Every year, approximately a third of our Sailors and their families execute a Permanent Change of Station (PCS). Assuming this is your lucky year, the best thing you can do is prepare for your PCS.
Here are a few tips from your Fleet & Family Support Program's Relocation Assistance Program to help your PCS be a success:
- Get started early. There is no rule that says you must wait until you receive orders before you can begin purging and prepping your house, meeting with FFSC’s Relocation counselors, speaking to a School Liaison Officer regarding transferring your child’s student records, making vet appointments for your pet’s travel, and more.
- Check your documents
- Complete change of address forms.
- Notify TRICARE.
- Notify your bank(s) you will be moving.
- Ensure your identification cards, credit cards, passports, etc., will not expire mid-travel.
- Attend a Household Goods webinar to learn about your entitlements and the Navy’s moving process.
- Request a sponsor and be proactive about communicating. Nobody is going to take care of you better than you.
- Share your anticipated timeline and needs.
- Ask them questions and see if their spouse is willing to “sponsor” yours.
- Most importantly, provide them with personal contact information so that when you leave your command and lose your work phone/email, they still have a way of reaching you.
- Check out the MyNavyHR’s PCS Guide for more recommendations.
Updated 21 August 2025