U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is tightening the requirements for compliant use of the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) for private flights. Any change in the aircraft manifest—including tail number, traveler details and/or substitutions, or time adjustments beyond 60 minutes—will now require re-transmission of the manifest at least 60 minutes before departure.
Operators must also contact the associated departure CBP port and cancel the original clearance request. When conditions mandate an expedited departure, a manual clearance must be obtained for the amended flight. Sector communications should be contacted for after-hours changes and, if that fails, e-mail communication is necessary.
CBP also said it was accelerating in-person checks and clearances, and it reminded operators that submitting invalid requests and/or inaccurate information can trigger large penalties and fines. The new policy replaces the legacy arrangement wherein non-revenue departures were not required to submit updates for time changes if the new estimated arrival time was at variance with the initial local date.
The agency established APIS in 2005 to enable the Department of Homeland Security to identify threats, interface with foreign law enforcement, and prevent the aircraft boarding of “a person of interest.” Initially applied to commercial air carriers, the system and its requirements became mandatory for private flights in 2009.