Check Consumable Needs | Electric Appliances | Prescriptions and Eyeglasses

HOW TO SHIP CONSUMABLES

Although you may include consumable products (food items, paper products, toiletries, etc.) in any shipment of household effects, your assignment might entitle you to a special "consumables allowance shipment". Your Travel Orders should indicate if you are authorized consumables allowance. The weight allowance for shipment of consumables has been established at 2,500 net pounds for a two-year assignment and 3,750 net pounds for a three-year assignment.

An additional allowance shall be provided when an employee extends their tour of duty. For each six month extension, the employee may be authorized an additional 625 net pounds shipment. For a one year extension, the employees may be authorized an additional 1,250 net pounds shipment. The authorization is good for a year from the date of arrival at post.

You may choose to send a portion of your consumables when you depart for post and after arrival at post request the remainder of your shipment (maximum 2 supplemental shipments authorized) as long as it is within a year of your date of arrival at post. If you are moving from one overseas post to another, be sure that your orders authorize you to ship consumables from the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area (no other U.S. area will be authorized) as well as from your present overseas assignment.

You may ship your consumables separately from your household effects. However, if you decide to combine both categories, make sure that your documents indicate the exact weight of your consumables. If your shipment exceeds the combined weight allowance,you will be responsible for the additional costs. Also, be sure to keep the documentation for both shipments separate.

The Post Report or your Travel Orders will indicate if you are entitled to a consumables allowance. You may also check with the Transportation Office to find out if your post qualifies (202)647-4140, Room 1244NS or (703)302-6824, Room E1113, NFATC (one floor below the Overseas Briefing Center). If you are in Washington, the Overseas Briefing Center (OBC) at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, (4000 Arlington Boulevard) can help you find out if your post has a consumables allowance and how to go about ordering items. OBC and Transportation also have catalogs from certain companies that sell consumables.

Since it is difficult to determine how much or what type of consumables you will need for a two-year tour, we recommend that you check in the briefing box at the OBC. Several embassies have provided lists of recommended consumables, which may be helpful. The "returnee file" at the OBC is another resource for obtaining information. You may also want to write directly to your post for suggestions of items to include.

Most consumables vendors do not provide a delivery service. For vendors such as Ho Ho, Giant, Shoppers' Food Warehouse, SAM's Wholesale, and the Fairfax location of BJ's we suggest you arrange with the packer to pick up the items from the store. Make sure you give the packer a written list of the items that should be picked up from the vendor for packing. Ensure that the Office of Transportation knows that you have items to be picked up from the vendor. If you are using companies such as Costco or other locations of BJ's Wholesale Club, we recommend that you bring your purchased items home and have them packed with the rest of your household effects. American Shopper International will deliver, free of charge, to any Washington or Baltimore shipper. International Supply Line Express does all its business through the Internet. Contact OBC for company and contact names for purchase of consumables. For more details on the shipment of consumables consult It's your Move, a publication by the Office of Transportation of the Department of State.

Most posts today have a co-op, often referred to as "the commissary," which is a duty-free import facility affiliated with the embassy. Depending on the post, the co-op size and selection of items varies. As a consequence of the high costs of transportation, the prices at the co-op, at times, can be much higher than in the United States. Therefore, take full advantage of your consumables allowance.

ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES, TRANSFORMERS AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

When preparing appliances for shipment, be sure that they are clean and dry. Pack them, with service manuals, in their original boxes if possible.

CURRENT

Most countries and islands in the Western Hemisphere operate on 110 volt, 60 cycle alternating current (AC) such as is used in the United States and Canada. Most of the rest of the world runs on electricity ranging from 220 to 400 volt, 50 cycle AC, although some direct current (DC) remains in a few locales. Depending on your post of assignment, you may need transformers, converters, adapter plugs, and/or voltage regulators. It may be less expensive to buy a new 220 volt appliance than to purchase the equipment necessary to adapt a 110 volt one.

Check your Post Report under "Housing, Utilities and Equipment", to see if the power is 220 volts or 110 volts and the current 50 or 60 cycles. Even if voltages are similar, a 60-cycle U.S. clock or stereo will not function properly on a 50 cycle current and will have to be converted to 50 cycle.

Electrical equipment designed for 110 volts needs a step-down transformer to operate on 220 volts. The Post Report or an inquiry directed to the Administrative Officer at your post will indicate whether you should make the conversion at post or before leaving the United States. At some posts you may borrow transformers from the embassy or buy them from departing employees. (Some government housing has been converted to 110.) If you decide to purchase appliances in Washington prior to departure, you can locate 220 volt, 50 or 50-60 cycle items through export firms listed in the Yellow Pages under Electric Appliances. The Overseas Briefing Center maintains a list of vendors in the Washington Area. Ask, prior to purchase and delivery, if special prices apply to items purchased solely for export.

ADAPTER PLUGS

The plugs on appliance cords are made either with two flat parallel blades (the American system); with several different pin sizes and grounding methods, and two or three round pins (the European system); or with three flat pins and two on an angle, (the British system). Generally, adapters for American plugs can be purchased either at post or in the Washington area.

For more information on types of electric plugs in use and characteristics of electric current overseas, refer to the World Electric Guide .

