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Mail
While Enroute
Ninety days
prior to arrival date, your sponsor can contact the post
office and complete DA Form 3955 and obtain a mailing
address for you to begin forwarding your mail. All mail
received will be held for your arrival. If you are delayed
enroute, it is imperative that you notify your sponsor to
inform the post office so your mail will not be returned
to sender. If you do not have your orders yet, you can
also mail packages for your sponsor to pick up and hold
until your arrival.
Weight
Allowances
In full Joint Travel Regulation
Shipment (JFTR) shipment areas, personnel are authorized
to ship their full weight allowance. However, it may not
be wise to ship everything you own to Germany, due to the
limited living space and storage areas both on and
off-post. Also, single service members in the ranks of E4
and below are required to live in the barracks and should
plan their shipments to accommodate these tight living
quarters. NOTE: If space is available in the barracks (ie
the incoming service member cannot get a statement of
non-availability from the housing office), single E5s and
E6s may be obligated to live in the barracks as well.
Shipping
Weight Allowances
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Pay Grade
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W/ Dependents
|
W/O Dependents
|
O6 to O10
|
18,000
|
18,000
|
O5, W5
|
17,500
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16,000
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O4, W4
|
17,000
|
14,000
|
O3, W3
|
14,500
|
13,000
|
O2, W2
|
13,500
|
12,500
|
O1, W1
|
12,000
|
10,000
|
E9
|
14,500
|
12,000
|
E8
|
13,500
|
11,000
|
E7
|
12,500
|
10,500
|
E6
|
11,000
|
8,000
|
E5
|
9,000
|
7,000
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E4 (over 3 years service)
|
8,000
|
7,000
|
E4 (under 3 yrs service)
|
7,000
|
3,500
|
E3
|
5,000
|
2,000
|
E2, E1
|
5,000
|
1,500
|
The Furnishings Management Office
will provide beds, sofas, and other basic household
furniture for use in temporary or permanent quarters
until personal goods are delivered. The following are
suggestions of what to bring in your shipment:
Hold Baggage/Unaccompanied Baggage
Hold Baggage
or Unaccompanied Baggage should include the things you
need when you first arrive. These are sent as a separate
shipment from your household goods and should be
coordinated to arrive close to your arrival. A shipment
of Hold Baggage for your move to Germany is recommended
due to the expected delay in securing permanent housing.
Suggested items to include in your Hold Baggage Shipment:
- Linen/blankets/pillows:
It is recommended you SEND THESE ITEMS THROUGH
THE MAIL in a package addressed to your new
mailing address or to your sponsor.
- Basic
household supplies: Such as broom, dustpan, mop,
etc.
- Child
supplies: Toys, books, and other items to keep
your kids busy and happy.
- Books,
hobby items, and sports equipment: To keep you
busy and happy.
- Clothes:
Clothing items for more than one season. For example if
your report day is July or August, you might still be
living in a hotel or temporary housing when the cold
weather hits so you need to make sure you have brought
not only summer clothing but also fall and possibly some
winter items. If your report date is late February or
March, you will need both winter and spring clothing.
- Baby
furniture: Crib, playpen, car seat, stroller,
etc. Depending on the post, high-chairs, port-a-cribs,
strollers and car seats may be available from the
community Lending Closet for a short period of time. Talk
to your sponsor about this possibility.
- Telephone/Answering
Machine: An American phone with a cord can be
used in Germany with a telephone jack adapter and the
answering machine will require the use of a transformer.
German versions of these items are also available for
purchase at the PX Power Zone. DO NOT
bring American cordless telephones that operate at 900MHz
(this is the German emergency frequency).
- BBQ Grills:
Whether you will be living on-post or off-post,
you will most likely be living in apartment building
conditions and not have much personal outdoor space.
On-post, grills are typically kept in a central area next
to the building. Off-post, most German apartments have
balconies or terraces where grills can be used with the
landlord's permission. Grills, charcoal, and other
supplies are carried at the exchange (you can wait until
you get here to buy a grill, but delivery is sometimes a
complicated process). If you own a gas grill, you cannot
bring the propane tank with you to Germany. With a
deposit, AAFES will provide you with a tank that can be
filled for approximately $14.00. When that tank becomes
empty, you would then swap the empty tank for a fell one
and pay only the $14.00 propane fee. When you PCS from
Germany, you will turn in your tank for a full refund of
your initial deposit.
- Small
Appliances: No off-post and only some on-post
housing units come equipped with 110v outlets and thus
American appliances must be operated on a transformer.
Transformers are very expensive items (up to $165.00
each) which often make it more costly to buy the
transformer to run an American appliance than it would be
to just buy the German 220v appliance. German appliances
have a solid reputation, so you will probably be
pleasantly surprised when you buy a new 220v hair dryer,
coffee maker, and iron. When it comes time to give up
these items, you will be able to sell your German
appliances in the thrift shops or through classified ads
in the community paper. However, if you use a specialty
appliance (i.e. rice cooker, fry daddy) it will probably be
hard to find on the German economy. In this case, it
would be better to bring these appliances along.
Note:
It is recommended that you do not ship expensive items
such as TVs, VCRs, and computers with your hold baggage.
The likelihood of damage is much greater in this shipment
than in your household goods shipment.
