Visa info and APIS data at online check-in

What APIS is

Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) is the data the airline sends to immigration before you fly. It's a US Customs requirement extended to UK, EU, Australia, Canada, Japan, and most of Asia. The fields are standardised across countries; the airline's online check-in form just maps them to the relevant authority.

The fields are:

• Passport number
• Passport issuing country
• Passport expiry date
• Nationality
• Date of birth
• Sex (M/F/X)
• Surname / given name (matching passport)
• For US/UK/AU: address at destination (first night's hotel is fine)

How to read your passport's machine-readable zone

The two long lines at the bottom of the photo page are the MRZ. Use this — it's exactly what the airline's system expects.

1. Line 1: name and passport type

   Format: P<[issuing country code][surname]<<[given names]. Example: P<GBRSMITH<<JOHN<ROBERT. The chevrons (<) replace spaces. Ignore them when typing — just enter "Smith" / "John Robert".

2. Line 2: passport number, nationality, dates, sex

   Format: [passport-number][check-digit][nationality][YYMMDD-DOB][check][sex][YYMMDD-expiry][check][optional]. The first 9 characters before the first chevron is the passport number. That's the canonical version — what the airline expects.

3. Why use the MRZ

   Some passports show the number with hyphens or letters that aren't actually part of it. The MRZ is the unambiguous machine version. If your check-in form rejects the printed number, the MRZ form usually works.

Per-country specifics

United States (CBP / APIS)

Required: full APIS plus address of first US destination. P.O. boxes are rejected — use the hotel street address. ESTA must be approved before check-in, and the system pulls the ESTA record by passport number; you don't enter it manually.

United Kingdom (eBorders)

Standard APIS plus address in UK if visiting. From 2026 ETA is required for most non-EU nationalities — apply at the official UK gov.uk site, not third-party "ETA service" pages charging 5x the fee.

European Union (PNR + ETIAS post-2025)

PNR (Passenger Name Record) is mostly invisible — the airline transmits booking-class data. ETIAS rolls out for visa-exempt nationals entering Schengen. €7, online, valid 3 years or until passport expires.

Canada (eTA)

$7 CAD, valid 5 years. Apply on canada.ca. Linked to passport number — you don't enter the eTA reference at check-in, but the airline's system queries Canadian authorities and rejects you if the eTA isn't found.

Australia / New Zealand (ETA / NZeTA)

ETA: AUD 20, valid 1 year, online via Australian ETA app. NZeTA: NZD 17 + IVL NZD 35, valid 2 years.

Asian destinations (variable)

• Japan — visa-free for most Western passports. Visit Japan Web for digital arrival card (optional but speeds entry).
• South Korea — K-ETA required for visa-exempt nationals (US, UK, EU). KRW 10,000.
• Thailand — visa-on-arrival or visa-free for many; new TM6 digital arrival card from 2025.
• Singapore — SG Arrival Card required for everyone, free, online. Submit before flight.
• India — e-visa required for most nationalities. USD 25–80 depending on type.
• China — visa required (waivers for transit and limited countries). Must be in passport before check-in.

Common APIS mistakes and how to avoid them

1. Letter "O" vs digit "0"

   Passport numbers can contain either. Match the MRZ exactly — the bottom line uses ASCII letters and digits unambiguously.

2. Date format

   The form should label which format it expects (DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY, or YYYY-MM-DD). Pay attention. If unlabeled, US sites usually want MM/DD/YYYY. European usually DD/MM/YYYY.

3. Issuing country vs nationality

   "Issued by" = the country whose passport it is. "Nationality" = the same country, with rare exceptions. If a dropdown asks for one, check the passport's photo page label.

4. Hyphens and special characters

   Most forms strip them automatically. If a field rejects "García", try "Garcia". If it rejects "O'Brien", try "OBrien". Match exactly what the MRZ shows — chevrons replace special characters there.

5. Address in destination

   Hotel name and street address is fine. "Visiting friends" without an address often rejects. If you're staying with someone, use their address; the data is for emergencies, not for the airline to judge.

Multiple-passport travellers

If you hold two nationalities:

• Book under the passport you'll show at boarding — not the one you'll show at the destination's immigration. The airline checks documentation for entry to the destination country.
• Example: US/UK dual citizen flying US to UK should book on the UK passport (no visa needed for entry; the US passport would prompt an ESTA-like check at the gate).
• If you book on one and try to fly on the other, the airline's system can't match — call customer service before departure.

What the airline can't see

APIS data goes to immigration, not to the airline. The airline's system can see:

• Whether your passport's expiry meets destination requirements (3- or 6-month rule).
• Whether the ETA / ESTA / visa for the destination is approved (real-time API call).
• Whether your booking name matches the passport.

The airline's system cannot see:

• Past travel history (only what they themselves carried you on).
• Whether you've been refused entry to the destination before.
• Other airlines' bookings or your overall trip plan.

If your data isn't accepted

If you've checked the MRZ, the date format, and the spelling and the form still rejects you:

1. Try the airline's app

   Apps occasionally have looser validation than the website. Some airlines let you photograph the passport and let OCR fill the fields, which catches the MRZ format correctly.

2. Try a different browser

   Some airline sites have specific issues with Safari iOS or with browsers that auto-format dates differently than the form expects.

3. Use chat support

   The airline's chat agent can submit APIS on your behalf if the web form rejects you erroneously. Have the booking reference and MRZ ready.

4. Go to the airport

   The desk has a passport scanner. They scan the MRZ once, the system accepts it, and you board. Allow 2 hours for short-haul, 3 for long-haul if APIS at home failed.

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