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By the end of this guide, you will have created an eAPIS manifest for a trip, auto-populated it from the crew and passenger records already on the trip, validated it, and submitted (or exported) it to US Customs and Border Protection.
The Operations module must be enabled for your workspace. You also need the appropriate operations permissions. Contact your workspace administrator if you cannot access these features.
Who should read this: Dispatchers and trip coordinators on international flights. You need the flights.read and flights.update ops permissions. eAPIS manifests must be submitted at least 60 minutes before departure for all private and charter flights departing from or arriving in the United States.

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What is eAPIS?

The Electronic Advance Passenger Information System (eAPIS) is a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requirement. Under 19 CFR 122.49a and 19 CFR 122.49b, operators of private and charter aircraft must transmit an electronic manifest of all persons on board to CBP before international departures from and arrivals into the United States. The filing must be transmitted:
  • Departures: At least 60 minutes before wheels-up
  • Arrivals: At least 60 minutes before landing at a US airport
PlaneConnection generates a CBP-compliant XML manifest and tracks submission status for each international leg.

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Prerequisites

  • The trip must involve an international departure from or arrival into the United States.
  • Configure your CBP credentials under Ops > Settings > eAPIS before attempting electronic submission.
  • Passports for all crew and passengers should be entered on their profiles before running auto-populate.

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Navigate to the eAPIS page

  1. Open the trip from Ops > Trips or the Dispatch Board.
  2. Click the eAPIS tab in the trip navigation.
The page displays any previous submissions for this trip and a button to create or update the manifest.

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Create and submit an eAPIS manifest

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Submission statuses

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Amend a submitted manifest

If crew or passenger details change after submission, or if CBP requests corrections:
  1. Open the existing submission from the eAPIS tab.
  2. Make the necessary corrections.
  3. Click Validate, then Generate XML.
  4. Submit the amended manifest. PlaneConnection records the amendment and preserves the original submission in the audit trail.
CBP must receive the amended manifest at least 60 minutes before departure. If the amendment is filed after that deadline, contact the destination Port Director for guidance.

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Configure eAPIS settings

Go to Ops > Settings > eAPIS to configure:
  • CBP credentials — Required for electronic submission
  • Default departure and arrival airports — Pre-populates new manifests
  • FlashPass integration — Alternative third-party eAPIS filing service

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Auto-populate aircraft data

For recurring international routes, PlaneConnection pre-fills aircraft details (tail number, aircraft type, color, operator name, and certificate number) from the aircraft record. Verify these fields are complete on the aircraft detail page under Ops > Aircraft to avoid manual entry on each filing.

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Regulatory reference

Failure to file eAPIS at least 60 minutes before departure may result in civil penalties from CBP. In some cases, CBP may also prevent the flight from departing or deny entry at the destination.

CARECOM Filing

File advance passenger information for CARICOM member state destinations.

Canada CBSA Filing

Submit advance notification for flights arriving in Canada.

Create a Trip

Add crew, passengers, and legs before filing international manifests.

Manage Passengers

Ensure passport data is complete on passenger profiles for auto-populate.
Last modified on April 11, 2026