Many spouses have contacted Army Wife Network, asking, “What is command sponsorship, and how do we get it?”
We’ve got you covered!
There are two ways that family members receive command sponsorship:
- They travel to overseas commands on government orders and automatically receive command sponsorship effective on their date of arrival into the command
- They request command sponsorship.
The following requirements are necessary for a family member to become command sponsored:
- The sponsor must be serving a 36-month tour. This requirement cannot be waived.
- The sponsor must have 12 months remaining on tour.
- The family member must meet criteria to qualify as a dependent as indicated in Appendix A, Volume 1, Joint Federal Travel Regulation.
- The family member must be screened through the Exceptional Family Member Program and cleared to reside in the service member’s community of assignment.
Requests for command sponsorship will be forwarded to the Family Travel Branch only when:
- an exception to policy is required or
- when there are Exceptional Family Members.
Requests for command sponsorship must include the following information:
- The reason for request and date of circumstance which initiated the request (marriage, adoption, etc.)
- Date the service member arrived overseas
- DEROS date
- ETS
- Whether or not the service member is on assignment instructions.
- Why the service member cannot extend to meet 12-month requirement; i.e., soldier is on assignment instructions, soldier will reach RCP within 12 months, etc.
- Name of family member(s) for whom command sponsorship is requested
- Date family member(s) arrived in command.
- Date soldier acquired quarters in area of assignment.
- Current location of family members.
- Whether or not family members are enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program.
- Marriage license, court documents, or other such documentation relating to a family member.
- Current ERB/ORB.
- PCS orders and all amendments.
Note: Non-command sponsored family members do not have the same entitlements as command sponsored family members. Until command sponsorship is granted, the dependent must travel to and from the United States at his or her own expense and, if he or she so chooses, remain with the sponsor at his or her own expense (or at the expense of the sponsor).
For more information, visit the following websites:
Visit our Resource Database and look through our Housing category or search the keyword “moving.”
We hope that this answers many of your questions about command sponsorship. If you have more questions concerning command sponsorship, you can contact the Family Travel Branch, 1st PERSCOM at family-travel@hq.1perscom.army.mil.
