How to Ship a Car in the Military: PCS Docs, Prep, and VPC Pickup

If you have Permanent Change of Station orders to or from an overseas duty station and those orders authorize privately owned vehicle shipment, the military will move one car for you at government expense through a network of Vehicle Processing Centers. That is the short version of how to ship a car in the military. The longer version is a sequence of eligibility checks, paperwork, and vehicle-prep standards where a single missed item can send you home from the VPC without a shipment.

Who Qualifies

The Joint Travel Regulations govern military transportation allowances.¹ Under JTR Section 053001, a service member on PCS orders to or from a permanent duty station outside the continental United States is authorized to ship one vehicle at government expense.² That covers CONUS to overseas, overseas to overseas, and overseas back to CONUS.

A stateside-to-stateside PCS generally is not covered. Narrow exceptions exist, such as a Navy commanding officer approving shipment for designated crewmembers during a ship homeport change when there is insufficient time to drive.³ For most CONUS moves, you drive or you pay a private carrier.

Your orders must explicitly authorize POV shipment. A notification of assignment is not authorization, and members who arrange shipment on their own without proper authorization will not be reimbursed.⁴ If your orders are silent on the vehicle, get them amended before you schedule anything.

What You Can Ship

Each service member is entitled to ship one vehicle, no matter how many the household owns.² Any additional vehicles, and any storage of them while you are overseas, come out of your own pocket.

The vehicle cannot exceed 20 measurement tons. Multiply the length, width, and height in inches, divide by 1,728 to get cubic feet, then divide by 40 to get measurement tons.⁵ Most sedans, SUVs, and pickups fall well under. If yours is over, you can still ship, but you sign an agreement to pay the difference.

Dual-military couples with orders each can ship one vehicle apiece, for a total of two. They can also combine the two 20-measurement-ton allotments to ship one larger vehicle, provided the total cost does not exceed what the government would have paid for two.⁶

Documents You Have to Bring

Showing up short a document means rescheduling. Bring or upload:

Complete PCS orders and any amendments, with POV shipment specifically authorized.
Proof of ownership: current registration, a legible copy of the title front and back, or a bill of sale if the vehicle was purchased within the last 90 days.
Lienholder authorization on the lender’s letterhead if a bank or leasing company holds a lien, including for shipments to places like Hawaii.
Valid government or state-issued ID.
The Pre-Shipping Instruction Form from the PCSmyPOV website.
The Shipper or Storage Acknowledgment Form from PCSmyPOV, depending on whether you are shipping or storing.
A current NHTSA recall printout from the VIN lookup tool.

⁷

Ownership documents have to match the service member’s name. Any discrepancy, including a name change or a title that still shows a previous owner, needs to be resolved before the appointment. Expired registration stops the process cold.

If Someone Else Drops Off or Picks Up the Vehicle

A spouse can usually deliver the vehicle for you. A marriage certificate is required if the spouse’s surname differs from the entitlement holder’s, if the spouse is not named on the orders, or if the entitlement holder is not on the title or lienholder release letter.⁸

For anyone other than a spouse, you need a notarized Power of Attorney or Letter of Authorization that names the agent, identifies the vehicle by make, model, and VIN, and authorizes that person to sign all shipping paperwork.⁸ A general power of attorney may not satisfy the contractor. Get one drafted specifically for the shipment.

Getting the Car Ready

Vehicles that fail inspection at the VPC get turned away, and during peak season a rebooked appointment can be weeks out. The standards:

Fuel at one-quarter tank or less. This is a hard rule tied to fire safety on transport vessels.⁹
Thoroughly cleaned inside and out for USDA agricultural inspection. The exterior has to be free of mud and soil. The interior, glove compartment, trunk, and under the hood have to be free of dirt, leaves, grass, seeds, insects, and any food or wrappers. Inspectors treat this seriously because the point is stopping invasive species at the border.⁹
Personal items removed. Aftermarket electronics, loose items, air fresheners, anything in the trunk. A spare tire and jack can stay.
Fully operational. It has to run, steer, and stop. Functioning brakes, a charged battery, tires with adequate tread. Fluid leaks or a cracked windshield will get you turned away.¹⁰

Electric and Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles

EVs and plug-in hybrids face extra restrictions. Shipment of EVs and PHEVs to Guam is currently prohibited, and service members with Guam orders may instead be entitled to government-funded storage.¹¹ Where EV shipment is allowed, industry standards call for a battery charged between 30% and 50% for safe transport. Too low and the car may not have enough charge to load and unload after transit drain; too high and the stored energy is a greater risk. Confirm the exact charge requirement with your VPC, because this is an evolving area of policy.

