USAG Humphreys

U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, about 40 miles south of Seoul, is the headquarters for U.S. Forces Korea and Eighth Army. According to the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS overview of Humphreys, it covers 3,000 acres, hosts approximately 43,000 service members, civilians, contractors and family members, and is the largest Army installation overseas.

What command sponsorship decides

Only command-sponsored families have guaranteed access to DoWEA schools, the Humphreys MilitaryINSTALLATIONS page warns; non-command-sponsored families may have to use private schools if DoWEA has no space. Off-post medical care follows the same line: command-sponsored active-duty family members pay no co-pay or deductible at hospitals with TRICARE agreements, while non-command-sponsored families and civilian employees pay the full cost, per the Humphreys health care page.

The Humphreys housing page adds that personnel on an unaccompanied tour who bring dependents at their own expense are not automatically entitled to an off-post Overseas Housing Allowance, are not eligible for on-post family housing and must submit an exception to policy request.

Family rules differ across Korea: Osan Air Base requires approved concurrent travel and committed housing before a family arrives, Camp Casey is an unaccompanied tour with no family housing, Kunsan Air Base offers a limited number of command-sponsored billets, and USAG Daegu has no emergency care on post.

Documents and arrival

Service members do not need a passport to enter Korea for their assignment, because of the Status of Forces Agreement; command-sponsored family members need a government no-fee passport, and family members may also need a Korea Electronic Travel Authorization. The Humphreys check-in page lists what service members should carry:

At least 10 copies of PCS orders with any amendments.
An absence request from IPPS-A or a hardcopy DA Form 31.
Immunization, medical and dental records, and marriage, divorce or birth certificates if applicable.
A current stateside driver’s license and any vehicle shipping documents.

You arrive on the Patriot Express from Seattle to Osan Air Base or on a commercial flight to Incheon International Airport; at either one, a representative from the 19th Human Resources Company receives service members after customs. The USO Korea office is at +82-31-681-4808. If something prevents you from signing in on time, call the Installation Operation Center at DSN 315-755-2270 or 011-82-31-691-2270.

Housing: the 95% line

Service members with command-sponsored dependents are assigned Army Family Housing first, if available, the housing page says. When occupancy is under 95%, on-post housing is mandatory; above 95%, the housing office issues a Certificate of Non-availability to live off post. On-post family housing is three-, four- or five-bedroom apartments; duplexes and single-family units are designated for key and essential grades O-6 and above, and towers for O-5 and below.

Unaccompanied service members must contact the housing office before they PCS. E-7 and above are assigned to Senior Leader Quarters, mandatory when occupancy is under 95%; E-6 and below live in barracks managed by their units, where no pets are authorized.

Plan your shipment around Korea’s weight limits: the housing page lists 50% of the normal Joint Travel Regulations household goods allowance for accompanied military, 25% for unaccompanied military and 100% for civilians. Appliances (stoves, refrigerators, washers and dryers) are provided for the whole tour, so do not bring them, and the housing office lends furniture for 90 days while you wait for household goods. There are no storage facilities in Korea, and lodging is not extended while you wait for shipments. Housing Office: 011-82-50-3357-2647 from the United States.

Humphreys Army Lodging has 232 rooms in Buildings 121, 122 and 123 off Washington Avenue, with a 24-hour front desk, per the Humphreys temporary housing page. Pet rooms take cats and dogs of 75 pounds or less, up to two per room, at $10 a day per pet plus a $50 cleaning fee; book them in advance.

Bringing a dog or cat to Korea

Korea’s entry requirements for dogs and cats from the United States, as listed on the USDA APHIS page for pet travel to Korea:

A current rabies vaccination given before arrival in Korea (not required under 90 days old).
A rabies-neutralization antibody test result of 0.5 IU/ml or higher (not required under 90 days old).
An ISO-compliant microchip.
A health certificate issued by a USDA-accredited veterinarian and endorsed by USDA APHIS within 30 days of export.

APHIS notes that the antibody test and the microchip can be done after arrival in Korea, but an animal without them “will likely be held in quarantine at the owner’s expense” until the procedures and tests are complete. The Humphreys pet shipping page lists the common import problems: a missing or unendorsed original health certificate, and FAVN results that are missing, done at an unauthorized laboratory or too low. In October 2026 the page put quarantine at an average of $20 to $50 a day, and a new FAVN test from Korea at $250 or more, taking one to three weeks.

Three Korea rules from the same page:

Register every pet at the installation Veterinary Treatment Facility within 10 days of arriving in Korea (USFK Regulation 40-5).
Present your travel orders and pet documents at customs to request the SOFA import tax waiver; pets imported more than 6 months after your initial entry are assessed an import duty.
Only 2 pets (domestic cats and dogs) are authorized transport in a noncombatant evacuation, and transport is not guaranteed.

Not all housing areas allow pets, so confirm your housing before you ship one.

Medical care

Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital is on the garrison and open 24/7, the health care page says; emergency line 0503-337-2273, DSN 315-737-2273. Keep your current TRICARE enrollment until you arrive, then report to the TRICARE Office to change enrollment to Korea; eligible retirees and non-command-sponsored family members are seen on a space-available basis.

Emergency lines from the Humphreys emergency assistance page:

Emergency on base: DSN 911, or 0503-355-7911 from a cell phone.
Sexual assault response: DSN 158, or 0503-363-5700 from a cell phone.
Domestic violence victim advocates, 24/7, peninsula wide: DSN 153, or 0503-364-5997.

Schools and child care

Humphreys has four DoDEA schools, according to the Humphreys education page: Humphreys Central Elementary and Humphreys West Elementary (PSCD through 4th grade), Humphreys Middle School (5th to 8th) and Humphreys High School (9th to 12th), plus a Sure Start program. Children of active-duty members and command-sponsored DoD civilians attend them. A child must be 6 by September 1 for first grade.

COL Hess Child Development Center, Building 5410 on Taro Avenue, is open weekdays 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Register at Parent Central Services in Maude Hall, Building 6400 (DSN 757-2250); every placement offer goes through MilitaryChildCare.com, with priority to single and dual military and DA civilian parents, per the Humphreys child care page.

Driving and liberty

You need a USFK driver’s license (USFK 134EK) to drive in Korea. The Humphreys motor vehicles page requires a valid stateside license throughout your tour, a passed written test and age over 18; training and the test are on Joint Knowledge Online, and test scores are good for 60 days. Family members over 16 can get a learner permit, valid only on a military post during daylight.

Liberty rules in Korea come from USFK and your chain of command. In December 2019, Military Times reported that USFK ended its command-wide 1 to 5 a.m. curfew effective Dec. 17, 2019, after a 180-day suspension. That is a dated news report, not the current policy; get the liberty policy in force from your unit at in-processing.

Legal help

The Client Legal Services Office is in Maude Hall, Building 6400, Suite R301, with walk-in powers of attorney and notarizations Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m., per the Humphreys legal assistance page. Separate lines handle marriage and immigration (DSN 757-2606), Status of Forces Agreement questions (DSN 757-2603) and U.S. claims (DSN 757-2631). Trial Defense Service, Building P6410, offers Article 15 counseling Monday to Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m.

Before your orders are final

Confirm that your family is command-sponsored and on your orders, call the Housing Office before you ship anything, and start the pet antibody test early enough to have the original results in hand at Incheon. If you are military, pack for 50% (accompanied) or 25% (unaccompanied) of your normal weight allowance, not 100%.