Setting up Your Move in the
Defense Personal Property System (DPS)
Overview
Make sure you have official executable orders before starting the DPS move process! Your move request cannot be entered into DPS correctly unless you have executable orders. If you have questions always reach out to your local transportation office, as they are the experts. The Coast Guard uses DoD transportation offices for all moves. Be sure to also check out Military One Source’s Personal Property Shipment and Personal Property FAQs pages.
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Additionally, check out US TRANSCOM’s “It’s Your Move” guide. It is 35 pages so check out the information below to help you set up your move in DPS.
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If you have a short notice pick up, within 5 business days, call your local transportation office before logging into DPS. Link to DPS.
Getting Started
If you have never logged into DPS, the Coast Guard member will have to request an account. Directions are on the homepage to request a new account. Once you have created an account you can access the “create a shipment” tutorial under the Quick Reference Guides headers at the top right of the screen located under your name and rank. Overall, the DPS process is self-explanatory. The system will not let you move forward if the information is missing, and it has helpful explanations embedded. Reviewing the tutorial along with the information below will make it a breeze to set up your move.
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Prior to logging into DPS, collect the following information using this checklist:
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A scanned copy of your official executable orders.
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Your contact information.
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Contact information of your spouse or someone you are authorizing to release or receive your personal property.
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Pick up location. You can have the movers pick up from multiple locations if needed, i.e., your house and a storage facility.
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Delivery location. If you do not have the address for your new residence yet, that is okay. Use the address of your new unit and update the moving company once you have the new address.
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Desired pick-up date.
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Desired delivery date.
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Large/special item information (Grandfather clock, utility trailer, guns, etc.)
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For firearms, you will need to provide the make, model, model year, caliber size, and country of manufacturer.
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For larger items, you will need to provide a detailed description of the item, value, and dimensions.
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Estimated weight of your personal property & professional gear. The DPS system has a built-in weight estimator, or you can check out these sites:
Creating Your Move
To create a new move, you will need to click on the Start a New Move button on the landing page. From there you will be directed to enter information regarding your orders. Below are a few tips to help you enter the correct information into the system:
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Order Number is the CG Trans ID at the top of your orders.
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Orders date is the issue date listed in the top right corner of the orders.
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Once you have inputted your orders, you can create your Household Goods (HHG) or Personally Procured Move (PPM). Note you will have to create a new shipment for each type of shipment, i.e., HHG, PPM, Unaccompanied Baggage (UB) and Non-Temporary Storage. So, if you are doing a combination of a HHG and PPM, you will have two shipments to create. The system will guide you through eight pages where you will enter all the information you collected.
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If you have any questions about what you cannot include in your HHG, DPS will provide you with a detailed list on the first page when you create a new shipment. You can also check out Military One Source’s page on PCS entitlements. The most common items asked about are:
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Firearms: Yes. Must be made inoperable and complete description included on the inventory.
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Ammunition: No.
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Alcohol: Yes, if it is unopened and does not violate any state-specific laws.
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Motorcycles and dirt bikes
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CONUS: Yes.
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OCONUS: Yes, but need to check with destination restrictions. It will count towards your overall HHG weight. You will need to drain the gasoline and disconnect the battery prior to shipment.
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Sporting Vehicles such as ATVs, snowmobiles, etc.: Yes, however, the weight is included in you HHG total.
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Canoes, skiffs, kayaks, jet skis, etc.: Maybe, depending on size. It will count towards your overall HHG weight. See Military Once Source or ask your local transportation office for clarification.
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After you have entered all your information into the system and hit submit, you can create another move if needed or wait for the next step while your move is processed by the transportation office. If you need to update information after hitting submit, but before being assigned a moving company, you will need to contact the transportation office you submitted your request to. Updating the information in DPS will not update the request sent to the transportation office.
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Now it is time to wait while your move request is processed. Check out the Move Process Post DPS submission for more details on what happens with your request and what you can expect.