API Security Regs for Spain (Merged)

[Shack37]

I've just received a message from BA stating that, as of June 13th 2007, Advance Passenger Information will be required to be submitted when flying to Spain. What sort of information would they be asking for that isn't already available from Passport, credit cards etc?
Anybody out there know any more?

Hombre
This is the info received from BA

FROM 13 JUNE 2007 ADVANCED PASSENGER INFORMATION (API) REQUIRED FOR TRAVELLERS TO SPAIN

To ensure your journey with British Airways is as streamlined as possible, I am writing to advise you about new Spanish Government regulations that require all passengers flying to Spain to submit Advance Passenger Information (API) before arrival.

From 13th June, when you fly to Spain with BA please don't forget to submit your API information. When travelling with your Passport the easiest way to give your API details is to enter them at ba.com, either when you book, or at a later stage through Manage My Booking, at which point you will be able to save this to your Executive Club profile to prevent you having to re-enter this information when you next travel.
Please note that if your booking is made directly with Iberia, our partner airline, you should follow their guidelines for submitting your API information prior to departure.
If you haven't provided this information before entering Spain it could cause significant delays at immigration, so please check that the relevant information for you and anyone travelling with you has been completed.

S37

[Hombre]

This is news to me. I live in Spain and commute to UK every month with same airline albeit not BA.

As I am on their database I would have thought if this was a new Regulation they would have told me too.

[lexxity]

The airlines should be able to capture this data at check in as well, just like on US flights.

[k3lvc]

I'm a regular traveller to Spain with BA but have heard nothing of this (and have tickets booked byond this date).

According to BA.com Spain is on the list of countries requiring API with the following information needed

Spain

Laws already in force in Spain require British Airways to collect the following information from all passengers travelling to Spain, prior to travel.

Passport information, including :

passport number
given names (as they appear on the passport)
last name
gender
date of birth
nationalityNo mention of when this becomes valid but if it's already in place someone needs to tell immigration in Spain. My arrival in BCN yesterday didn't even need me to open my passport !

[Shack37]

I received the email from ba yesterday morning so that's about a months notice. My edit is a direct cut and paste from the ba email which states the new reg comes into force on 13th June 2007.

I too live semi permanently in Spain but continue to work out of UK. I leave again this weekend and won't return until after the API rule comes in.

I'll see what info our travel department has on this.

S37

[Shack37]

k3lvc
From the info you've posted it looks to me that, although this regulation OFFICIALLY becomes active on June 13, the process has been routinely carried out for some time.
S37

[Icarus]

According to what is specified in the Article 66 of Title III of the "Organic Law 4/2000, of 11 January, on rights and freedoms of the foreigners in Spain and their social integration"

1. Whenever Spanish authorities determine, with respect to the routes coming from outside the Schengen Space, where the intensity of the migratory flows makes it necessary, in order to fight illegal immigration and to guarantee public security, every company, transportation enterprise or freight carrier will be obliged, at the end time of the shipment and before the departure of the means of transport, to send to the Spanish authorities in charge of the entrance control the information related to the passengers transferred, either by air, sea or land, and irrespective of whether the transportation occurs either in transit or as a final destination to the Spanish territory

The information will include the name and surnames of each passenger, about his or her date of birth, nationality, number of passport or the travel document that accredits his/her identity.

[Final 3 Greens]

I can understand why the Spanish authorities are doing this.

[hapzim]

From another site just read

Spain is to bring in new security rules from 13 June 2007, the harshest yet imposed by a European government on intra-EU services.
From that date onwards passengers on all flights to and from Spain will have to supply advance passenger information (API) to the Spanish authorities. British Airways, probably the first airline to highlight this requirement, says that in order to minimise unnecessary delays at the airport, it is essential that, where possible, all customers provide the API prior totravelling: This information is compulsory.
The Spanish authorities require the full given names, surname, nationality, date of birth and travel document details, namely a passport number.
For BA passengers who are reasonably computer literate, this will not prove too much of a problem, the facility being available at ba.com online and normally carried out at the same time as checking in and making a seat selection. For those booking via a travel agent this should be part of the service provided.
At some airports, an option of providing API via a self-service kiosk may be available. However this method is not guaranteed at all airports and staff at check-in desks will also be able to collect API data.
What this in fact does in many ways is harmonise the system with that operated to the United States. It is expected that other European countries will follow suit.

