sponsorship is the authorization for your dependents to accompany you overseas at government expense. It provides access to military housing, healthcare, commissary and exchange privileges, and Department of Defense schools for your children. Your gaining unit's personnel office initiates the sponsorship request, and approval typically hinges on passing overseas screening and having adequate family support resources at the location.

Without command sponsorship, your family can still join you overseas, but they would travel at personal expense and may not have access to base services. In most cases, pursuing sponsorship is well worth the paperwork.

Most service members are authorized to ship one privately owned vehicle (POV) overseas at government expense. The PCSmyPOV portal handles scheduling, drop-off locations, vehicle tracking, and pickup coordination at your destination. Transit times typically range from four to eight weeks depending on the route.

Overseas assignments come with lower household goods weight allowances than CONUS moves. You'll need to decide what ships with you, what goes into non-temporary storage (NTS) stateside, and what you can live without for the duration of your tour. The government covers NTS costs for the length of your overseas assignment.

Use the Defense Personal Property System (DPS) to arrange your shipment, and keep detailed inventory records. Overseas transit can take six to twelve weeks, so pack an extended temporary living kit with everything your family will need during the gap between shipping and delivery.

Moving pets internationally requires careful planning. Most countries have specific entry requirements including microchipping, rabies vaccinations with titer tests, and health certificates issued within a narrow window before travel. Some destinations, particularly in Asia and the Pacific, require quarantine periods. Research your destination's requirements well in advance, as some vaccinations need to be administered months before departure.

When your overseas tour ends and you're PCSing back to CONUS, the transition carries its own set of challenges. You'll need to arrange vehicle shipment back, coordinate household goods delivery from NTS, and start planning your stateside housing well before you leave.