PCS to Fort Bragg: Check-In, Moving and First 30 Days (2026)

A PCS to Fort Bragg starts at one building: the XVIII Airborne Corps Reception Company (18th RC), Building 4-1437 on Normandy Drive at Rock Merritt Avenue. It is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays, and its staff duty desk is (910) 396-4250. Everything else on this page, from household goods to housing to school registration, follows from that first sign-in.

This guide covers the order of operations for soldiers and families moving to Fort Bragg and Fayetteville, with the phone numbers and buildings published by the garrison. For deeper detail on housing, lodging and schools, follow the links to our dedicated guides.

Before You Leave Your Old Duty Station

Most PCS problems at Fort Bragg trace back to paperwork that wasn't started early enough.

1. Get your sponsor. The 18th RC asks inbound soldiers to email a completed DA Form 5434 (sponsorship counseling) to their losing unit's Total Army Sponsorship Program manager. A sponsor in your gaining unit can tell you which brigade S-1 will sign for you.
2. Book your household goods move. Use the Defense Department's PCS support line, 833-MIL-MOVE (833-645-6683), and the Fort Bragg Installation Transportation Office for local questions. The inbound personal property desk is (910) 396-2163 or 396-5212, and the office sits on the first floor of the Soldier Support Center.
3. Reserve temporary lodging if you have family with you. The reception company encourages soldiers in grade E-6 and above, and anyone traveling with family, to set up lodging before reporting. See our Fort Bragg PCS lodging guide for the on-post IHG Army Hotels properties, extended-stay options and how Temporary Lodging Expense works.
4. Join the housing and childcare queues. Apply with Corvias for on-post family housing (leasing office (910) 495-0875 per the reception company page) and create a MilitaryChildCare.com request as soon as you have orders; see our Fort Bragg childcare and CDC guide for every on-post center and Parent Central Services registration steps.
5. Pack a "do not ship" box. Orders and amendments, leave form, dental records, birth and marriage certificates, school and shot records, and pet health papers should ride with you, not the movers.

Day 1: Signing In at the Reception Company

The 18th RC lists four required items for sign-in: your orders with all amendments, DA Form 31 (leave form), dental records and your Common Access Card. It also recommends bringing a second set of dog tags, DD Form 93, your SGLI form (SGLV 8286), a recent LES, travel receipts, jump records if you are airborne-qualified, and marriage, birth or child support documents. Staff duty can make copies.

What happens next depends on rank:

Who	What the reception company says to do
E-1 to E-6	Wait at 18th RC until a delegate from your gaining brigade S-1 signs for you and takes you to the unit
E-7 and above	Report to your gaining S-1 on your own after signing in
Officers	Report to the Officer Management Division, Soldier Support Center, 2nd floor, Wing A
Mobilizing Guard and Reserve	Contact the MOB site at (910) 396-5463
WAMC Student Company or medical hold	Report to the Womack front desk, (910) 907-6000

You get up to five duty days to in-process, not counting weekends or holidays. Wear OCPs and keep personal appointments to a minimum that week. Unaccompanied soldiers in grades E-1 to E-5 are assigned barracks rooms through the reception company. While you are in reception, the travel radius is 125 miles and leave is approved only by exception.

Arriving by Air

Fayetteville Regional Airport (FAY) is the closest airport. The reception company advises taking a taxi or rideshare to Normandy Drive, bringing cash because most airport taxis don't take cards, and keeping the receipt for your travel voucher. It puts the average one-way taxi fare at about $30. A courtesy phone at the airport connects to the 18th RC staff duty desk.

Getting Family Members on Post

Spouses and children with DoD ID cards ride through the gates with you. Relatives helping with the move who don't have an ID need a visitor pass; our Fort Bragg visitor access guide explains online pre-registration and the All American Visitor Control Center.

Days 2–5: The Soldier Support Center

Most in-processing stations are in the Soldier Support Center (SSC), Building 4-2843 on Normandy Drive, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. The garrison lists these offices in the building:

• ID cards, DEERS and CAC (enroll family members and update dependents)
• Personnel reassignment, personnel services and the sponsorship program
• Army Community Service, (910) 396-8682, which runs newcomer briefings, Army Emergency Relief and relocation help
• The Housing Services Office in the basement, (910) 396-1022, for off-post rental help, lease reviews and move-in inspections
• Legal assistance and claims
• Army Continuing Education and the Transition Assistance Program

Our Soldier Support Center guide has floor-by-floor detail. The SSC also hosts an NCDMV driver license office for service members and families.

Choosing Where to Live

Your choice is on-post Corvias housing, which takes your full Basic Allowance for Housing as rent, or renting or buying off post. Fort Bragg falls in BAH military housing area NC182; check your rate in the DTMO calculator before you sign anything. Stop at the Housing Services Office first if you plan to rent off post. It can review a lease and help with landlord disputes.

Option	What to weigh
On-post family housing	Short commutes and maintenance included, but the rent equals your full BAH
Spring Lake	Close to the northern side of post; smaller town services
West Fayetteville, Hope Mills and south Fayetteville	More housing choice and access to I-295 and I-95
Moore County (Southern Pines, Pinehurst)	Western side of post; a longer drive into Fayetteville

Our Fort Bragg housing guide and Fort Bragg BAH rates guide cover Corvias and MHA NC182 allowances in detail, and the Fayetteville neighborhoods guide, Raeford and Hoke County guide, and pros and cons of living in Fayetteville compare areas off post.

Gate hours change with construction and staffing, so check the garrison's access control page and our Fort Bragg gates and commute guide before picking a neighborhood around a single gate.

Schools and Childcare

Fort Bragg has DoDEA schools on post for children living in on-post housing; families living off post attend the public schools of whichever county they live in, most often Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke or Moore. Start enrollment as soon as you have a lease or housing assignment. Our Cumberland County Schools enrollment guide lists documents and steps. Families enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program should contact Army Community Service early, since EFMP coordination affects housing and school placement.

Your First 30 Days Off Post

• Utilities: Most Fayetteville addresses get water, sewer and electric from the Public Works Commission. Start service a few days before move-in; outside city limits your electric provider may differ.
• Driver's license and vehicles: Nonresident service members can generally keep a valid home-state license and registration. Spouses and anyone becoming a North Carolina resident should read the Fayetteville DMV guide.
• Medical care: TRICARE enrollment transfers to the Fort Bragg region; Womack Army Medical Center is the military treatment facility.
• Mail and voting: Update your address with the Postal Service and decide whether to keep voting in your home state.
• Spouse employment and local discounts: The Army Community Service Employment Readiness Program on the SSC's third floor helps with federal applications and local job leads. See our military spouse employment guide and our Fayetteville military discounts guide.

Common Mistakes

• Signing a lease before visiting the Housing Services Office or checking the neighborhood's commute to your unit's gate.
• Shipping the documents you need at in-processing.
• Leaving childcare requests until after arrival; the request can be made from your old duty station.
• Missing the inbound household goods call. Keep your phone on and confirm your delivery address with the ITO.

Sources

• XVIII Airborne Corps Reception Company
• Fort Bragg check-in procedures (Military OneSource)
• Fort Bragg Soldier Support Center
• Installation Transportation Office directory
• Fort Bragg Housing Services Office
• Army article: Housing Services Office contact details

Details checked November 1, 2026.