[cjhants]

so what happened to free movement between states? presumably they will apply the same rules to those arriving by sea/rail/car? or will they just p-off the air traveller:}

[kingair9]

so what happened to free movement between states? presumably they will apply the same rules to those arriving by sea/rail/car? or will they just p-off the air traveller


According to my information this does not apply for flights coming from Schengen-countries, therefore also not for car/rail arrivals from France and Portugal which are also Schengen-countries.

[spud]

Any implications for staff/ID travel?

[ChristiaanJ]

AFAIK, if you go from France to Spain by car or train, it's the same as from France to Belgium or Germany: no check at the border at all, unless that has changed very recently.
Somebody French going to Spain doesn't even NEED a passport, a "carte nationale d'identité" is sufficient.

[yeoman]

I believe this is part of the reason UK operators have been relocated to the North side at PMI - Schengen countries are on the South side.

[ChristiaanJ]

That explains it all... the UK is not Schengen.

Subtle way of keeping the ASBOs, hooligans and lager louts out.
Especially those who can't even spell pissport.

[spud]

That'll be a no then

[ChristiaanJ]

I believe this is part of the reason UK operators have been relocated to the North side at PMI - Schengen countries are on the South side.Can you confirm they're already working on the barbed-wire holding pens?

[ATNotts]

The answer to "why are they doing it" can be found in Icarus' contribution yesterday.

It applies only to non-Schengen arrivals. Schengen, as I am sure you know, is a European treaty allowing unhimderred moving accross participants borders. Most of the longer standing EU states, and also Norway, and recently Switzerland have signed up. Predicably, the UK (and Ireland) have not.

This puts arrivals from non-Schengen countries in the same boat as those from other, third world countries from which migration is a problem for Spain. Hence the gathering of this information.

The solution, for non-Schengen European states at least is to grow up, and sign up, which would make travel to and from the UK by land, sea or air a good deal less hassle. Dream on Andrew!!!

[transilvana]

Uk flights to and from Spain always have had to go trough passport control at Spain, it´s not new. You can show your National ID card if you are european and it´s valid.

[HZ123]

Seeing a lot of the dross that holiday in Spain from the UK this cannot have come to soon. It will very likely be gradually introduced throughout the EU.

[josemarb]

Whith actions like this only has benefits. It´s a quick transact that it´s take us about 5min.

[spud]

That's cleared that up then.

[classjazz]

transilvana:

I have a house in Spain and travel to and fro quite often, BUT British citizens do have to present their passports at check in irrespective of what the Airline websites say.
I have a Spanish identity "residencia" card but it is not acceptable when departing Spain for England. If you are a Spanish citizen then it is acceptable but not for us Brits. I wonder why? Anything to do with Schengen and our "opt out" perhaps?

[Final 3 Greens]

Classjaz

You have a residents card, not a "full" ID card.

Therefore you need your passport to prove your ID, since the UK does not issue ID cards.

I have a Maltese ID card, but it is suffixed "A" (for alien) and therefore cannot be used to enter/leave Malta.

On the other hand, I often use it to check in for flights as it is still a valid EU identity card and in reality most border police will accept it without problem.

Its nothing to do with Schengen.

[Shack37]

So, no real changes anyway, this information is already collected and submitted to the Spanish authorities and appears to have been so for some time?
S37

[Octopussy2]

There was rather an alarmist article about this in (I think) the Standard today. I'm inclined to take it with a pinch of salt, but am slightly concerned because we're due to fly out to Palma with friends (and 3 kids between us) in the middle of June.

