Moving Abroad With Your Servicemember
What You Should Consider Before the Big Move
Below is a list of helpful suggestions that you should take into account before you leave the U.S. to go live overseas with your servicemember:
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Understand what your financial situation may be like overseas.
You should be aware of what your allowances and entitlements are and what you can claim for reimbursement. Also, since job opportunities abroad are much more limited for military spouses than they are stateside, you may be reduced to one income for a short while or even for the length of your stay. Plan accordingly. Contact your new base's family center for help on finding work or visit the Department of Defense Job Search website.
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Do your homework.
Learn all you can about your new base, its surrounding areas and general information about the country where you will be stationed. Look through guidebooks, encyclopedias and travel websites. Military Homefront has a very informative guide for family members relocating overseas. The CIA World Factbook is a good source for general information on the location you will be moving to.
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Figure out which household items are provided at the installation, which ones are not, and plan accordingly.
You may need to ship extra household items to your new installation and possibly buy voltage transformers so that the appliances can be used. If you are allocated to off-base housing for the length of your tour, you may want to buy appliances in your new country. Buying transformers can be tedious and expensive.
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Consider education for your dependents: Will they attend a Department of Defense Dependent School (DoDDS) or will they attend a private or community school?
DoDDS are usually the preferred option for military children living abroad. They provide free education to authorized dependents of DoD personnel living overseas and rate high in academic performance. To enroll, be sure to provide copies of school, medical and immunization records.
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The military offers a lot of opportunities for military dependents to further their education. Take advantage of them.
Servicemember Opportunity Colleges enable both servicemembers and their families to continue their education from anywhere in the world. If you find yourself without work while living abroad you may want to consider taking college courses, cultural classes or language training. Your installation's family center or education office can help you figure out ways to make the most of your time overseas.
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You may have to wait for on-base housing.
Contacting your military housing office can give you an idea of what housing is available both on- and off-base. The military will usually pay for 90–100% of all off-base housing costs for servicemembers stationed abroad, but make sure that you will be covered before moving to your new home.
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Be aware of what health care benefits you will have while overseas.
You can choose from four health care plans while overseas—TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Standard, TRICARE Global Remote Overseas (in designated remote areas) and TRICARE for Life Overseas. Check out the VAJoe TRICARE page for more information.
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Consider how you will deal with your privately-owned vehicle (POV). Will you bring it? Can you drive it in your new country?
The military has restrictions on what types of POVs can be shipped overseas. It may be possible to buy a used vehicle in your new country and use it there. You also must consider the different rules and regulations of driving in another country, not to mention navigating street signs in a different language.
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Decide what you are going to do with your pet while abroad.
Will you bring your animal with you, leave it with a loved one or give it up for adoption? You can ship two pets (either cats or dogs) to your new installation for a fee, but the animal must be in compliance with all applicable international laws. Be sure that your animal has all its records up to date. If you want to give your pet up for adoption you can contact the Military Pets Foster Project or your local Humane Society.
