Frequently Asked Questions

Kaiserslautern Military Community – according to ramstein.af.mil, the KMC is the largest American military community outside the continental United States. Most sources cite approximately 50,000 Americans located in the KMC area.

The Joint Travel Regulations, commonly referred to as the JTR, is a publication of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), defining rules & regulations for travel of U.S. DoD Civilian employees and Armed Service Members, and can be found at https://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/  Department of State Standardized Regulations found at https://aoprals.state.gov  are regulations that govern travel for U.S. Civilians abroad.

PCS stands for Permanent Change of Station, which is a status of military orders issued to Active Duty members as well as Civilian Employees for assignment to another duty station. We commonly use the term “PCSing in” when you are traveling to Germany for a new assignment, and” PCSing out” when you’re leaving the country to return to the U.S. or to another duty assignment.

Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance is the travel allowance which applies to Civilians on PCS orders to/from an overseas assignment. The JTR & DSSR allow Civilians up to 90-days of TQSA when PCSing in, and up to 30 days when PCSing out. Per the JTR, Active Duty members are also allowed temporary living quarters (referred to as TLA, or Temporary Lodging Allowance), for up to 30 days when PCSing in, and up to 10 days when PCSing out. It is important to note that Commands have the prerogative to stipulate lesser timeframes for these allowances.

Active Duty members on TLA are generally required to file lodging receipts every 10 days with Housing. During your TLA, Housing may make offers of quarters for permanent lodging. If you reject their first & second offers, you will no longer qualify for TLA.

Generally, yes. Active Duty members may choose off-base lodging in many situations. If government lodging is unavailable, you may receive a Statement of Non-Availability (Non-A). If government lodging is available but you prefer to stay off base, you may still choose an off-base property; however, your lodging reimbursement may be limited to the applicable on-base lodging rate. TLA eligibility and final reimbursement remain subject to Housing/Finance approval. Contact us with your situation and we can help identify an appropriate TDYHOMES option.

The Defense Travel Management Office publishes per diem rates monthly. The Per Diem Rates Table for Germany can be found by conducting a Per Diem Rates Query at: https://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/perdiem.cfm  We download this information monthly, and can provide this to you upon request.

The rate applicable to your stay depends on your travel status, lodging availability, authorization and applicable allowance. We can help you identify the relevant published limit, but final reimbursement is determined by the appropriate government office.

Generally, transportation to/from the airport is a reimbursable expense. Check with your finance point of contact to confirm, and keep your receipt to file with your travel voucher for reimbursement.

LQA stands for Living Quarters Allowance and refers to the allowance for Civilians for their permanent housing expenses. LQA is usually overseen by the Civilian Personnel office. OHA is the Overseas Housing Allowance which is the allowance to Active Duty members for permanent housing expenses, generally overseen by the Military Housing Office.Am I required to obtain approval from Housing for my permanent lodging? Most Active Duty members & Air Force Civilians are required to obtain Housing approval for their long term lodging. Most Army Civilians are not required to obtain Housing approval, but can use their service if desired.

Value Added Tax (VAT) forms are used to waive tax on the local economy for goods & services. VAT forms may be used to waive the local lodging tax of 7%, or 19% tax on retail purchases. The forms can be purchased from your local VAT office on base. You will need your military ID and a copy of your orders. VAT forms can be purchased from the applicable VAT office. Current fees and procedures can change, so please verify them directly with the VAT office. In order for a VAT form to work with your first lodging invoice, it must be obtained within seven days of arrival to Germany. More information on VAT forms can be found at: https://kaiserslautern.armymwr.com/happenings/pre-order-vat-forms-pick 

We accept many forms of payment including GTC, VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, DISCOVER, cash, bank transfers, etc. We do not accept payment by check, however.