Household Goods Shipment
What to
Bring
- Lamps: Ignore
and advice to the contrary -- BRING THEM! A simple and
inexpensive plug adaptor and a German light bulb (both
available from the exchange) are all that are needed.
- Rugs: Both
post housing and German homes usually have tile and/or
hard wood floors so rugs are important. AAFES only
carries a limited supply of sizes and colors, and the
mail room will not accept large packages. You can buy
some beautiful area rugs in Germany, but they are
generally high priced.
- Sewing
Machine: If you use it, bring it.
- Decorative
items: Bring any items that make your house a
home, such as your favorite pictures and knick-knacks.
You are permitted to paint and wallpaper the walls in
post housing as long as the walls are returned to their
original condition prior to you vacating the quarters.
- Storage-space
items: Storage space in quarters is limited to a
few closets and a small storage room in the basement.
Also, German homes on the economy do not have any
built-in closets. So bring any book cases, chests or
hanging racks that you may want.
- Sporting/Recreational
equipment: Bring bikes, tennis racquets, sleds,
golf clubs, etc. Recreation facilities, both German and
military, are available.
- Clothes: Bring
clothing for hot, cold, and rainy weather. German climate
is ever changing -- cover all the bases.
- Medications/Cosmetics:
Special drug items or particular brands of
cosmetics can be difficult to obtain. Make sure you have
some method to order or obtain hard-to-get items from the
States.
- Catalogs: Bring
your favorite store's catalog or at least know their
website for ordering those things you can't live without
and won't be able to find in Germany.
- Television
set: You can bring your stateside TV to Germany
and it will pick up Armed Forces Network (one channel for
free and approximately 18 channels with a cable
subscription). If you want to watch German television,
you will need to either buy a German television set or a
multi-system (American/European) television set
(available at the PX PowerZone).
- Computer: If
your housing unit is not equipped with 110 electrical
outlets, your computer should still work fine with a
transformer. If your computer is dual 110/220 voltage,
you can operate your computer from a German electrical
outlet with the use of an inexpensive plug adapter.
Internet is available through a variety of Internet
Service Providers using a modem or ISDN connection.
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is also available in many
areas.
What NOT
to Bring
- Dishwashers:
They can pose problems due to the high level of
calcium in the local water. German dishwashers are best
for local use -- they have filter systems and built-in
water softeners. The vast majority of on-post housing
units are equipped with built-in dishwashers in the
kitchens. If a dishwasher is needed for an off-post
apartment, they are available for purchase at the
Robinson Barracks CX and in local German department
stores. They should not be difficult to sell when you
leave.
- Washers/Dryers:
All on-post housing is either equipped with
washers and dryers in each individual apartment unit or
in a centralized group laundry room, depending on the
particular building. The Furnishings Management Office
will issue washers and dryers for off-post apartments.
- Electric
Clocks: Electrical transformers which convert
the German voltage from 220v to 110v do not convert the
cycles of electricity (from 50Hz to 60Hz). An American
plug-in clock will lost approximately 10 minutes every
hour. Likewise, any American 110v outlets located in
on-post housing will not convert the cycles.
- American
cordless telephones and baby monitors: In the US
these items typically operate at 900MHz. In Germany, the
900MHz frequency is reserved for police, ambulance, and
fire department radios, and therefore it is illegal to
operate 900MHz items. However, you may use a cordless
phone that operates at a higher frequency (ie 1.2-1.5
GHz). German cordless phones can be purchases on-post at
the AAFES PowerZone or at many off-post department
stores, but they are typically more expensive than what
you might be accustomed to ($75.00 and up).
- Cellular
phones: Unless you have specified GSM worldphone
with a SIM card slot, you will not be able to use your
phone when you travel to Germany. German cellular phones
are readily available and can be purchased both on and
off-post. Off-post you will find the best bargains,
especially if you are buying a phone with a 2-year
contract.
- Lawnmower: Maintenance
crews mow the lawns around on-post housing areas. On-post
senior grade officer houses are equipped with lawnmowers.
If an off-post apartment has any lawn, it is usually not
more than a small patch of grass, and in most areas, gas
powered lawn mowers are prohibited and manual or electric
ones are used.
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DOCUMENTS TO HAND CARRY |
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Do NOT put these
documents with either Hold Baggage or Household Goods. |
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-Power of Attorney |
-Family military ID cards |
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-Stock and bond certificates |
-Installment payment contracts |
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-Family Social Security cards |
-Family shot records |
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-Birth certificates |
-Phone numbers for family/friends |
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-Court orders for divorce, child support or child
custody |
-Will |
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-Marriage certificates |
-Real estate documents |
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-Adoption papers |
-Citizenship papers |
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-Car titles |
-Bank account information |
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-LES statements |
-Credit card account information |
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-TDY or PCS orders |
-Car registration |
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-Complete military address of military servicemember |
-Insurance papers |
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-Passports |
-Family travel orders |
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-POV shipping documents |
-School records, including Individual Education Plan |
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-Family medical/dental records |
-Household goods shipping documents |
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-Pet records |
-Driver's license |
DAMAGED
SHIPMENT?
SEE OUR GUIDE TO
CLAIMS FOR LOSS/DAMAGE TO HOUSEHOLD GOODS/BAGGAGE
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