COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Are you looking to start your vacation and not sure where to start planning? If you’re active duty, the Department of Defense Foreign Clearance Guide should be your first stop.
This document provides necessary information for aircraft international mission planning and execution, personnel travel to foreign countries, as well as general information on foreign locations.
Since the DoD FCG is directive in nature for all DoD and DoD-sponsored travel abroad, travelers must ensure they comply with this guide. Prior to commencing travel, personnel should also review Department of State travel warnings, travel alerts, and individual country specific information at travel.state.gov. This requirement is not only used for antiterrorism purposes, it is used for accountability.
The above information is quoted from the FCG which governs travel to foreign countries by all DoD members official and leave travel. Prior to any official and leave travel overseas all DoD members must check the FCG for travel requirements for the country or countries they will visit.
Travel to certain countries require theater clearances, country clearances, training requirements and other directed requirements. These clearances can take 30 days or more to process. All DoD employees must register with the State department at https://steps.state.gov when traveling to Europe. At this time, there are several states in Mexico off-limits. Any travel to Mexico, including a cruise, must have lieutenant colonel approval for all active-duty personnel.