What is DD Form 1796? It is a Department of Defense form titled DD Form 1796, Receipt for Unaccompanied Baggage, September 1998, and its job is straightforward: Receipt for Unaccompanied Baggage. That single line covers most of what people want to know before they download it.
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.
Where does the requirement come from? From not stated, with not stated responsible for the document itself. Those are the names to cite if anyone asks under what authority you filed.
Which edition should you have? not stated, listed as not stated. A copy dated otherwise is a copy worth replacing.
What the form asks for
- Press this Reset button to clear the data from all fields.
- 1. Delivered to.
- 3. Receipt of the following articles is acknowledged. a. Number of boxes.
- b. Number of Duffel bags/Sea bags.
- c. Number of suitcases.
- d. Number of cartons.
- e. Number of foot lockers.
- f. Number of trunks.
- g. Number of tool boxes.
- h. Other (describe).
- h. Number of other pieces.
- 4. Name and Address of Responsible I T O at Destination.
- 2. Received from. a. Name (last, first, middle initial).
- b. Rank.
- c. Branch of service.
- d. Social security number (do not include dashes).
- 5. Received by. a. Name (last, first, middle initial).
- b. Rank.
- 6. Date (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
- 7. Activity Address.
Download the form
What can you download? The available set is PDF. How big is the job? The form runs 1 pages with roughly 21 fields to complete.
What is the difference between fillable and printable? A fillable pdf has real field boxes that accept typed text and hold it inside the file. A printable pdf is a flat blank with no fields at all, intended for a printer and a pen. Which one you have determines how you complete the form, so it is worth checking first.
Does typing matter? It does. Your completed form will probably be scanned, forwarded and filed, and typed text comes through each of those steps unchanged while handwriting degrades. If pen is your only option, block capitals give the receiving clerk a fighting chance.
Do you pay for these? No. Free download, every format. What should you avoid? Filling the form inside a browser tab; the fields frequently do not save.
Can you skip around the form? Better not to. The layout runs identification, then content, then certification, and entries near the bottom frequently take their meaning from what sits above them.
What if your copy is old? Replace it. Check the date printed on the form against not stated. Old blanks circulate for years in shared folders, and because a DD revision lands across the whole Department at once, the receiving office will be working from the new layout.
What if a specific field still puzzles you? Read the instructions printed on the form, then not stated. Which wins if they differ? The directive.
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.
How do you find a form referenced inside this one? By its number alone. The DD sequence runs across the entire Department, so a number identifies exactly one document regardless of which service cited it.
Do DA and DD numbers ever correspond? Never. DA numbering is Army-specific, administered by an Army proponent, while DD numbering is Department-wide under not stated or an equivalent Department office. Identical digits in the two systems mean two unrelated documents, which is why the prefix matters more than the number.
Why do editions change at all? Three reasons, mostly: the prescribing directive gets reissued, the information collected changes, or the required notice language is amended. Are you notified when it happens? No. Which is why confirming not stated at the moment you download is worth the few seconds.
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 1796?
- DD Form 1796, Receipt for Unaccompanied Baggage, September 1998
- Which edition is current?
- Not stated by the publisher
- Who is responsible for this form?
- Not stated
- In which formats can it be downloaded?