TRANSFORMERS

Step-down transformers convert 220-400 volt current to 110 volt current so that you may use your U.S. appliances overseas. They come in various sizes, from 50 watts up. The small ones are easily portable, but larger, heavier ones (1600 watts) are usually installed in a central location (such as the kitchen), where you will be using a variety of appliances. Each refrigerator, washer, and dryer should have its own dedicated transformer. In some cases you may install a transformer at the source of power, which will convert all the electricity in your home, but this is quite expensive and is subject to local electrical regulations.

Transformers should preferably be of higher wattage rating than the appliances with which they are to be used. Two important factors to be considered in the use of an electrical appliance are the voltage and the wattage. An electrical appliance is designed to operate on a certain voltage (from 110 to 400 volts), and it draws a certain number of watts of current. Listed below are various types of electrical appliances and the wattage generally required for operation. The list is not official and should be used merely for information and guidance. Be sure of the wattage required for the appliance before connecting it to a transformer. A 1000 watt transformer, for example, would be unsafe for an appliance that requires 1500 watts of electric current.

Wattage and voltage are marked on the plate fastened to each appliance. On some appliances "amperes" are used in place of watts. To find the watts, multiply the number of amperes by the voltage of the appliance. (For instance, an appliance marked 3 amperes and 110 volts equals 330 watts.) The transformer, therefore, should have enough power to handle an appliance of that wattage.

NOTE: Before plugging in an appliance with two voltage selectors (or a multi-system), be sure to check your local power (main) voltage. Turn the voltage selector, located on the bottom of the electronic equipment, to the correct power (main) voltage (110, 220, 240 or 260) with a screwdriver until the selector clicks. Before turning the voltage selector to the correct position, unplug the main power plug from the AC outlet. This precaution will keep you from "blowing out" your electronic equipment.

Electronic equipment will be highly vulnerable to the fluctuations of the power supply regardless of your post of assignment.

CAUTIONS ON USING TRANSFORMERS

• Don't attach an appliance requiring more wattage than the rating of your transformer. When attaching a combination of appliances, the total wattage rating must not exceed the rating of the transformer. For instance, with a 1600 watt transformer don't use a toaster drawing 1100 watts at the same time as a waffle iron drawing 1100 watts. The total of such a combination would exceed the transformer rating by 600 watts, and your transformer would burn out.
  
• Don't purchase any type of transformer with exposed wiring. Buy from a reliable dealer only transformers that conform to local safety standards.
  
• Don't use a transformer in a damp or wet place. Transformers should always be kept dry and well-ventilated.
  
• Don't handle or move a transformer when it is plugged into a socket. Be sure you first disconnect the transformer. A 1600 watt transformer should never be used in an ungrounded socket or with an ungrounded plug.
  
• Don't handle a transformer when your hands or feet are wet.
  
• Don't put transformers on carpets or near drapes.

Transformers will develop a certain amount of heat when in use. However, if it feels very hot to the touch, something is wrong. Overheating may be caused by a defective electrical appliance which can burn out a transformer completely. A competent electrician can determine whether the fault lies in the appliance or the transformer.

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

Electronic equipment operates best with high quality electricity. Poor electricity could damage just about anything electronic. Electronic equipment such as computers, cellular phones, microwaves, stereos and televisions can be easily damaged without proper care and knowledge of power protection. At many posts the quality of electricity can be poor. When voltage drops to a single phase, 90V for example, microwave ovens with digital clocks may not work properly.

If you have a personal computer (PC), you may need an uninterrupted power supply (UPS). The best are truly uninterruptible power supplies, but these can be quite expensive. A switching power supply (like Datashield or Tripplite) will work adequately, but remember to size the unit a bit larger than your estimated load. For the PC, the best situation is to have a voltage regulator supplying power to your UPS which then powers the PC.

It is also recommended that a voltage regulator be purchased for sensitive electronics like computers, stereos and televisions. Purchase a regulator approximately 50% larger than the rated capacity of your equipment and UPS because they often use much more power to start up than is listed on the wattage sticker. Note: Not all regulators are compatible with all UPS units. Make sure the ones you want will work together.

PRESCRIPTIONS AND EYEGLASSES

The State Department does not provide or pay for medications for specific long term medical conditions, such as hypertension, elevated cholesterol, or birth control. You should keep prescriptions from your physician for necessary medications on file with a U.S. pharmacy familiar with shipping medications overseas or with the pharmacy associated with your health insurance company. Contact OBC for a list of pharmacies which regularly provide prescriptions to foreign affairs personnel overseas.

If a family member is using prescription medication or is involved in an allergy desensitization program, make sure you take sufficient amounts of the drug or serum to last for several months. It may be very difficult to find comparable medications in foreign pharmacies, and the quality of foreign-manufactured drugs is not always reliable. In general, medications and certain desensitization serums should be replaced from U.S. sources.

Drugs, serums, eyeglasses, or other medically prescribed devices can be sent to you via the State Department's diplomatic pouch. Packages should be labeled clearly with your pouch address and the following statement:

MEDICATION (or MEDICAL EQUIPMENT)
URGENTLY NEEDED
AIR POUCH

Before departing the U.S., you should arrange with a pharmacy for any necessary medications to be sent to you at your post periodically or upon request.

Take overseas with you copies of all important medical information. For example, include insurance policies and claim forms, immunization records and eyeglasses prescriptions (and the address of the ophthalmologist). Carry these with you. Do not send them in your luggage or household effects.

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