My husband is stationed on the USS Blue Ridge, and he came back to the states in August so we could get married. His command authorized his leave, he came here, went back, and is now trying to get a command sponsorship for me so I can join him.

I have been told that, because his orders were originally unaccompanied, the Navy will NOT pay to get me over there, and they will not pay for our stuff to be moved either. And even after I get there, we will not be reimbursed for having to pay for the lodging at the Navy Lodge.

Now recently, I have been told that he cannot get my command sponsorship until AFTER I get to Japan. And we will have to pay for the Navy Lodge until housing gets approved. That is $1800 for ONE month, much less however many months it will take to get approved....

So my questions are...

Is it correct that, because of his unaccompanied orders, we have to pay out of our pockets to get me over there?

Do I REALLY have to be in Japan before I can get the command sponsorship?

Why will they not move our property, which is his and mine, under his allotment?

How do I go about getting on base without the command sponsorship to stay at the Navy Lodge?

Can I even STAY at the Navy Lodge without the command sponsorship?

Will it take long for the command sponsorship to go through?

Do I need to apply for a visa without the command sponsorship, or am I going to be ok without the visa for 90 days?

I really need someone to answer these questions, because I'm not sure who my husband is talking to, but his father thinks he's not talking to the right people.

Please help. THANK YOU!

Is it correct that, because of his unaccompanied orders, we have to pay out of our pockets to get me over there?

the navy paid for my trip going to japan from hawaii but since i'm in san diego that time so we have to purchase my ticket from san diego to hawaii
and also my husband move here in japan with unaccompanied orders as long as you do have an overseas screening done from the military hosp.

Do I REALLY have to be in Japan before I can get the command sponsorship?

no i wasnt present in japan when i have my command sponsorship they did my sponsorship while i'm still back in the states

the only thing that i need to be present is for getting our housing

Why will they not move our property, which is his and mine, under his allotment?

How do I go about getting on base without the command sponsorship to stay at the Navy Lodge?

Can I even STAY at the Navy Lodge without the command sponsorship?

Will it take long for the command sponsorship to go through?

my command sponsorship only took like 1month if i'm not mistaken cuz i got my passport updated nov.4 and i got it back in 6weeks from renewing it
after they have my passport info they start to work on my sponsorship

Do I need to apply for a visa without the command sponsorship, or am I going to be ok without the visa for 90 days?

and as for the rest of your questions above that i didn't answer you might want to ask the legal office or you try to contact the ombudsman or go to the
USS Blue Ridge website at and just click the link above and information

http://www.blue-ridge.navy.mil

Wow, you've got some tough questions that rate an answer by somebody in charge over here. It sounds like your hubby didn't ask permission to get married ahead of time and the Navy frowns upon that, even if you get married in the states. Happens all the time to the best of sailors. Definitely contact the Ombudsman for the Blue Ridge. She probably will refer you to someone else who can answer your question, like some who works in the Personnel Office who knows these rules.

yea she really do have a very tough questiongs and my reply to her is sharing what i have with the command when my husband first came here unaccompanied but who knows she might get a different help bec.i came here we're already married back in the states

I would definitelly speak with Legal.
Unfortunatly, after having a close friend go through something similar, but not completely similar, I'm afraid you may not get the exact answers you want to hear.

90 days is possible to get a command sponsorship, but it all depends on the command and how your husband handles it.
They most likely won't move your belongings because you weren't on the original orders. My friend had to pay for her own ticket as well.
You can stay in the lodge w/o command sponsorship. The question is whether or not there will be room for you.
I wish you luck!

To Rotsa Ruck, he did get it OK'd by his command to get married. Otherwise, they wouldn't have approved his leave to come get married.

Apparently, my husband was being fed a bunch of crap, because now he's told us that I don't have to be in Japan first to get the sponsorship... So I'm thoroughly confused, and I'll just get my screening over with and wait patiently.... -.-

Probably best to send your e-mail to your husband's CMC.

