Defence provides moving assistance to members starting or finishing a long-term posting overseas.
You can also claim some costs to store your vehicle and relocate your pet.
Moving to your posting location
You'll get a Defence paid move to your posting location.
Household items
Defence will pay to move approved items to your posting location.
Once you've got your posting order, your Overseas Administration Team (OAT) Case Manager will ask you to complete Toll Transitions removal forms online, including an overseas consignment inventory with details of the items you want to send overseas. Phone Toll on 1800 819 167 if you need help to complete the inventories online. Toll International will send your inventory to OAT for approval. If you need to make changes, email a request to your OAT Case Manager.
You can find information about the moving process and storage in Your Defence Relocation Guide. You can find this on the Toll Transitions homepage, step 1 under ‘The Relocation Process’.
Your accommodation overseas will be furnished so you’ll mainly need to pack weather-appropriate clothing and personal items. Check with your OAT Case Manager what else you might need to bring.
Defence won’t allow you to bring some unacceptable items.
If you take unacceptable items, you’ll need to pay any customs fees or penalties.
Defence will pay for storage of approved household items you need to leave behind if:
- your partner has been approved to come with you to the overseas posting location
- the items are stored immediately before you start your long-term posting overseas.
You can't claim for storage if your partner is staying in Australia.
Keep some basic items such as bed linen, plates, cups and cutlery in storage in Australia for when you return from your posting. You may need to use them when you get back to Australia while you wait for your overseas items to be sent back.
Defence will pay for you to stay in temporary accommodation if your household items are moved before you travel.
Temporary accommodation while you’ve moving
You can get up to 3 nights’ temporary accommodation in Australia before you leave Australia.
You may also stay in temporary accommodation at your posting location if a suitable home isn’t available when you arrive.
Outlay advance
You can apply for an interest free loan of up to A$15,000 to help you set up your home in the new posting location.
You’ll need to show receipts for all purchases you make and pay back any unused funds after 6 months. Repayments will be taken out of your fortnightly salary to ensure the advance is paid back within a year.
Complete the Payment of Overseas Outlay Advance Deed (FD071) form to apply for an outlay advance. You can download this from the intranet Forms tab on the Defence Protected Network (DPN).
Pets
Check with Post Administration before you go to see if pets are allowed at your posting location.
If you bring your pet, you'll need to pay their relocation costs.
You may claim up to a maximum of A$652, regardless of how many pets you’re taking. You can claim for the costs of:
- transportation
- boarding fees
- quarantine fees
- vet fees, if you need to sedate your pet for the flight.
Relocation assistance includes boarding costs for your pet while you’re staying in temporary accommodation.
You may also be able to claim reasonable costs of relocating your pet within Australia before, during or on return from an overseas posting. Check with your OAT Case Manager before arranging your pet’s relocation.
You can't claim relocation costs for animals you keep for commercial purposes, only pets.
Send copies of your receipts to your OAT Case Manager to claim the pet relocation assistance.
Vehicles
If you own a vehicle, you can store it in a commercial storage facility which you'll need to organise and pay for.
If you're not storing a vehicle, you can claim storage costs for a towable item you own such as caravan, trailer or boat.
You can claim costs of up to A$1,400 over the duration of your posting.
You’ll need to pay for any furniture you want to bring back plus any additional customs fees payable on the furniture. You’ll also need to pay for any items that get held up in customs/quarantine for cleaning or destruction.
Send copies of your receipts to your OAT Case Manager to claim vehicle storage assistance.
Insurance
Because Toll doesn’t cover items sent overseas, you'll need to organise and pay for insurance to cover any items transported overseas.
You can claim some insurance costs for the lesser of:
- the cost of world-wide multi-risk insurance for a policy up to A$53,000
- A$2 for every A$100 of the value of your policy.
Send a copy of your paid policy to your OAT Case Manager to claim the initial premium. If you renew the policy during your posting, send your renewal receipt to Post Administration.
Transfer allowance
You may get a transfer allowance before you leave Australia to help you cover costs you need to pay, such as insurance. OAT will arrange payment of the allowance.
The amount you get depends your living situation and the direction of your move.
If you have dependants, you may also get transfer allowance for each of them.
Set up an overseas bank account
You can choose to have your salary paid into your normal Australian bank account or you can set up an overseas bank account.
If you have an overseas account, you can choose to have your salary:
- paid fully into your overseas bank account
- split between your overseas bank account and one or more Australian bank accounts.
To arrange how your salary is paid, email your bank account details and other relevant information to the Overseas Salaries Section (OSS) at OAT.overseassalaries.defence.gov.au
When your posting finishes
You'll get a Defence paid move from your overseas posting location to your next posting location, or an approved location in Australia.
You can also get a Defence paid move if you leave the ADF at the end of your posting.
If you decide to stay in the overseas country when your posting finishes or move to a different country that you haven't been posted to, you're not eligible for moving assistance.
Household items
Defence will pay to move approved items from your posting location to your next approved location by sea freight.
Before you pack, check what you can bring back on the Department of Agriculture website.
You’ll need to:
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Complete an inventory of the items you want to send back and request approval from Post Administration.
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Contact Toll and arrange delivery of your shipment to your permanent address.
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Keep a copy of the removalist’s packing list to check your items when you unpack them.
You’ll need to pay for any furniture you want to bring back plus any additional customs fees payable on the furniture. You’ll also need to pay for any items that get held up in customs/quarantine for cleaning or destruction.
If you left household items in commercial storage while you were overseas, Defence will pay for them be moved to your new location in Australia.
Complete the Return to Australia (RTA) Details form (AE457) to request Toll to deliver your stored items to your new address. You can download the AE457 from the Forms portal on the DPN.
Temporary accommodation while you’re moving
You can stay in temporary accommodation in Australia until the day your stored items are delivered to your new address.
Pets
You'll need to arrange and pay to bring back your pet. You may claim up to A$652 for the relocation assistance.
Relocation assistance includes boarding costs for your pet while you’re staying in temporary accommodation.
Send copies of your receipts to your OAT Case Manager to claim the pet relocation assistance.
Vehicles
At the end of your posting, Defence will pay to move up to 2 vehicles or towable items you have in commercial storage to your new posting location in Australia. The vehicles need to be registered and roadworthy. Defence won’t pay to move any hobby vehicles you have in storage.
You may claim up to the cost of removal from your last posting location in Australia to the new posting location in Australia. You’ll need to pay any other costs, including insurance or travelling expenses.
If you choose to drive your vehicle instead, you won’t get travelling allowance or travel leave. You may claim the amount Defence would’ve paid to for the removal from the old to the new posting location.
You won’t get vehicle allowance if you decide to drive the vehicle to your new posting location.
Defence won’t pay for any damage to your vehicle during removal. Check with your insurer to see if you’re covered for vehicle damage.
Insurance
You'll need to organise and pay for insurance to cover your items while they're on the way back from the overseas location.
Transfer allowance
You may get transfer allowance before you leave your posting location to help with costs of your move back to Australia.
The amount you get depends your living situation and the direction of your move.
If you have dependants, you may also get transfer allowance for each of them.
You may also get other allowances, such as disturbance allowance, car hire for house hunting purposes and temporary accommodation, to help you while you’re moving into your new home. Check with your OAT Case Manager to see if you’re eligible.