I'm PCS'ing to Osan unaccompained. I'm looking for some information on the housing situation for 0-3's.

Does anyone know where I can see some pictures of the dorms on base?
Can my wife stay with me in the dorms? And how do they enforce that?

Can 0-3's get off base? I have herd alot of guys living out of hotels with their wives. Is there any alternatives?

All things are possible, just not always easy. I was once an O-3 once at Yongsan. I was enlisted at Osan-way back!
I'll let the Osanites tell how it is down there now. They may convince you to bring the family! If you leave a family elsewhere, you do NOT need to bring a car. Save by using the great subways and bus systems. If you later want a car, buy a used one here. Less hassle, cheap, and if it gets scraped in the horrible traffic, so what?
There is a civilian who works with me in Seoul who drives from Songtan up to Yongsan every day to work. He often does it in 45 minutes. I wouldn't see how living in Suwon would be necessary. The only real attraction is E-Mart, a Korean version of Wal-Mart.
It is easy to live off base, accompanied or not. I would live in a Songtan apartment, (by the Base) myself, and it is an easy drive or bus ride up past Osan City to Suwon, maybe 30 minutes. Soon, as the Humphreys Army Garrison continues to grow, it may be best to drive south to that area. It will have signs in English and be more "foreigner friendly".

Skiing requires a bus or car trip of at least 3 hours, I'd guess, and probably an overnighter.

I was an 0-3 at Osan and stayed off base for my 1 year. The housing allowing allowed fro me to get a nice 3 bedroom apartment and I lived alone. Your landlord will have no problem with your wife coming over and staying with you. You will need your commander's authorization to live off base. Tell your commander about your situation and you should have no problem getting off base.

Mike

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Well, once you get here, if you are Air Force, you'll have to fill out the paper work and get your commander's authorization to live off base. Then you are put on a waiting list. Depending on how many people are ahead of you, it might take a while for you to go off base. If you don't get it by the first 5 months, then you are off the list.
As for the dorm, it is basically like a 1 bedroom apartment w/ separate living room, kitchen and bathroom. It is not that bad. It is no problem with your wife staying in the dorm with you. But she has to leave and go back home or somewhere else every 3 months or something like that, if you want to keep your Housing Allowance back in the States. If your wife is Korean, she can live offbase and collect Housing Allowance for this area instead.

If your wife will be coming with you, or is even considering coming with you for the possibility of living off base being an option... have you ever considered having her come with you NCS?

It's a viable option and helps a lot with the getting housing,etc.. it might be easier and cheaper than trying to do the back and forth trips,and will allow you to have the housing more easily,etc....and whether she's Korean or American, she is eligible for OHA at the with dependant rate if she stays here.

It might be worth looking into,and there are plenty of NCS spouses here on the board...

Dee :)

NCS seems like the way to go. She is thinking of signing a lease somewhere in the states and collecting BAH for that location, then I herd that she must leave Korea once every 3 months so that she can still collect BAH for the location she will have her apartment.

Does anyone know what the regulations are for a spouse staying with you in the officer dorms are? (better yet, are they enforced?)

Does anyone have a picture of what the dorms are like?

I wonder if I should even try to get on the waiting list for off base if she can stay with me on base.

The rules for the dorms, as I understand it, for O's are the same for E's..your spouse is allowed to stay only 30 days. A spouse is only allowed to stay in country for 30 days on a tourist passport, as well, if you stay for longer, you need to get a special visa to stay in the country longer than that.
I suppose my question is....why get an apartment in the US, sign a lease, to collect BAH for that location,and worry about having to leave Korea,etc, to continue that, when she can come here with you, get an apartment here in Korea and collect OHA ( Overseas Housing Allowance) at the "with dependant rate", plus the utility allowance to live here?

An NCS spouse staying with her husband in Korea receives full OHA at the with dependant rate for whatever housing she chooses in Korea, as well as a full utility allowance. You don't have to leave the country at all, you can receive permission to live off base more *easily* if she's actually got an apartment... and you don't have to worry about the legalities of living in the dorms, "getting caught" ,etc.

It just seems a great deal easier to me to just come here,and stay, rather than try to maintain an apartment for the BAH, when you get OHA here anyway... not to mention saving yourself the trouble and expense of having to leave the country all the time to "validate" your apartment in the US. An NCS spouse has to pay for her own passport, the A-3 visa you'll need is free from the Korean consulate, and your plane ticket over, but..once you're here, you get your OHA paid for, benefits,etc...so in the long run, just staying here is no more costly (actually, it's probably cheaper, given that you'd be flying back and forth commercially if you tried to maintain a home in the US) , far more convienent, and isn't against the regs in any way, so you don't have to worry about that either.

Unless your wife just really wants or has a reason to get that apartment in the US, you don't *need* to maintain a stateside residence to continue getting housing benefits, you can get your housing allowance *HERE* for housing in Korea as well...so why go to that trouble?

I'm here NCS, have been here 7 months now, all my housing,etc, is paid for, I'll be happy to give you more info if you wish, or if you'd like, check out the Non-Command Sponsored thread, there's a *wealth* of info there.

Hope this helps!

Dee :)

Have to agree with Dee on this one, bring the wife, she will love it. You get a car (she can also get a licence), full OHA for and full utilities.

It will be much cheaper for her to come here than by a $1000-$2000 dollar round trip ticket every 3 months.

Utilities here is around $670 (depending on the conversion rate) a month and I have never paid over $300 for everything during the summer months. The extra goes in the bank.

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CH-47 SI

They must find it difficult...

Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority. --Gerald Massey

Just for information, a US visitor can extend the thirty day visa for an extra 60 days (total 90) with a visit to the Kn immigration office and a payment of 30,000 won. My daughter did. After that, a trip to Japan, China or any Korean embassy OUTSIDE Korea, and the process begins again with another 30 days. US citizens, even teaching school in Korea on a work permit, without Sofa Status, now have to go to Japan overnight every 90 days. (The schools pay the cost.)
Canadian citizens can get 6 months from day one. If the US was as generous with Korean citizen's visas as Canada is, we Americans would get the same!

I remain neutral on spouses joining the military member. Some will like it here, some won't. There are variations on the word "hardship" that can be defined only by the individuals involved. Those who have kids in school and relatives to assist may well elect to tough out the "hardships" in their established home.

Mr. Joe,
Don't think it can be said any better than that...

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CH-47 SI

They must find it difficult...

Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority. --Gerald Massey