It helps if you understand the reason for command sponsorship. It is all part of the visa process whereby your command promises that you'll be good and takes responsibility for you while you are accompanying your spouse. Without it you are no more than a visitor and will be allowed the maximum "house guest" base access/privileges only. Otherwise you will have to be escorted on and off base on a daily basis.

I went through this many years ago while stationed on a ship here and I can tell you that all is correct. You must have a passport to get here, they will not ship your household goods nor pay for you plane ticket. Since you are not under orders you cannot get command sponsorship until you are in country. If your husband does not have a place to live in off base you're not in a good position. You did not state your husbands pay grade which has a big effect on your situation. Depending on how long he has left on his tour you may want to think about staying in the states and saving your money for visits a couple of times a year.

See this is what we have been hearing too, i have been visiting my husband and this is all of the answers they have been giving us. We have heard that i have to be here befor we can get approved for command sponsership. not really sure why. But if you would like any other answers, you are more then welcome to write me and i can let you know what they have been telling us, according to my husband, they people helping us are reqally nice and great and so far they have been showing us in the right direction. If you have any questions I can try and help out as much as possible, cause i am new here and its kinda hard, especially in a different country and away from home.

the navy lodge can b e expensive, you can also try BOQ, its a lil cheaper, and pretty nice but you can only stay for a week, which is the down side, but it is really nice, like a lil apartment, i have pictures on my facebook if u care to look, and i also have a view of the bay right out side of the Navy Lodge. My husband and I are going tho the same thing and we are newlyweds, but the people who have been helping us have been going a really good job, if u have any questions, u are more then welcome to email me if u have any questions and i can ask my husband if we are getting the same feed back and maybe help out. I am new to this Navy life and being a wife, so it would be nice talkin with someone who is in the same position i am in and new to this base. Anyways, maybe i will talk to you later! And when you get here, Welcome to Japan.

Similar line of questioning, but at the same time, different.



Where can I go to inquire about our command sponsorship? I need to know if it has been approved yet.

bump...

i went there this back in san diego before coming here...i think my husband ended up talking to his coc and they called here *yokosuka* and had an answer an few minutes. then my FEA came within ten minutes of hte phone call.

Where did you call though? And where does your husband work?? I know they would never get it to us that quickly, cause my hubby isn't that high in rank.

Amber,

When you came over here, you didnt have command sponsorship, which means you paid out of pocket, correct?

All this money that your forking out for Yokosuka Navy Lodge is out of Pocket, and you wont get reimbursed, correct?

Correct on all counts, Adam, but I am hoping I can try and get reimbursed for staying at the Navy Lodge, because they gave us the wrong information when I came over, and this resulted.

Yes, at least try for a percentage or anything. It's not fair that they told you a week and it resulted in this. If they would of said straight up that it would of taken this long you wouldn't of come probably. That's not fair, and nobody has that kind of money lying around to throw away.

The moment you get married, the military has requirements to provide you with extra $ to take care of you.

When I was in the Navy, I married my wife, and I was TAD from Japan in San Diego. She came with me, and we went to get married in Las Vegas.

I stayed in school San Diego for about 5 1/2 months, and when I returned back to Japan, I had to start all of her Command Sponsorship paperwork.

We had been married for almost 6 months, and she did have ID card, but she was back in Japan by herself. She didnt have to worry about housing because she stayed with her parents. When I came back to Japan I went back to the KHK (where I was stationed) and began my marriage documents and adding her to my PAGE 2.  They back paid me for each month that we were married. I think it was around $550 per month for dependents. So I got around $3000 back as compensation, to provide for her. I know thats not going to cover all the rental expenses but its better than nothing.

Has your husband atleast got you on his PAGE 2 yet?

I think once that happens, he should start to receive some sort of compensation for having an additional dependent to look after.

I doubt they will reimburse you for the lodge. I think once you have command sponsorship that begins, but not before.

I think it would of been better off you staying in the States, doing everything you could, and once it was completed, move out here. I think you just came a little too soon.

Amber, was your husband ever getting paid BAH when you were still in the States? If you were paying rent, even to relatives, you should of been getting BAH. If you weren't, perhaps you should look into reimbursement for that at least.

