Relocating to DC, Maryland or Northern Virginia.
For federal appointees, diplomatic and international postings, military orders and corporate transfers: the rules, deadlines and services that apply to each.
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Arriving as
Choose how you are coming to Washington. The rules that apply to you open below.
Federal appointees and transfers
- A new appointee is paid
- Travel for you and your immediate family, the transport and temporary storage of household goods, and the relocation income tax allowance. A house-hunting trip, temporary quarters and the costs of selling or buying a home are not on the new appointee’s list.
- Service agreement
- Before relocation expenses are paid, a new appointee agrees to remain in government service for 12 months after appointment.
- A career employee’s transfer
- The agency reimburses the costs of selling the old residence up to 10% of the sale price, and of buying at the new station up to 5% of the purchase price. Settlement must take place within a year of reporting for duty, extendable by up to one more year.
- Temporary quarters
- At the agency’s discretion: up to 60 consecutive days at first, and no more than 120 in all.
- In DC
- A Senate-confirmed appointee is not a DC resident for income tax unless domiciled in DC, and may keep a home-state vehicle registration with a $100 annual reciprocity sticker.
Your first 60 days
Every new resident meets the same early deadlines. They differ by jurisdiction.
Washington, DCMarylandVirginia
Driver’s licenseWithin 60 days of living in DC.Within 60 days of becoming a resident.Within 60 days of moving to Virginia.
Vehicle registrationWithin 60 days, once your license is converted.Title and registration within 60 days.Title and register within 30 days of moving.
Who may keep a home-state licenseStudents, military, members of Congress, presidential appointees, diplomats and part-time residents, under reciprocity.Active-duty service members and their dependents.Active-duty service members stationed here, their spouses and children from 16 years 3 months, and full-time students who are not employed.
Resident for income taxDomiciled in DC at any time in the year, or a home in DC for 183 days or more.Domiciled in Maryland on the last day of the year, or a home in Maryland for more than six months of it.Domiciled in Virginia at any time in the year, or a home in Virginia for more than 183 days.
The year you moveA part-year resident files Form D-40.A part-year resident files Form 502.A part-year resident generally files Form 760PY.
Schools
Every public school system here assigns schools by home address, and each asks for its own proof of it.
- DC Public Schools
- A guaranteed place at your in-boundary school from kindergarten to grade 12, with no lottery. You must be living in DC to enroll: one document such as a DC pay stub or military housing orders, or two such as a DC license and a lease with proof of rent paid. A deed or purchase contract is not on the list.
- My School DC lottery, 2027-28
- For any other DC public or public charter school, and for PK3 and PK4. Applications open December 14, 2026. Deadlines: February 1, 2027 for grades 9 to 12, and March 1, 2027 for PK3 to grade 8. Results on April 2, 2027. You may apply before you have a DC address, without an in-boundary preference.
- Montgomery County
- Schools are assigned by home address. Homeowners show the current property tax bill and renters the current lease. You may enroll before moving in with a ratified purchase contract settling within 60 days, or a signed lease starting within 60 days.
- Fairfax County
- Schools are assigned by address through the boundary locator. Bring the residency attestation and a deed or a lease; the parent must be living in the home.
- Arlington
- A guaranteed place at the neighborhood school. Three documents: a deed or current lease, and two supporting documents, no more than one of them a utility bill. Settlement documents for a new purchase are accepted.
- Alexandria
- Register at your zoned school with three original documents: a lease, deed or mortgage document, and two supporting documents. A driver’s license is not proof of residency.
- Children of military families
- DC, Maryland and Virginia apply the Interstate Compact: schools enroll from hand-carried records, allow 30 days for required immunizations and keep the child’s grade. In Virginia a child may enroll on orders, with the address shown within 120 days. In Maryland the family applies alongside county residents and shows the orders and proof of residence within 10 days of the arrival date.
Settling in
The utilities each jurisdiction names, and the time to work. To choose where to live, read the neighborhood guides.
Washington, DCMontgomery CountyNorthern Virginia
ElectricPepcoPepco, BGE or Potomac EdisonDominion Energy; NOVEC in parts of Centreville and Clifton
GasWashington GasWashington GasWashington Gas; Columbia Gas in parts of Chantilly and Herndon
WaterDC WaterWSSC WaterFairfax Water (Vienna and Herndon bill separately); Arlington County; Virginia American Water in Alexandria
Mean commute, 2020 to 202430.0 minutes31.9 minutes in Montgomery CountyFairfax 28.9, Arlington 26.2 and Alexandria 28.4 minutes
Glossary
The terms of a relocation, as employers, the government and the services use them.
- Amended value
- A home sale arrangement in which the relocation company buys the home at the price of a genuine outside offer received after its own offer.
- Area orientation
- An accompanied tour of neighborhoods, schools, shopping and the commute, usually with a call before you arrive.
- Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
- The monthly housing allowance for service members, set by duty location, pay grade and whether you have dependents.
- Buyer value option (BVO)
- A home sale arrangement with no appraisal: the relocation company buys the home at the price your outside buyer agreed.
- Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
- The VA document that shows your entitlement for a VA home loan guaranty.
- Destination services
- Help at the new location: home finding, area counseling, rental assistance, temporary housing and support for a spouse.
- Direct billing
- The supplier bills your employer or its relocation company rather than you.
- FIRPTA
- The federal rule under which a buyer withholds part of the price when buying from a foreign seller, and pays it to the IRS.
- G-4 visa
- The visa for employees of international organizations such as the IMF, and their families.
- Guaranteed buyout (GBO)
- An offer from the relocation company to buy your home at the average of appraisals, typically open for 60 to 90 days.
- Home-finding trip
- A visit, often paid for by the employer, to find a home to rent or buy. The federal term is house-hunting trip.
- Lump sum
- A cash allowance for the move. You manage it and keep what you do not spend.
- Managed relocation
- A policy under which the employer pays for, or reimburses, each service.
- Office of Foreign Missions (OFM)
- The State Department office a foreign mission notifies before buying or leasing property, and which licenses mission members to drive.
- Permanent change of station (PCS)
- A transfer to a new duty station, set by orders.
- Relocation counselor
- Your single point of contact at your employer’s relocation company, who explains the policy and arranges its services.
- Relocation income tax allowance (RITA)
- The federal payment that covers the extra income tax owed on relocation benefits.
- Relocation management company (RMC)
- The company an employer hires to run its employees’ moves.
- Report date
- The day you report for duty at the new station. For federal employees, the date on the SF-50.
- SCRA
- The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which lets a service member end a lease on PCS orders or a deployment of 90 days or more.
- Temporary lodging expense (TLE)
- The military allowance that partly reimburses lodging and meals in the US during a move, up to 21 days.
- Temporary quarters subsistence expense (TQSE)
- The federal allowance for temporary quarters during a transfer: up to 60 days at first and no more than 120.
- Transferee
- The employee who is relocating under an employer’s policy.
Request a relocation consultation
Tell us how you are arriving and when. We will be in touch to arrange a time that works across your time zone.