Advance Passenger Information System or APIS is an
electronic data interchange
Electronic data interchange (EDI) is the concept of businesses electronically communicating information that was traditionally communicated on paper, such as purchase orders, advance ship notices, and invoices. Technical standards for EDI exist to ...
system established by the
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilita ...
(CBP).
APIS governs the provision of a limited number of data elements (identification details from the passport and basic flight information) from commercial airline and vessel operators to the computer system of the destination state. Required information should conform to specifications for
UN/EDIFACT
United Nations/Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport (UN/EDIFACT) is an international standard for electronic data interchange (EDI) developed for the United Nations and approved and published by UNECE, the UN Econ ...
Passenger List Message (PAXLST) formats.
Beginning in May 2009, private aircraft pilots must also provide the necessary information to the CBP. The regulations were put into effect in December 2008 with a 180-day voluntary compliance period.
(electronic APIS) is a public website which allows small commercial carriers to transmit data to the CBP electronically.
When travelling to or from certain countries, passengers are required to provide advance passenger information (API) before they check in or they will be unable to fly. These countries include
* Antigua
* Australia
[Which countries require Advanced Passenger Information? - FAQ (Air France, read 2018-03-09)]
/ref>
* Barbados
* Belgium
* Brazil
* Canada
* China
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Dominican Republic
* France
* Grenada
* India
* Ireland
* Jamaica
* Japan
* Maldives
* Mexico[
* New Zealand
* Panama
* Portugal][Advanced Information Passenger System]
(SEF, read 2012-07-11)
* Republic of Korea
* Russian Federation
* Saint Lucia
* Spain (except for Schengen Area
The Schengen Area ( , ) encompasses European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it ...
passengers)[Advance information about passengers]
(Iberia, read 2018-03-09)
* TaiwanA.P.I.(Advanced Passenger Information, ANA
/ref>
* Trinidad & Tobago
* United Kingdom[
* United States
and some more
{{div col end
The required information consists of:][
* Full name (last name, first name, middle name if applicable)
* Gender
* Date of birth
* Nationality
* Country of residence
* Travel document type (normally ]passport
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...
)
* Travel document number (expiry date and country of issue for passport)
* or travelers to the USAddress of the first night spent in the US (not required for US citizen
Citizenship of the United States is a citizenship, legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by ...
s/nationals, legal permanent resident
Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with such l ...
s, or alien residents of the US entering the US)
See also
*Automated Targeting System
The Automated Targeting System (ATS) is a United States Department of Homeland Security computerized system that, for every person who crosses U.S. borders, scrutinizes a large volume of data related to that person (see below), and then automatical ...
* Fltplan.com
*Immigration Advisory Program The Immigration Advisory Program (IAP) is a pilot program developed by the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection that places teams at European airports to prevent undesirable people from traveling to the United States. The ...
*Passenger name record
A passenger name record (PNR) is a record in the database of a computer reservation system (CRS) that contains the itinerary for a passenger or a group of passengers travelling together. The concept of a PNR was first introduced by airlines that ...
References
External links
U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Travel / For Travel Industry Personnel / APIS: Advance Passenger Information System
British Airways, Advance Passenger Information
eAPIS Online Transmission System (at cbp.gov)
eAPIS UN/EDIFACT Implementation Guide (Specification – pdf)
Aviation security
National security
Identity documents of the United States