Scheduling and Drop-Off

All military vehicle shipments move through Vehicle Processing Centers. There is no door-to-door pickup. You drive the vehicle to the VPC nearest your current duty station and collect it at the VPC nearest the new one. Roughly 40 VPCs operate worldwide, including domestic centers in Baltimore, Charleston, San Diego, Seattle, Honolulu, and Anchorage, plus overseas sites across Germany, Japan, South Korea, Italy, and elsewhere.¹²

Scheduling happens on the PCSmyPOV site. FASTPASS lets you select an appointment date, upload all documents in advance, and have the VPC review the paperwork before you arrive, so the drop-off itself moves faster.⁷ DoD computers sometimes block the scheduler, so try a personal device if the site is not cooperating on a government machine.

At the VPC, you and a contractor representative conduct a joint inspection. Every existing scratch, dent, and cosmetic issue is recorded on an inspection form that both parties sign. This form is the legal baseline for any later damage claim, so do not rush. Point out every flaw and confirm the inspector wrote it down. You then hand over the keys and get a shipping instruction number to track the vehicle.

Peak PCS season runs May through August, heaviest between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.¹³ Appointments in that window disappear fast. Book as early as your orders allow and leave slack in the timeline.

Picking Up at the Destination

You will be notified when the vehicle arrives at the destination VPC. From that notice, you have 21 days to schedule pickup and claim it. Miss the window and the contractor may begin abandonment proceedings.¹⁴

Bring proof of identity, proof of ownership, and your inspection form from drop-off. If someone other than the sponsor is picking up, they need a power of attorney or letter of authorization, same rules as drop-off. Before driving away, compare the vehicle against the original inspection form and note any new dents, scratches, mechanical issues, or damage that was not documented at origin.

If the Car Arrives Damaged

For new damage valued at $1,500 or less, you can file an onsite settlement claim at the VPC during pickup, with payment sent electronically to your bank. For larger claims, or damage discovered after leaving the VPC, get a repair estimate from any repair facility and submit it to the International Auto Logistics claims office within 10 business days of pickup.¹⁵

IAL has 40 days from the filing date to review and settle. The claims department is at 855-389-9499 or claims@ialpov.us.¹⁵ Ten business days is tight. Inspect at pickup rather than a month later when the window has closed, and remember that the inspection form you signed at origin is the backbone of any claim.

When Storage Replaces Shipment

Sometimes shipping is not an option and the government pays to store the vehicle instead. Under JTR Section 0532, storage of one POV may be authorized when the member is ordered to a location where vehicle transportation is prohibited by local law, host-country regulations, or because the vehicle would need extensive modifications to meet entry requirements.¹⁶ Storage is also authorized for TDY in support of a contingency operation lasting more than 30 days.

The government covers storage for up to 365 days. After that, the charges are yours unless an extension is granted through the Secretarial Process.¹⁶ If your tour will run longer than a year, start the extension request well before the 365-day mark.

Clearing the VPC Is Not the Finish Line

Many overseas duty stations impose local inspection standards that go well beyond what the origin VPC checks. Germany, for example, requires vehicles to pass a local inspection covering window tint, a first aid kit meeting German DIN standards, tread depth of at least 1.6 mm across the tire, no fluid leaks, headlight alignment for right-hand traffic, and specific ground clearance minimums.¹⁷ Japan, South Korea, and other host countries set their own standards, some requiring modifications before the car can be registered on local roads. Research the requirements for your specific destination through your Transportation Office or sponsor before shipment, because handling modifications overseas costs significantly more than handling them stateside.

1
Defense Travel Management Office. Joint Travel Regulations
2
The Per Diem, Travel, and Transportation Allowance Committee. Joint Travel Regulations – Section 053001
3
Department of the Navy. MILPERSMAN 4050-010 – Privately Owned Vehicle Shipment Allowance Policy
4
Department of the Navy. MILPERSMAN 4050-010 – Privately Owned Vehicle Shipment Allowance Policy
5
United States Coast Guard. Shipping Your POV, Part IV, Attachment K3
6
The Per Diem, Travel, and Transportation Allowance Committee. Joint Travel Regulations – Section 053001.B.2.b
7
PCSmyPOV. Turning in Your Vehicle
8
International Auto Logistics. POV Turn-in Requirements
9
Ramstein Air Base. Requirements for the Shipment of Your POV
10
Marine Corps Base Butler. Shipping or Storing Your Privately Owned Vehicle
11
PCSmyPOV. Storage
12
PCSmyPOV. Locations
13
U.S. Air Force. Tips, Guide to Maneuver PCS Peak Season
14
PCSmyPOV. Picking Up Your Vehicle
15
Military OneSource. Understanding Moving Claims
16
The Per Diem, Travel, and Transportation Allowance Committee. Joint Travel Regulations – Section 0532
17
Spangdahlem Air Base. POV Shipping/Vehicle Registration Information