Is a rental car reimbursed on a PCS to Germany?
As a rule, no. USAG Bavaria tells its own newcomers: “Ship your car EARLY and rent a vehicle in the States so that your vehicle is already here when you arrive. Renting a car is expensive (and you'll get a tin can) in Germany, plus the military does not reimburse you for this added expense” (USAG Bavaria, things to know, page last modified 6 November 2023, read 13 October 2026). For the ordinary gap, with the car still at sea, the rental is your own money. Your orders and your transportation office decide your own case.
The one exception: a POV that misses its required delivery date
The government ships one car: “You may have an entitlement to ship or store one POV at government expense when you receive permanent change of station orders” (Military OneSource, PCS and moving FAQs). That shipment has a required delivery date (RDD), printed on the vehicle inspection form you receive at the vehicle processing center (VPC).
If the car is not there by that date, International Auto Logistics (IAL), the shipping contractor, writes in its claims pamphlet: “The contractor shall compensate customers through inconvenience claims for rental car expenses incurred due to missed RDDs. For Active Duty Service members, the contractor is liable for rental vehicle reimbursement claims which exceed the claimant's entitlement (reference JTR Chapter 5, Part E, paragraph 0534).” And: “Claims for rental vehicle reimbursement shall end on the date the customer is notified that the POV is available for pickup” (IAL claims pamphlet, V8, March 2025).
So the entitlement under the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) comes first, and the contractor covers what goes beyond it. A car that arrives on time, only later than you did, has not missed its RDD.
How to keep a late-POV claim alive
- Keep the vehicle inspection form. It carries the shipping order number (top left) and the RDD (top right).
- Keep every receipt. IAL pays “based on receipts for out of pocket expenses associated with a missed required delivery date”. Receipts must be legible, itemised with dates and charges, and show proof of payment, and “if a receipt is in a foreign language, it must be translated to English prior to submission”. A German rental invoice is a foreign-language receipt.
- Start with your transportation office. IAL “will only consider reimbursement for amounts that exceed the claimant's entitlement”.
- Then file with IAL. Hand the inconvenience claim form to the VPC when you collect the car, or scan it and send it to CLAIMS@ialpov.us. Claims are “handled on a case by case basis”.
What to drive until your POV is released
To drive anything here, a rental included, you need the USAREUR licence first: see the USAREUR licence test and the licence and rental cars.
- Ship early. The garrison's own advice, quoted above. We have found no official transit time published anywhere; more in a car before your POV arrives.
- Go without for the first days. A duty shuttle runs between Tower Barracks and Rose Barracks, “designated primarily for service members. If space permits, Civilians, Contractors, and Dependents may also ride” (USAG Bavaria, transportation, page last modified 29 May 2026). The same page lists taxis. The way in from the airport: Nuremberg Airport to Grafenwoehr and Vilseck.
- A few days or a couple of weeks: a daily rental counter. That is not us. SubYourCar has no day rate and our shortest term is 30 days, so for a short stretch a daily counter is the right answer. Your sponsor or in-processing will know which desks are open near you.
- 30 days or more: a subscription. This is where we fit: 30 days or six months, from €1,229 a month, with insurance, registration, road tax, maintenance, seasonal tyres and 3,000 km a month included. With a VAT form the 30 days are VAT-free (how a VAT form works on a rental). Two caveats: the 30 days run to day 30 even if your POV is released on day 12, and whether a late-POV claim covers a contract like ours is for your transportation office and IAL to decide, not for us. Pickup is in Weiden, 21.9 km from Tower Barracks and 32.3 km from Rose Barracks. Pickup in Weiden is free. Delivery costs €399 within a 150 km radius of Weiden (straight-line distance). Deposit: three months' rent of the booked plan, due on site at handover, not paid online. You get the deposit back immediately at the return, as soon as the return report shows no damage. More for your post: Grafenwoehr and Vilseck.
- Buy instead. The resale lot is the cheapest way to own a car here, with the work that comes with it: the lemon lot guide and ship, buy or subscribe.
Questions people ask
Is a rental car reimbursed during a PCS to Germany?
As a rule, no. USAG Bavaria tells newcomers that renting a car in Germany is expensive and that "the military does not reimburse you for this added expense". The exception is a POV that misses its required delivery date. Your orders and your transportation office decide your own case.
What happens if my POV arrives after the required delivery date?
Then rental costs can be claimed. The shipping contractor's claims pamphlet (V8, March 2025) says it compensates rental car expenses caused by a missed required delivery date, and that for active duty members it pays what exceeds their entitlement under JTR Chapter 5, Part E, paragraph 0534. Claims end on the day you are told the car is ready for pickup.
How much is the rental car reimbursement for a late POV?
We do not state an amount. It is set in the Joint Travel Regulations (Chapter 5, Part E, paragraph 0534), and we could not read the current paragraph ourselves on 13 October 2026. Your transportation office can tell you the daily amount and the number of days that apply today.
Where do I send an inconvenience claim for a late POV?
To the vehicle processing center when you collect the car, or by email to CLAIMS@ialpov.us, with the contractor's inconvenience claim form and every receipt. Receipts must be itemised, show proof of payment and be translated into English. Claims are handled case by case.
How long do I have to collect my POV once it has arrived?
The contractor's FAQ says: "You have twenty-one (21) days from availability date." It notifies you by email or postcard within 24 hours of the car being available.
Can I rent a car from SubYourCar for a week while I wait?
No. We have no day rate and our shortest term is 30 days, so for a few days or a week a daily rental counter is the right choice. For 30 days or six months we are an option, from €1,229 a month with pickup in Weiden.
Sources we checked
- USAG Bavaria, things to know (army.mil)
- Military PCS and moving FAQs, shipping a POV (MilitaryOneSource)
- Claims: your rights and entitlements, V8, March 2025 (PDF, PCSmyPOV)
- Inconvenience claim form (PDF, PCSmyPOV)
- PCSmyPOV, frequently asked questions
- USAG Bavaria, transportation: duty shuttle, taxis, public transport (army.mil)
- USAG Bavaria in-depth overview: directions, rail, S-Bus (MilitaryOneSource)
Or skip the whole thing: SubYourCar cars arrive registered and insured. From €1,229 a month.
Insurance, German registration, road tax, maintenance and seasonal tyres are in one monthly number, with 3,000 km a month and a PCS clause. You still need your USAREUR licence, and a subscription is not cheaper than a €2,000 hoopty. What it removes is the waiting, the buying, the registering, the insuring and the reselling. Pickup in Weiden is free. Delivery costs €399 within a 150 km radius of Weiden (straight-line distance). More on your base: Grafenwoehr or all 12 locations.