DD Form 1610: TDY Travel Authorization, Filing, and Vouchers

DD Form 1610 is the Department of Defense’s Request and Authorization for TDY Travel — the document that commits the government to pay your transportation, lodging, meals, and incidentals while you are on temporary duty away from your permanent station. Most travelers no longer complete a paper form. They build the authorization inside the Defense Travel System (DTS), which produces an approved PDF containing the same data elements. A blank DD Form 1610 is still available from Washington Headquarters Services for situations that fall outside DTS.1Washington Headquarters Services. DD Form 1610 Request and Authorization for TDY Travel

DTS or the Paper Form

As of November 2024, DTS no longer prints the DD Form 1610 itself. It uses its own default printable format that contains every required data element. Use the Print Authorization function in DTS to generate the PDF, and carry that with you as proof of travel authority at airports, hotels, and government facilities. If an outside organization specifically requires the DD Form 1610 on the official template, download the blank form from the WHS site and complete it separately.2Defense Travel Management Office. Certain Forms Removed from DTS

DTS requires a Common Access Card to log in at defensetravel.osd.mil. You enter trip details in the Travel module, select reservations, digitally sign, and route the document for approval. The manual paper process exists mainly for organizations with limited DTS access or during system outages, and it requires wet-ink signatures at each approval stage.

Filling Out the Paper Form Block by Block

The April 2026 version of DD Form 1610 has 20 numbered blocks.3Department of Defense. DD Form 1610 Request and Authorization for TDY Travel

Traveler Identification (Blocks 1–7)

  • Block 1, Date of Request: today’s date in YYYYMMDD format.
  • Block 2, Name: last, first, middle initial.
  • Block 3, Social Security Number: your full nine-digit SSN. The form instructions specify that the last four digits alone are not sufficient. The approving official can waive this if including the full SSN would endanger the traveler.3Department of Defense. DD Form 1610 Request and Authorization for TDY Travel
  • Block 4, Position Title and Grade/Rating: your job title and pay grade, such as “SSgt / E-5” or “GS-12 Program Analyst.”
  • Block 5, Permanent Duty Station: your home installation or office location.
  • Block 6, Organizational Element: division, unit, and branch.
  • Block 7, Duty Phone Number, including area code.

Trip Details (Blocks 8–13)

  • Block 8, Type of Authorization: original authorization, amendment, or confirmatory order for travel that already began under verbal instructions.
  • Block 9, TDY Purpose: the applicable purpose code from the identifiers listed in 41 CFR Chapter 301, Appendix C, such as training, conference attendance, site visit, or operational mission.3Department of Defense. DD Form 1610 Request and Authorization for TDY Travel
  • Block 10, Trip Length: total duration of the TDY.
  • Block 11, Itinerary: every authorized location — starting point, each destination, overnight stops, and return location — with the daily per diem rate for each.3Department of Defense. DD Form 1610 Request and Authorization for TDY Travel
  • Block 12, Transportation Mode: the authorized mode for each leg (commercial air, government vehicle, privately owned vehicle, rental car).3Department of Defense. DD Form 1610 Request and Authorization for TDY Travel
  • Block 13, POV Distance: if you are driving a privately owned vehicle, the round-trip mileage.

Money and Signatures (Blocks 14–20)

  • Block 14, Costs: estimated expenses for transportation, lodging, meals, and incidentals based on the applicable per diem rates.
  • Block 15, Advance Authorized: whether you are authorized a cash advance against your travel expenses.
  • Block 16, Remarks: the catch-all for special requirements — excess baggage, registration fees, rental car justification, or leave taken in conjunction with the TDY.
  • Block 17, Travel-Approving Official: signature of the official who approves the trip.
  • Block 18, Accounting Citation: the Line of Accounting and Object Class codes that identify which budget pays for the travel. 31 U.S.C. § 1501 requires documented evidence of a valid obligation before the government can commit funds.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 1501 – Documentary Evidence Requirement for Government Obligations
  • Block 19, Authorizing or Order-Issuing Official: the official who directs the travel.
  • Block 20, Travel Authorization Number: the tracking number assigned to this authorization.

Getting the Cost Estimate Right

Block 14 needs to reflect the correct per diem for each TDY location. Per diem has two components: a maximum lodging allowance and a separate meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) allowance. For FY 2026, GSA kept the standard CONUS rates at FY 2025 levels.5General Services Administration. GSA Releases FY 2026 CONUS Per Diem Rates for Federal Travelers Many high-cost locations carry higher rates, so check the per diem lookup on the GSA or DTMO website for each city on your itinerary before entering estimates. For OCONUS travel, the State Department sets the rates.

Use City Pair Program fares or the government-contracted fare displayed in DTS for airfare estimates. Rental car authorization defaults to a compact vehicle; the approving official can authorize a larger class with specific justification, like transporting equipment or multiple passengers.6Defense Travel Management Office. Rental Car Program Explain any unusual cost items in Block 16 so the approving official does not send the authorization back for clarification.

