OCONUS and Accompanied Tour Sponsorship - S-1 Procedural Page

Role and responsibility

The assigned sponsor runs the OCONUS welcome aboard outreach per MCO 1320.11HMCO 1320.11H Enclosure (5) (Accompanied OCONUS) or Enclosure (6) (Unaccompanied OCONUS) under paragraph 4.b.(8) (Assigned Sponsors). The unit SC tracks the OCONUS milestones against the inbound roster. The installation IR&R Program Manager per paragraph 4.b.(9) coordinates installation-level OCONUS in-and-out processing. The unit commanding officer per paragraph 4.b.(6) signs the Command Welcome Aboard Letter per Enclosure (2) and routes accompanied tour command sponsorship requests. The receiving installation Welcome Aboard Center supports the OCONUS arrival.

Source documents flow from the OCONUS PCS orders citing the JTRJoint Travel Regulations, the dependent travel orders (for accompanied tours), the command sponsorship approval (for accompanied tours), the Exceptional Family Member (EFM) screening result (when applicable), the Family Advocacy intake (when applicable per MCO 1754.9BMCO 1754.9B), the housing application, the country clearance request, and the OCONUS-specific medical and dental clearances. OCONUS sponsorship outputs include the signed Enclosure (5) or (6) letter, the coordinated housing and clearance plan, the IR&R OCONUS in-processing record, and the unit sponsorship roster entry showing OCONUS milestones.

Per MCO 1320.11H Enclosure (5), the Accompanied OCONUS Sponsor Welcome Aboard Letter covers command sponsorship, family travel, housing, schools, EFM, child care, employment, and medical care. Per Enclosure (6), the Unaccompanied OCONUS Sponsor Welcome Aboard Letter covers BEQ assignment, in-and-out processing, dependent care arrangements (if applicable), and OCONUS-specific risk topics.

Trigger events

• Inbound OCONUS PCS order issued.
• Command sponsorship request for accompanied tour.
• EFM enrollment triggers OCONUS screening.
• Family Advocacy intake during OCONUS coordination.
• Country clearance routing opens.
• Housing application due.
• Receiving installation Welcome Aboard Center contact opens.
• OCONUS in-and-out processing brief schedule.

Processing workflow

1. Identify the OCONUS assignment type. Per MCO 1320.11HMCO 1320.11H Enclosures (5) and (6), confirm accompanied or unaccompanied. The order designates the tour type.
2. Validate command sponsorship for accompanied tours. The accompanied OCONUS tour requires command sponsorship approval before dependent travel under the Joint Travel RegulationsJoint Travel Regulations. The S-1 officer routes the command sponsorship request per the local procedure.
3. Draft the appropriate sponsor letter. Per Enclosure (5) for Accompanied OCONUS or Enclosure (6) for Unaccompanied OCONUS, the sponsor drafts using the matching sample.
4. Coordinate housing and clearance per the JTR. Per the JTR, OCONUS housing and clearance run on specific timelines. The sponsor coordinates housing application early.
5. Coordinate Family Advocacy Program intake. Per MCO 1754.9BMCO 1754.9B and paragraph 4.b.(9), inbound family advocacy intake routes through the IR&R Program Manager.
6. Coordinate Exceptional Family Member screening. When the inbound family has EFM enrollment, the OCONUS screening runs ahead of orders execution. The sponsor coordinates with the SC and the IR&R Program Manager.
7. Coordinate dependent travel and BAQ documentation. Per MCO 1300.8MCO 1300.8 and the JTR, dependent travel runs on command sponsorship and the BAQ documentation reflects family status.
8. Brief the inbound Marine on OCONUS-specific risks. The sponsor briefs cost-of-living, currency, transportation, and OCONUS-specific topics covered in Enclosures (5) and (6).
9. Coordinate IR&R OCONUS handoff. Per paragraph 4.b.(9), the IR&R Program Manager runs the installation-level OCONUS in-processing.
10. Track OCONUS milestones. The SC logs the OCONUS milestones on the unit sponsorship roster.

