This is a planning aid, not an official clearing checklist. Your orders, service, gaining unit, family circumstances, and entitlements control. Confirm every requirement with your sponsor, unit, transportation office, and benefits administrator.
As soon as orders arrive
1. Request a sponsor and establish your unit contact
Fort Belvoir’s Army Sponsorship Program directs Soldiers to request sponsorship through ACT and DA Form 5434. The installation’s newcomer page also says arriving Soldiers must report to their unit of assignment before Welcome Center in-processing.
- Request or confirm your sponsor.
- Ask your gaining unit for its arrival instructions and after-hours contact.
- Discuss airport-to-installation transportation before travel; installation access rules may limit ride-share entry.
Do this now: Keep the sponsor’s name, unit reporting location, arrival contact, and gate plan together with your orders.
Official Fort Belvoir sponsorship page · Official newcomer page
Immediately after orders
2. Start the household-goods move
The Fort Belvoir Transportation Office advises starting as soon as PCS orders arrive. The official DPS landing page may continue a move in legacy DPS or route a qualifying Global Household Goods Contract shipment to MilMove, depending on the move and eligibility.
- Start through the official DPS landing page and confirm the assigned system with the Transportation Office.
- Confirm whether you are using government-arranged shipment, a personally procured move, or both.
- Photograph high-value items and keep your own condition inventory.
Do this now: Do not treat a preferred pickup date as confirmed until the transportation process says it is booked.
Official Fort Belvoir household-goods page · Official Military OneSource moving guide
Before signing housing
3. Compare housing—and request lease review
The Housing Services Office supports eligible personnel with on- and off-post options, rental referrals, lease review, and tenant-landlord assistance. Availability and eligibility can change.
- Compare commute, school boundary, utilities, deposits, pet terms, and total monthly cost.
- Ask the Housing Services Office to explain current on-post and off-post routes.
- Request review before signing a lease if you need help understanding its terms.
Do this now: Keep housing advice separate from commercial referrals; verify every property and contract independently.
Official Fort Belvoir Housing Services Office
Before school withdrawal
4. Hand-carry school and special-needs records
The official Fort Belvoir school information recommends hand-carrying school and immunization records and checking registration, sports, and activity deadlines. The School Liaison helps with boundaries, registration, credits, extracurricular programs, and transition support. EFMP can coordinate support for eligible families with special needs.
- Request records and immunization documentation before leaving.
- Contact the School Liaison before choosing housing based on a school assumption.
- If applicable, contact EFMP and carry IEP, medical, and support documents securely.
Do this now: Ask the receiving school what it requires; do not send child records through an unverified email address.
Official Fort Belvoir school-transition guide · Official Fort Belvoir EFMP page
Before and after the move
5. Update DEERS and verify TRICARE enrollment
TRICARE’s milConnect page allows beneficiaries to update DEERS contact information and view or change enrollment. Updating an address and transferring a health-plan enrollment are distinct tasks, so confirm coverage for your specific plan and move.
- Review each family member’s DEERS information.
- Confirm how and when your current TRICARE plan transfers.
- Refill necessary prescriptions and hand-carry medication and records.
Do this now: Use TRICARE or your regional contractor for plan-specific instructions; this checklist cannot determine coverage.
Official TRICARE milConnect page
Travel and arrival
6. Carry the documents you cannot afford to lose
Fort Belvoir lists assignment orders or amendments and leave documentation among the materials needed for Soldier in-processing. Military OneSource recommends hand-carrying orders, vehicle documents, school and medical records, medications, valuables, and first-night essentials.
- Keep orders, amendments, IDs, receipts, and unit instructions with you—not in household goods.
- Save travel receipts for the appropriate travel claim.
- Pack for a delivery delay even if the shipment is scheduled door to door.
Do this now: Make an encrypted backup of critical documents, but protect PII and never place orders or movement details in public forms.
Official Fort Belvoir newcomer page · Official Military OneSource planning guide
First duty week
7. Complete unit-directed in-processing and close the loops
The Military Personnel Division directs active-duty arrivals to their unit S-1 or military HR specialist for required services. The newcomer page places unit sign-in before Welcome Center in-processing.
- Follow your unit’s sequence for personnel, finance, and installation actions.
- Follow the current MPD finance instructions: active-duty PCS finance currently uses SMARTVOUCHER, while Reserve and Guard requirements differ. Verify dependent and BAH documents before submission.
- Ask Relocation Assistance about the current newcomer orientation and local support.
Do this now: Before the week ends, list every unresolved claim, shipment, housing, school, medical, or pay item with an owner and next date.
Official Fort Belvoir Military Personnel Division · Official Relocation Assistance Program
Independent planning aid: Morale Call LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Fort Belvoir, TRICARE, or Military OneSource. Official instructions, eligibility rules, and your orders control. Never submit orders, movement dates, unit details, SSNs, medical records, or child information to Morale Call.
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