Moving is complicated by itself and if you are in the military, you know moving your belongings and family can be quite a challenge. A permanent change of station (PCS) is something every military family will experience eventually.

To make the move a lot smoother, here are some simple tips to keep in mind when heading overseas:
• Personal Property Office (PPO) – Once you receive your PCS, contact the PPO. You might have already done this before but no two moves are alike and they have excellent resources for you. There, you can find your basic entitlements and responsibilities among many other helpful tips. A website you will find useful is the Department of Defense site that offers a lot of basic PCS information.
• Make sure to contact your sponsor or new command once you receive your PCS. Your sponsor can help you get to know your new destination and provide you valuable information about what specific belongings to bring or not to bring. In other words, if you are moving to a country that doesn’t accommodate big-sized furniture, your sponsor will let you know so you can put some of your possessions in storage until your new PCS.
• Need to know your entitlement – Make sure you find out how much weight for your move that the government will pay for you. This is really important to ensure you stay within their budget and yours too so you avoid any extra excessive weight fees or charges.
• Papers in order – Before moving, you will need to make sure you have plenty of copies of your PCS available and stored in a safe location. Be sure to have any letters of authorizations, powers of attorney docs, appraisal of high-priced belongings, video or photo identification of your items, and pertinent insurance policies.

One final tip, always purchase movers’ insurance before you move so that your personal belongings are protected when they are shipped overseas. It will provide you peace-of-mind. By following these tips and thoroughly preparing before your move, you will know you did everything in your power to ensure a safe military move.

Safe moving!

So now you have useful online tools when moving overseas from last week’s blog, but what about essential international moving links to ensure you have a safe and smooth overseas move with useful information you need at your fingertips.

I have compiled useful information from some of my previous blogs that you should bookmark and make sure they are with you before venturing overseas. It is like having your own personal help-desk wherever you go:
• Passports and visas – Descriptions of passports and visas and tips to ensure you have the right one before you move.
• International paperwork – There is a lot of paperwork you will need before moving and a list is provided to ensure you have all the needed documentation before moving overseas.
• Moving automobiles – Tips when you have a car or other type of transportation that needs to be moved overseas.
• Utilizing embassies and consulates – This blog provides you tips on how to take full advantage of their resources in the country you are moving to.
• Embassies and consulate directories – Want to know the address and contact information of the embassy or consulate you are moving to? Embassy.org has the list and much more!

Safe moving!