PCS to the UK

This is a checklist for a PCS to the United Kingdom, for any branch. It is not an order. Housing money is explained on OHA in the UK. The base pages are linked at the bottom. Nothing in the table above is a guaranteed payment.

Passports and who is on the orders

The State Department says that, in most cases, members of the armed forces may enter and leave a country where the United States has a status-of-forces agreement, including NATO countries, with a military ID card and travel orders. It says no-fee regular passports are issued to eligible family members in that situation. A special-issuance passport is for official travel. It is not for personal travel, other than entering or leaving the country of assignment (travel.state.gov).

RAF Lakenheath's newcomer page says every dependent needs a valid no-fee passport and must be named on the service member's orders, and that missing those can stop entry. That is one installation's instruction. Confirm it with your passport office and the gaining personnel office. The 2026 Croughton welcome guide says the personnel flight helps with tourist passports and vignettes.

Pets

Follow GOV.UK and USDA APHIS (APHIS page modified 6 October 2026). For a dog, cat, or ferret those pages require:

1. An ISO microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination. APHIS says a compliant chip is 15 digits.
2. A rabies vaccination on or after the microchip date. APHIS says you wait at least 21 days after a primary vaccination. The day of vaccination is day 0. Some vaccines need longer. Ask the vet what the manufacturer requires.
3. A health certificate. APHIS says a military veterinarian's certificate does not need a separate APHIS endorsement, and a USDA-accredited vet's certificate does. The endorsed certificate has to travel with the animal.
4. For a dog, tapeworm treatment. GOV.UK says a vet must treat the dog no less than 24 hours and no more than 5 days before arrival.
5. An approved route. GOV.UK says pets that miss the rules can be quarantined for up to 4 months, or refused if they arrived by sea, at your expense. No quarantine fee is printed here. Check current rate with the kennel.

GOV.UK also says some dog types are banned. Use the banned-breed link on that page rather than an old list. If the pet is not traveling with you, read the APHIS commercial-versus-non-commercial split. The timing changes the certificate.

The Croughton welcome guide says pet shipping is a personal expense and is not reimbursed by the military, and that an Air Force Aid Society pet grant is up to $1,000 if you file at the departing location before you pay. Confirm both with finance and AFAS. The same guide says pets may move on the Patriot Express into RAF Mildenhall when space allows, and that the rules change. RAF Lakenheath's newcomer page has said there were no active AMC flights and that pets had to fly commercial. Check current rules on the gaining installation's site. The welcome guide also says military pet owners register at the RAF Feltwell veterinary clinic within two weeks of arrival.

Driving licence and insurance

You will need a valid US license if the installation requires one for its own permit. The Croughton housing page says a state license is required before PCS in order to get a 3rd Air Force driving permit. The welcome guide says drivers must attend a local-conditions brief and pass the UK theory test. No pass mark and no insurance premium are printed here. Practice on GOV.UK and read the Highway Code. Traffic drives on the left. Check current rates for insurance before you buy a car. The MOT fee is on GOV.UK.

Housing office

Report to the gaining housing office before you sign a lease. At Croughton, Fairford, and Welford the welcome guide says that visit is due within two workdays, and the housing page says the lease needs the military clause or OHA is not paid. Read OHA in the UK and then the base guide. Check current rate on the OHA calculator after the office confirms the locality. Do not carry a ceiling from one guide onto another base.

Schools

School setup is local. The Croughton housing page and the 2026 welcome guide disagree about whether an elementary school is on Croughton. The Fairford wing page does not name a school. Ask the school liaison named on the base guide before you pick a house. Child-care fees are not printed here. Request care at MilitaryChildCare.com and check current rate.

TMO and shipping

Military OneSource says to contact the household-goods office at your current installation as soon as you have orders. That office schedules the shipment, explains the weight allowance, and talks you through customs. Book and track the move in the Defense Personal Property System. The weight allowance depends on pay grade and dependents. Check current rate with that office. No weight is printed here.

Before the boxes leave, apply for Transfer of Residence relief (ToR1) on GOV.UK. The form is how you claim relief from customs charges on personal belongings. GOV.UK says a service member who does not have a passport can upload NATO orders or moving orders instead of a passport photo page. Pets need their own health certificate or pet passport on that form. ToR1 does not cover alcohol or tobacco.

Base guides

• RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth — Huntingdonshire, United Kingdom.
• RAF Croughton — West Northamptonshire, United Kingdom.
• RAF Fairford — Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.
• RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall — Suffolk and Norfolk, United Kingdom.
• United Kingdom
• OHA in the UK