Yes. Official orders or a Letter-In-Lieu of Orders have specific information the transportation office needs to book a move. Your orders or letter will have a funding line, your current and future duty stations, and show whether you have family members or other dependents authorized to move under those orders.

Letter-In-Lieu of Orders Note: You will be responsible for all PCS costs if your move is canceled or destination changes prior to receipt of official orders. You need to provide a copy of your official orders to the transportation office upon receipt.

Yes. Since the entitlements and rules that govern these types of moves are a bit more complex, you must talk with your local transportation office to get this set up. This will ensure you know what to expect and can make a smooth move. Use the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS tool to find the contact information for your local transportation office.

No, you don't need to know your final delivery address to schedule a move, but you will need to enter a location to continue through scheduling a move. The safest bet is to add your destination city, state and ZIP code in the Defense Personal Property System. Then you can go back and add the street address once you settle on a location. When you add your street address, remember to correct the city, state and ZIP code if necessary.

If you are a military member or civilian employee (or a person acting on behalf of) who is making a permanent change of station move, separating or retiring from federal service, you have to prepare an application in the Defense Personal Property System, or DPS. If you do not have a DPS account, you will need to register for one. DPS is where you will upload your orders and create a shipment(s) (e.g., household goods, unaccompanied baggage, non-temporary storage, personally procured move, etc.).

You can log in to DPS using a common access card, or CAC, or by obtaining a user ID and password before accessing. Follow the instructions in the New User Registration tutorial located in DPS when setting up your account. After setting up your account, follow the instructions in the Create a Shipment or Create a PPM Shipment tutorial. Have a digital copy of your orders ready and be prepared to answer questions about your weight estimate, delivery address and any special items that need to be moved.

Pro tip: Instead of using your work email address in the customer information section, use your personal email address so you can stay up to speed on your move at all times.

Note: First-time movers, separating service members and retirees must contact their local transportation office before scheduling a move in DPS.

Yes. Below are the only times when you cannot proceed with scheduling your move in DPS before first scheduling a counseling session with your local transportation office. Use the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS tool to find the contact information for your local transportation office.

Army

You cannot use DPS if…

• This is your first personal property move.
• This is your last personal property move (you are separating or retiring).
• You are storing or moving personal property AND you have contingency or deployment orders.
• You're storing or moving personal property AND moving your family to an overseas location.
• You are not the property owner AND you're using a power of attorney.
• You are moving personal property as "next of kin" or summary courts officer.
• You're still not sure or need more help, use the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS tool to find the contact information for your local transportation office.

Marine Corps

You cannot use DPS if…

• You are not the property owner AND you are using a power of attorney (with personal property shipping office/personal property processing office assistance).
• You are moving personal property as "next of kin" or summary courts officer/command representative.
• You are still not sure or need more help, use the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS tool to find the contact information for your local transportation office.

Navy

You cannot use DPS if…

• You are moving personal property as "next of kin" or summary courts officer.
• You're still not sure or need more help, use the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS tool to find the contact information for your local transportation office.

Air Force

You cannot use DPS if…

• This is your first personal property move.
• This is your last personal property move (you are separating or retiring).
• You are not the property owner AND you're using a power of attorney.
• You are moving personal property as "next of kin" or summary courts officer.
• You're still not sure or need more help, use the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS tool to find the contact information for your local transportation office.

Coast Guard

You cannot use DPS if…

• This is your first personal property move.
• This is your last personal property move (you are separating or retiring).
• You are not the property owner AND you're using a power of attorney.
• You are moving personal property as "next of kin" or summary courts officer.
• You're still not sure or need more help, use the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS tool to find the contact information for your local transportation office.

A HHG move is when the government schedules a mover to pack/unpack and ship all of your items. A full PPM (also known as a do-it-yourself move) is when you decide to move your household items instead of doing a HHG move. You will still need to book this type of move in DPS which will help calculate your estimated incentive payment.

Note: If your move costs go above this amount the government is not obligated to reimburse you for those expenses.

Alternatively, you can do a partial PPM with a HHG move. Typically, this occurs when you use your personal vehicle to ship household items as they move from one duty station to the next. This type of move will require full/empty weight tickets of the vehicle. Privately-owned truck weight scales locations are available to get required vehicle weight tickets when conducting a full or partial Personally Procured Move or "Do-It-Yourself" move. There are several companies that offer these weight scales and you can search their websites to find a location near you. Use the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS tool to contact your local transportation office to get more details on weighing your vehicle.

Note: Civilian employees will only be reimbursed for actual cost. Advance operating allowance is not authorized.

It's best to contact your local transportation office before you do a full or partial PPM to make sure you understand all of your entitlements. Use the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS tool to find the contact information for your local transportation office.

A list of items you are allowed to move can be found by visiting PCS entitlements. Typically, you are allowed to bring the majority of your household goods but there are restrictions on certain items that include hazardous materials (most cleaning supplies, paint, gasoline, etc.) as well as perishables (frozen food, produce, etc.) that will not be able to travel with you. Additionally, some of your items, such as a lawn mower, will need all the fuel removed before the movers will pack it up. To find how much weight you are allowed, review these Joint Travel Regulations Authorized PCS Weight Allowances and Table 5-37.

You can find your authorized allotment in the Joint Travel Regulations Storage in Transit section, Table 5-91.

Note: DOD civilian CONUS to CONUS 60 days/to or from OCONUS 90 days – see JTR table 5-91.

Effective May 2, 2022, you are now allowed to ship empty gun safes, not to exceed 500 pounds, in addition to your prescribed household goods weight allowance, not to exceed 18,000 pounds. You can view the policy revision at: Memorandum for the Joint Travel Regulations authorizing gun safe transportation.

Keep in mind that you are not allowed to ship or store a gun in a locked container/safe due to the need for inspections at ports, customs, borders, storage locations, etc. Be sure to review the rules and regulations during your counseling session to ensure you understand all the details related to moving a firearm.

Yes, but contact your local transportation office to ensure you will not incur excess costs. Use the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS tool to find the contact information for your local transportation office.