Check-in Procedures

Waiting times for housing vary by arrival time, grade and bedroom requirement. You may check current wait times upon arrival. You will be placed on the waiting list with the eligibility date of the date departed last permanent duty station provided you apply within 30 days after arrival. Single soldiers (or soldiers arriving without the family) will stay in the Barracks, and E7-E9/Officers will stay in Senior Enlisted Bachelor Quarters / Bachelor Officer Quarters.

If quarters are not available, soldiers may temporarily stay in lodging. Soldiers arriving with family members on concurrent travel may stay in temporary lodging until government quarters become available or private rental quarters are located. Please coordinate with housing prior to moving to any temporary lodging. Ansbach Military Housing does not provide temporary housing for service members waiting to be placed in on-post housing. If no rooms are available on-post you will receive a certificate of non-availability and a list of German hotels with English speaking front desk personnel which you can contact for reservations.

All soldiers moving to Germany will fly into Ramstein Air Base. Please note before bringing or shipping a pet, it is important that unaccompanied soldiers coordinate with their gaining commands. If you are shipping a pet into Germany, you will be charged a fee.

The Ramstein Passenger Service Center phone number, if calling from the United States, is 49-6371-46-4441/4442/4754.

The Ramstein 24-hour Flight Recording, if calling from the United States, is 49-6371-46-4440.

After arrival, newcomers get put into a holding area (reception center) where they go through German customs. Once completed, they provide a copy of their orders and NATO orders to the reception center (Gateway to Europe) and they schedule their transportation to the Garrison. The bus ride from Ramstein Air Base to Ansbach is approximately three to four hours.

The following records should be hand-carried:

• Orders
• School records
• Soldiers with family members on accompanied assignments - DA Form 5888 (EFMP Screening)
• Passports
• Drivers licenses
• Bills
• Addresses
• Birth certificates
• Marriage licenses
• Secondary access to your bank accounts
• Items needed to file income taxes

Family members seeking a job need to bring educational documentation.

Unaccompanied soldiers in the Grade of E1 through E6 must reside in the barracks. Bona fide single soldiers (receiving entitlements at “without dependent” rate) in the Grade of E7 and above may choose to move to private rental quarters regardless of Senior Enlisted Bachelor Quarters / Bachelor Officer Quarters availability. Soldiers in the Grade of E7 and above that are on an unaccompanied or “all others” tour (receiving entitlements at “with dependent” rate), are required to occupy Senior Enlisted Bachelor Quarters / Bachelor Officer Quarters when available.

A strong sponsorship program builds unit cohesion, reduces stress during a PCS, and ensures newcomers are quickly integrated into the USAG Ansbach community.

There are two United States Postal Service offices at USAG Ansbach, one at Katterbach Kaserne and one at Storck Barracks. At Katterbach Kaserne, the postal service center parcel pickup window and USPS office are separate. The parcel pickup window and USPS office at Storck Barracks are combined. There are no USPS offices at Shipton Kaserne or Barton Barracks.

• Newcomers can use the on-post Army Post Office to send and receive mail and packages.
• The APO mailing address works like a regular United States address but goes through military mail channels.
• There are size and content rules for packages, so check before sending.
• Mail is usually delivered to unit mailrooms or picked up at the post office.
• The post office on base offers services like post office boxes, mailing and money orders.

After arriving at a new installation, families often need support finding employment, child care and community connections.

Key resources:

• Ways to Settle In and Build Community After a PCS Move - Resources and services to help families engage with their new military community and get settled
• Military Child Care - Support for exploring child care options and searching for quality, affordable care
• Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Program - Free services to help spouses reach educational and career goals
• Military Spouse Employment Partnership - Direct access to employers committed to recruiting military spouses
• Spouse Career Coaching - Comprehensive coaching resources for education, training, licensing, employment readiness and career connections

Unit sponsors are authorized to pick up soldiers and family members arriving at Ramstein Air Base with their commander's approval. Prior to release, sponsors are required to sign a statement confirming they will drop off the new soldier at the gaining unit's central processing facility immediately upon arrival.

All soldiers moving to Germany will fly into Ramstein Air Base. Please note: Before bringing or shipping a pet, it is important that unaccompanied soldiers coordinate with their gaining commands. If you are shipping a pet into Germany, you will be charged a fee.

Ramstein Passenger Service Center phone number, if calling from the United States.

Ramstein 24-hour Flight Recording, if calling from the United States.

After arrival, newcomers get put into a holding area (reception center) where they go through German customs. Once completed they provide a copy of their orders, and NATO orders to the reception center (Gateway to Europe) and they schedule their transportation to the Garrison. The bus ride from Ramstein Air Base to Ansbach is approximately three to four hours.

Unit sponsors are authorized to pick up soldiers and family members arriving at Ramstein Air Base with their commander's approval. Prior to release, sponsors are required to sign a statement confirming they will drop off the new soldier at the gaining unit's Central Processing Facility immediately upon arrival.

Upon arrival to Ansbach newcomers are greeted at the USO Facility on Katterbach Kaserne by a member of the staff from CPF. The CPF and the In-Processing Training Center are responsible for in- and out-processing all permanent-party soldiers to and from the Ansbach community. Arrival day is referred to as A-Day or Day 0. The In-Processing Training schedule is ten days to prepare newcomers for their assignment at USAG Ansbach.

The Moving & Housing topic center contains tools and content designed to help families plan and execute a permanent change of station move.

Key resources include:

• Plan My Move - A customizable checklist tool that helps families track tasks and find information specific to their move timeline - highly recommended as a first stop for PCSing families.
• Moving Your Personal Property - A topic center that compiles resources for managing personal property shipments.
• PCS and Military Moves - A landing page connecting users to tools, expert 24/7 support and personalized information about their specific move.
• School Liaison Program - Located at each installation, school liaisons can help with transition support for military-connected students before, during and after a PCS move.
• Moving and Family Logistics for OCONUS Moves - A wide variety of online resources, personalized support and practical information for overseas moves.
• PCS: The Basics About Permanent Change of Station - A foundational article covering what to know before, during and after a permanent change of station.
• Plan Your Next Military PCS - Tools, support, tips and resources to help families prepare a full PCS plan of action.
• Military Sponsorship - A benefit through which sponsors share personal experience to help families settle in at a new installation.

For Soldiers who get married en-route, check with the losing installation before departing to find out what needs to be done to obtain command sponsorship for their spouse. If this is not done before departure, the Soldier will have to travel unaccompanied to Germany and start the command sponsorship process upon arrival.