Travel documents

Updated March 28, 2017

Passports
Military personnel being reassigned to Germany do not require passports for entry, but do require military ID Card and NATO or service travel orders.  Passports are required for civilian personnel.  Visit your Military Personnel Flight to obtain Government no-fee passports with Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) certificates for your family members prior to departing your current duty station. These passports will allow them to travel to and from the overseas location.  If your family members' no-fee passports are not issued prior to your departure, they may enter Germany using their tourist passports and obtain a SOFA certificate from the Ramstein Passport Office within 90 days of arrival.  Please contact the Passport Office at 786fss.passports@us.af.mil to find out which documents are required to receive SOFA status.  SOFA certificates are only issued to family members if they are a valid dependent in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).      


To travel freely within Europe, you and each family member should obtain a tourist passport at your own expense.  You may obtain a tourist passport before or after your arrival.  If you apply after you receive a no-fee passport, you may use the no-fee passport as proof of citizenship.  No-fee passports are not authorized for leisure travel use; they are for official travel only.  Individuals using only a no-fee passport for leisure travel should be aware that they are traveling at their own risk and may be denied entry to a foreign country. 

Other documents you should prepare and update:
- Spouse Employment and Education Records
- Children's Immunization and School Records
- Medical Records (including X-rays and similar items)
- Financial Records
- Insurance Documents
- Pet medical records
- ID cards for all family members (mandatory for all children over the age of 10 with some exceptions)
- Documents for PIPS