APIS (Advanced Passenger Information System)

APIS is an automated system capable of performing database queries on air passengers traveling to the United States from a foreign country.  U.S. Customs, in cooperation with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the airline industry, initiated development of APIS to collect biographical information from air passengers prior to departure.

The APIS data is checked against the combined federal law enforcement database, known as the Interagency Border Inspection System (IBIS).  IBIS includes the combined databases of U.S. Customs, INS, State Department, and twenty-one other federal agencies.  Names are also checked against the FBI's National Crime Information Center wanted persons files.

Every air carrier, foreign and domestic, operating a passenger flight in foreign air transportation flying to the United States must electronically transmit to United States Customs a passenger and crew manifest containing certain passenger information in advance of arrival. Public Law 107-71, Section 115, requires all air carriers flying into the U.S. From foreign locations to provide APIS on all passengers and crew. U.S. Customs has implemented this law with interim regulations published in the Federal Register on December 31, 2001.

*** NEW APIS REQUIREMENTS EFFECTIVE 10/1/2002 and 1/1/2003 ***

Effective October 1, 2002, Miami Air International, Inc. is required to transmit APIS manifests to the INS (Immigrations and Naturalization Service) for all flights departing the U.S. or any of its territories or possessions.  The manifests must be transmitted prior to flight departure.

Please follow the link to review the new requirements; Public Law 107-173, Section 402.

APIS Procedures Document (Word Document)

Microsoft XML Parser 3.0

Microsoft XML Parser 4.0 SP1 (To use only if 3.0 does not work)

APIS Template (Excel Spreadsheet)