Systems of record and forms

Systems

• MCTFS. Source of OCONUS PCS orders and family status.
• Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) reference. Source of travel rules.
• Installation IR&R Office. Per paragraph 4.b.(9).
• Receiving Installation Welcome Aboard Center.
• EFMP system. Per cross-reference to special-needs coordination.
• Country Clearance system. Per the OCONUS clearance order.

Forms

• Sponsor Welcome Aboard Letter (Accompanied OCONUS). Per Enclosure (5).
• Sponsor Welcome Aboard Letter (Unaccompanied OCONUS). Per Enclosure (6).
• Command Sponsorship Approval. Local format.
• OCONUS Housing Application. Per the installation order.
• Country Clearance Request. Per the receiving country clearance order.
• EFM Screening Result. Per the EFMP order.

Common pitfalls

• Accompanied tour without command sponsorship approval. Per the JTRJoint Travel Regulations and MCO 1320.11HMCO 1320.11H Enclosure (5), command sponsorship approval precedes dependent travel. Without approval, the family lacks travel and housing entitlements.
• Enclosure (5) used for unaccompanied tour or Enclosure (6) used for accompanied tour. The letter content fails to match the family scope. Validate at draft.
• EFM screening late. Per the EFMP order and paragraph 4.b.(9), the OCONUS EFM screening runs ahead of orders execution. Late screening blocks dependent travel.
• IR&R OCONUS handoff missed. Per paragraph 4.b.(9), the IR&R Program Manager runs the installation-level OCONUS in-processing. Coordinate the handoff at sponsor assignment.
• Family Advocacy Program intake missed for accompanied tour with prior advocacy history. Per MCO 1754.9BMCO 1754.9B, the intake runs at OCONUS arrival.

Decision points

• Accompanied versus unaccompanied tour. Per the order issuing authority, the tour type drives. The sponsor matches the letter type to the order designation.
• Command sponsorship approval routing. Per the JTRJoint Travel Regulations, command sponsorship runs through the receiving command. The sending S-1 officer routes the request early.
• EFM screening result outcome. Per the EFMP order, an EFM screening result not supporting the OCONUS location triggers orders deletion or modification. The S-1 officer routes per the outcome.

Authority

This sub-page sits under MCO 1320.11HMCO 1320.11H Enclosure (5) (Sample Sponsor Welcome Aboard Letter Accompanied OCONUS), Enclosure (6) (Sample Sponsor Welcome Aboard Letter Unaccompanied OCONUS), paragraph 4.b.(8) (Assigned Sponsors), and paragraph 4.b.(9) (IR&R Installation Program Manager). Joint Travel RegulationsJoint Travel Regulations set OCONUS travel and entitlement rules. MCO 1300.8MCO 1300.8 covers Marine Corps assignment and travel. MCO 1754.9BMCO 1754.9B covers Family Advocacy. MCO P1700.27BMCO P1700.27B covers Marine Corps Community Services. S-1 responsibilities sit at MCO 5000.14DMCO 5000.14D MCAP enclosure 4. The processing workflow maps to NAVMC 3500.3E T-R event 0102-MPMN-2103.

Related references

• MCO 1320.11H Enclosures (5) and (6). Authoritative OCONUS welcome aboard letters.
• MCO 1320.11H paragraphs 4.b.(8) and 4.b.(9). Sponsor and IR&R responsibilities.
• Joint Travel Regulations. OCONUS travel rules.
• MCO 1300.8. Marine Corps Personnel Assignment Policy. The ACTS Manual is MCO 1000.6.
• MCO 1754.9B. Family Advocacy Program.
• MCO 5000.14D MCAP enclosure 4. S-1 sponsorship responsibilities.
• NAVMC 3500.3E. T-R event 0102-MPMN-2103.