So what is DD Form 1252? The short answer: a Defense Department document, officially DD Form 1252, US CBP Declaration for Personal Property Shipments - Part I, February 2006, used to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Declaration for Personal Property Shipments - Part I. Anything else you need follows from that.
Is there a version specific to your service? No. A DD number is issued at Department level, which is the whole point of the prefix — every military department and defense agency works from one identical document. Looking for a branch variant wastes time you do not have.
Who is behind it? not stated maintains the form, and not stated is the publication that requires it. Those two names answer most questions about why you are being asked to submit anything at all.
Is this the right edition? The current one is dated not stated, and the publisher carries it as not stated. Check that against whatever copy you already have before going further.
What the form asks for
- Customs declaration number.
- Part 1 - Household goods, unaccompanied baggage, and privately owned vehicles. 1. To: (overseas POE/APOE).
- 2. From (military customs inspector).
- Section A - Owner's customs declaration. 1. Name (last, first, middle initial, print or type).
- 4. Grade.
- 5. Social security number. Do not include dashes.
- 6. Unit address overseas (include A P O number).
- 7. Address in U.S. (include zip code).
- 8. Declaration for: Press space bar to mark X if Household Goods.
- 8. Mark X if Unaccompanied Baggage.
- 8. Mark X if privately owned vehicle.
- Number of members of family.
- Amount of alcohol beverages.
- Number of cigars.
- (7) I have been serving overseas under competent US Government orders and was: Press space bar to mark X in first box if assigned to permanent duty overseas, second box if required to perform temporary duty overseas for 140 days or more, third box if assigned to temporary duty overseas under orders, fourth box if directed from one overseas duty station to another, fifth box if directed to evacuate to the United States, or sixth box if directed to ship personal property in advance of travel orders.
- 10.a. Signature of owner.
- 10.b. Date (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
- 11. Remarks.
- 12. For use of U.S. CBP officers.
- 13. Name of carrier.
- 14. Voyage or flight number.
- Copy designation. X appropriate box: 1 - Attach to manifest, 2 - Place in envelope affixed to No. 1 cargo container, 3 - Origin transportation office file, or 4 - Owner.
- Press this Reset button to clear the data from all fields.
Download the form
What can you download? The available set is PDF. How big is the job? The form runs 1 pages with roughly 23 fields to complete.
What does any of this cost? Nothing. Every format listed is a free download. One practical note: save the file and open it in a desktop pdf reader, because browser previews often ignore interactive fields and lose what you typed.
In what order do you complete it? The printed order, top to bottom. Header data comes before the body, and the body before the signature block. The sequence is not decorative — later entries are keyed to earlier ones.
Why does the edition matter so much here? Because DD forms are revised centrally. When the Department reissues one, it reissues it for all branches simultaneously, and the field layout can shift. Compare the printed date against not stated before you type anything.
Where do you look up an unclear entry? The form face first, not stated second. And when the two disagree? not stated controls.
What happens after you finish? It routes to the office specified in not stated or in local guidance. And your own record? Save a duplicate first; nobody regrets having one.
Do you need to know which branch issued a related form? No. DD numbering is Department-wide and unified, which means the number on its own is a complete address for the document.
Why do some instructions cite both a DA and a DD form? Because the procedure touches both systems, not because the forms are related. Service forms answer to a service proponent; DD forms answer to not stated or another Department office. The sequences were never aligned.
Should you archive this file and reuse it next year? Better not. Forms are revised as directives are reissued, as data requirements shift and as statutory notice text is updated, and none of that reaches you directly. Download fresh, check the edition date.
Is any of this advice? No. This page distributes a published Defense form and explains its contents, which is a different thing from telling you whether your circumstances qualify or whether a reviewer will accept your copy. Direct questions of eligibility, applicability and procedure to not stated, to your servicing personnel office, or to the office designated in not stated.
Questions and answers
- What is DD Form 1252?
- DD Form 1252, US CBP Declaration for Personal Property Shipments - Part I, February 2006
- Which edition is current?
- Not stated by the publisher
- Who is responsible for this form?
- Not stated
- In which formats can it be downloaded?