I'm sorry my husband and I can't figure out what to do with your Sponsorship though.

Amber,

My husband is on the Blue Ridge and we got command sponsorship pretty quickly. There is a lot of information on the Blue Ridge website.

Please contact the ombudsman and she will be able to help you with a lot of this. If not she will get you to the correct people on the ship who can help you. The email address for her is ombudsman.lcc19@gmail.com

Good luck and if you need anything I am here for you as a Blue Ridge spouse.

We got the sponsorship today!!  I'm going to start the housing process tomorrow morning! Just thought I'd let you guys know, since you guys have been helping me since Day 1.

Balls... Double post... 

Yay for Amber!

We got housing too!! All in 3 days!! I'm moving into Yonban tower on Tuesday, doing the housing inspection on Monday. X)

I am late on this but I figured I would help answer some questions since I am sure more people will run into this issue:


Is it correct that, because of his unaccompanied orders, we have to pay out of our pockets to get me over there?
I came over unaccompanied, and then got my command sponsorship while here. The Navy did not pay for HHG, but they did pay for the plane ticket. You should be able to get a Bupers Message put in upon Command Sponsorship and that will help get the plane ticket started. It will take extra time for this process to play out though.


Do I REALLY have to be in Japan before I can get the command sponsorship?
My wife wasn't in japan when we went through the process, but you will have to have access to a Military Treatment Facility where you are located to complete the overseas screening portion of the Command Sponsorship.


Will it take long for the command sponsorship to go through?
Depending on the Command. I got mine done in a little under a month. It all depends on your senior leadership. My CO actually overheard me talking about it with my LCPO and he asked for him to handcarry the paperwork to him, so that accelerated everything by a few days



Some other things that I overheard that might be useful. You CAN get backpaid after you get married, as long as you provide a copy of a lease of where you were staying (while in the US). Then you will get backpaid the BAH for while you were in the States. However while you are in Japan your TLA would not go into effect until you are Command Sponsored.

How did your situation end up? Did they re-imburse you due to their error?

I am a newly wedded Navy wife...We married this past December. I would like to know about how long does the Command Sponsorship process take. My Husband only has 1 1/2 years left 6 months of which will be spent on the ship. I was hoping the paperwork would be cleared before May when this is going to prolong the completion of the sponsorship papers.I would like to know is there anything I can do to speed up the process so Ill have a chance to be with my husband ?

if he was unaccompanied to begin with, he'll have to extend his orders another year to get you command sponsored. That's what my husband had to do. The process varies between commands, mine took about a month and a half after i got here. I think the only thing you can do is try and get the overseas screening process started, and make sure your husband has started the paperwork on his end as well.

i need help please! No one is willing to help my husband with the command sponorship! He is an E-2 and we have been told he has to be an E-4 before they will approve me to move there is that true? Would it be a problem if i moved there on a visa and stayed at the navy lodge?

i need help please! No one is willing to help my husband with the command sponorship! He is an E-2 and we have been told he has to be an E-4 before they will approve me to move there is that true? Would it be a problem if i moved there on a visa and stayed at the navy lodge?

Try typing in COMMAND SPONSORSHIP at the top of the page in the search.

There is this discussion which may provide you some clarification:

Dependent PCS E-3 and Below
http://www.japanbases.com/forums/aft/1094.aspx

Ashley,
Unfortunitly that is correct. I highly recommend reading the link Adam suggested. If you are still wanting to come out here it will be your own dime for everything plane, logding etc... He would also have to have permission to move off base and you will not be able to have a car either.

I would recommend getting a budget done to see how much it is actually going to cost. He or you can go to NMCRS or FFSC to get one done.

I am gettting ready to move off base and we are looking at having to pay about $12,000 just to move in our new house.

I would suggest saving lots money and just come for a vacation to see him. Plane tickets cn range anywhere from $800-$2400 depending on the time of year you travel. If he is on a ship they have been out alot and Aug is the most expensive time to come here so plan your trip carefully.