The Travel and Transportation Reform Act of 1998 requires DoD military and civilian personnel to charge official travel expenses to the Government Travel Charge Card.7Defense Travel Management Office. Government Travel Charge Card – Program Management Airfare, lodging, rental cars, and other authorized costs go on the GTCC, not a personal card.

Submitting the Authorization

Once you sign your authorization in DTS, the system routes it electronically according to a preset routing list. It first goes to the Travel Management Company, which performs a quality control check and books your reservations, holding them until final approval. From there, DTS forwards the authorization to any intermediate routing officials your organization requires, and finally to the Authorizing Official, who has the authority to obligate government funds.8Air Reserve Personnel Center. Chapter 6 – Route and Review in DTS

Each routing official sees four review screens: Preview Trip, which verifies dates, locations, reservations, expenses, and lines of accounting; Other Authorizations, for flagged items requiring additional approval; Pre-Audit Trip, for items exceeding threshold standards; and Digital Signature, where the official applies a status stamp and signs.8Air Reserve Personnel Center. Chapter 6 – Route and Review in DTS DTS notifies each person in the chain by email when a document lands in their queue.

After the AO approves, the TMC issues tickets, typically three days before departure. The GTCC or the unit’s Centrally Billed Account is charged for the airfare, and you receive confirmation emails from DTS and the TMC with itinerary details, ticket numbers, and emergency contact information.9Defense Travel Management Office. Travel Management Company Services Print or save the PDF of your approved authorization before you depart. You will need it at check-in and may need it to verify your travel authority at government facilities along the way.

Verbal Orders and Confirmatory Travel Orders

Some missions cannot wait for a written authorization. An Authorizing Official can direct travel verbally, by email, or by letter, but a written travel order must follow as soon as possible. The JTR supplement calls the follow-up document a Confirmatory Travel Order.10Defense Travel Management Office. Joint Travel Regulations Supplement – AP-TO-01 Three requirements apply:

  • Issue the written order as quickly as circumstances allow.
  • Include a statement explaining why verbal authorization was necessary and justify any gap between the verbal direction and the written document.
  • The official who verbally directed the travel must be the one who initiates the written order.

On the DD Form 1610, mark Block 8 to indicate that the document is a confirmatory order rather than an original authorization. Traveling without any form of authorization, verbal or written, leaves you personally liable for the expenses.

Amending an Approved Authorization

If TDY dates shift, a new destination is added, or costs increase beyond the original estimate, file an amendment rather than starting a new authorization. Travelers use DD Form 1610-1 to document the changes and link them to the original authorization number.3Department of Defense. DD Form 1610 Request and Authorization for TDY Travel In DTS, you amend the existing authorization electronically, which triggers a new routing cycle through the same approval chain.

The JTR supplement allows the AO to authorize certain variations without a full amendment: changing the sequence of named destinations, adjusting how long you stay at a location, or dropping a stop entirely.10Defense Travel Management Office. Joint Travel Regulations Supplement – AP-TO-01 Any change that increases the financial obligation or adds destinations not on the original order needs the AO’s formal re-approval. Get the amendment done before the trip ends to avoid problems during the voucher process.

Combining Leave With TDY

You can take personal leave before, during, or after a TDY trip, but the AO must approve it in advance and the government will not pay more than it would have without the leave. The JTR sets several ground rules:11Department of Defense. Joint Travel Regulations

  • Government-contracted City Pair fares are restricted to official travel. You book and pay for any personal transportation yourself.
  • Reimbursement for transportation and en route per diem cannot exceed what the government would have paid for a direct round trip between your permanent duty station and the TDY location.
  • If any leg involves leave or personal travel, the authorization must state that you are responsible for any excess costs over what official travel would have cost.
  • The AO cannot approve a TDY trip that is really just an excuse for personal travel.

Per diem continues at the TDY location while you are performing official duties but stops during leave days. Note the leave details in Block 16 so the approving official can see the full picture.

After the Trip: The Travel Voucher

The authorization gets you out the door. The travel voucher gets you reimbursed. After your TDY ends, file a DD Form 1351-2 to claim your actual expenses.12Defense Technical Information Center. Travel Voucher or Subvoucher In DTS, the voucher is built from your existing authorization: update it with actual dates, costs, and receipts, then sign and route it through the same approval chain. The voucher must carry the travel authorization number in Block 8 of the DD Form 1351-2 to link back to the original order. Attach lodging receipts regardless of amount, and receipts for any individual expense of $75 or more, including airfare, rental cars, and conference registration fees.11Department of Defense. Joint Travel Regulations File promptly — the JTR sets a submission deadline, and delays can trigger delinquency notices on your GTCC account since you have already charged expenses to it.