[Certification of Travel Voucher for Payment]

The Defense Mapping Agency asked whether a travel voucher submitted by one of its employees may be certified for payment. The employee had incurred real estate expenses incident to a permanent change of station to a foreign country. Regulations provide that an transferred employee may be reimbursed for relocation expenses only if the new official station is located within the United States, its territories, or possessions. GAO held that there is no authority to reimburse the employee real estate expenses, since he was transferred to a different country. Accordingly, the travel voucher may not be certified for payment.