Flight is first thing on Saturday morning, BA scheduled to Palma. Can anyone here who knows let us have any information about whether this is likely to be a problem? Should we allow extra time for checking in?

[WHBM]

All this collectable data is in the mag strip in your passport as scanned at check-in. Assuming airline IT is up to it :) then there should not even be any delay in pulling the list together for transmission.

Anyone travelling from UK to Spain who does not want to come to the attention of the Spanish authorities can just fly to Perpignan in France (no API needed) and then cross the border by road completely unchallenged. It does seem extraordinary for European countries to be making crossing borders by road easier and by air harder. Same applies flying from UK to Ireland, full passport check and requirement for visas (which take for ever to obtain and not many Irish consulates overseas) for many non-EC citizens, if you fly to Belfast and drive down to Dublin no checks whatsoever.

[Final 3 Greens]

WHBM

A I read it, it is a Schengen/non Schengen difference, not a Air/Surface difference.

Spain just happens to be implementing earlier than France, thus the temporary anomaly.

[ohitsmonday]

Re-iterating what's already been said - API data is only required for entry into Spain from non-schengen countries. By definition this means if entering by road or rail API is not required. For those of you with flights booked from the UK to Spain, do not worry, the data required is easily captured by swiping your passport at check-in. Some of the smaller airprorts in the UK do not yet have the 'swipe facility', but again do not worry - if there are API failures it will not result in Spanish immigration refusing you entry.

Watch this space, there are several countries already with this requirement (USA, Canada, Mexico, Cuba , Caricom states and more), but flights to the UK will also need these details in the not so distant future.

[Shack37]

Coincidentally (13th June, 1st day of new API regs) I arrived back at Bilbao and was waved straight through passport control as I offered my passport for inspection.

At earlier checkins both BA and IB swiped the passport but on arrival, no change from previous trips.

S37:)

[WHBM]

Coincidentally (13th June, 1st day of new API regs) I arrived back at Bilbao and was waved straight through passport control as I offered my passport for inspection.
If API is compulsory and there is nobody in the data for this particular flight who interests the authorities, is this not the way to go, you have had all the checking done before you arrive.

[TotalBeginner]

If API is compulsory and there is nobody in the data for this particular flight who interests the authorities, is this not the way to go, you have had all the checking done before you arrive.

Yes, that's exactly it. The aircraft departs and the EDIFACT message is sent. The data is checked and if all is ok, there is no requirement for border control to check the documents again on arrival.

The way this information is collected is pretty much down to the airline. The major airports in the UK are having passport readers installed at the check-in desks. All of the data required for APIS is contained within the machine readable section at the bottom of the passport or identity card (looks something like this P<GBRSMITH<<JOHN<WILLIAM<<<<<<<<<<<<< )

What I don't understand is how airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair can confirm the accuracy of their data. Their departure control systems are not configured for the capture of APIS through the MRP so they are relying on the data being supplied by the passenger. If someone intends to deceive the authorities, they can simply supply false information at the time of booking?

[WHBM]

Actually Ryanair and Easyjet were pioneers in capturing pax data from the passports at check-in, as it gave them an economy in staff when doing ticketless travel. They have scanned passports and not asked for locator references or paper confirmation at check-in for some years, just show your passport and it is scanned and all matched. I don't know how they handle multiple John Smiths.

[TotalBeginner]

Actually Ryanair and Easyjet were pioneers in capturing pax data from the passports at check-in, as it gave them an economy in staff when doing ticketless travel. They have scanned passports and not asked for locator references or paper confirmation at check-in for some years, just show your passport and it is scanned and all matched. I don't know how they handle multiple John Smiths.

I'm sorry but this is completely wrong. Ryanair and easyJet DO NOT and never have scanned passports as part of their check-in process. For a start, Ryanair operate a manual check-in system whereby the agents work with pen and paper. easyJet don't swipe passports either, not even when you use kiosk check-in.