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Eurostar collecting Advance Passenger Information

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newmilton

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I am curious. I am travelling to Paris on Friday and have been asked to provide Advance Passenger Information. This was not required when I last used E* in August. I presume this has to do with the UK's new entry requirements but am wondering when it in fact started - and whether it will improve anything at border control.

As I say, just curious.
 
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ThameslinkUser

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Advanced Passenger Information | Eurostar

Everything you need to know about Advance Passenger Information (API) when travelling to/from London on Eurostar.
www.eurostar.com www.eurostar.com


What is Advance Passenger Information (API)?​

Advance Passenger Information (API) is required by the UK government for people leaving or entering the UK, as part of their border control measures.

You and everyone on your booking must provide the following information as it appears on your travel document (in most cases, your passport):
  • Full name
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • Nationality
  • Travel document type
  • Travel document number
  • Travel document country of issue
  • Travel document expiry date
Important: national ID cards can only be used in a limited number of cases. If in doubt, please use your passport or check if you’re eligible to use your national ID card before completing your API.
Click to expand...

Who needs to provide their API?​

Everyone who has booked a Eurostar ticket to or from London. API is not needed for children under 4 who travel without a ticket on an adult’s lap. But if you have booked a ticket for a child under 4, you will need to complete their API too.
Click to expand...

When do I need to provide my API?​

You need to provide your API as soon as possible before departure. You won’t be able to collect your tickets until you do.

​

Click to expand...
 
N

newmilton

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All of that I saw when I gave my information - although in fact I already had my tickets. I am simply wondering when it started and what practical difference it will make.
 
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Bletchleyite

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newmilton said:
All of that I saw when I gave my information - although in fact I already had my tickets. I am simply wondering when it started and what practical difference it will make.
Click to expand...

It's standard practice for airlines to do it. It may not make any practical difference to legitimate passengers, but the idea is that it's sent to the UK Border Force straight away, so they could refuse travel if they wanted to, which would be a bit smoother for the staff than having to go and find someone in the departure hall or even already on the train who should not have boarded. (Before this it was sent when your passport was scanned at check-in).
 
ThameslinkUser

ThameslinkUser

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newmilton said:
I am simply wondering when it started and what practical difference it will make.
Click to expand...
Can't comment outside of guesswork for difference, but I can certainly advise you that I didn't have to do it for my Eurostar journeys 2 weeks ago so it appears to be a very recent development.
 
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JB_B

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I'm travelling on Saturday and haven't been asked for API (a least not yet). Never been asked before.
 
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Bletchleyite

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JB_B said:
I'm travelling on Saturday and haven't been asked for API (a least not yet). Never been asked before.
Click to expand...

It sounds like it's triggered when you print/download your tickets, so if you've already done that you'll probably fall through the net for now. I've wondered for ages why they didn't do it, airlines do and it's an obvious thing to do. If anyone falls through the net they can still do it when they scan your passport, e.g. for people who've booked tickets via one of the European operators rather than the Eurostar website.
 
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SeanG

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I'm travelling on Monday and booked a few weeks ago and downloaded tickets then. I haven't been asked for API
 
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BahrainLad

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Presumably this will put an end to the (relatively common I believe) practice where passengers travel on tickets not in their name.
 
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Trainbike46

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I don't think I like this, it just seems like extra steps, and presumably someone will still need to check your passport when checking in to ensure the details you provided match the document and person actually there. Is the hope it will make check-in quicker? Or is it really just so that the UK border force can stop people from leaving as @Bletchleyite suggested? Won't make a difference when entering as that decision is made by the border force anyway

BahrainLad said:
Presumably this will put an end to the (relatively common I believe) practice where passengers travel on tickets not in their name.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily, as it seems like the API is separate from the information you provide when booking

I also wonder, will it still be possible to collect tickets at the station?
 
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SeanG

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I wonder what would happen in the scenario where someone has booked tickets but not entered API. Presumably they could just do it as they check in
 
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MichaelAMW

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The difference with the airlines is that there is an outgoing passport check at St Pancras, which is when the info has always been collected. The airlines collect it and provide it to the authorities as there isn't a passport check in the same way, except at the gate for your flight. It ought to be unnecessary for Eurostar but maybe it's to do with the changes coming later this year. Perhaps the checks will change in London outgoing.
 
AlbertBeale

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Since they're sending the request some days prior to return travel, by which time many/most people already have their tickets printed out (and, if already on the move, might not see the request before turning up for their return train), then it's clearly not enforceable. UK border authorities clearly need to ask Eurostar to include this information collection as part of the ticket buying process; until that happens, it can't be retrospective.

Also, I note that the request sent out asks for information taken from the passport to be used for the journey. Some of the info is exactly what's on the passport - number, issuer, etc - but one item isn't. UK passports show a person's "sex", whilst the request refers to the person's "gender". Since these are separate concepts, and the answer might not be the same to each question, this is rather weird. Is this a howler perpetrated by someone at Border Force asking Eurostar to do this? Or (more likely I guess), is it someone at Eurostar misinterpreting/miscopying the request (maybe whilst trying to be very "up to date" and not thinking through the logic of the situation)?. I foresee some hoo-haa...
 
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Bletchleyite

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AlbertBeale said:
Since they're sending the request some days prior to return travel, by which time many/most people already have their tickets printed out (and, if already on the move, might not see the request before turning up for their return train), then it's clearly not enforceable. UK border authorities clearly need to ask Eurostar to include this information collection as part of the ticket buying process; until that happens, it can't be retrospective.
Click to expand...

I suspect it'll need, on new bookings, to be entered before the ticket can be printed or downloaded. That's effectively how it works on airlines.

It doesn't make sense for it to be required at booking, as often people will book international travel prior to having the passport they will use for the trip.

AlbertBeale said:
Also, I note that the request sent out asks for information taken from the passport to be used for the journey. Some of the info is exactly what's on the passport - number, issuer, etc - but one item isn't. UK passports show a person's "sex", whilst the request refers to the person's "gender". Since these are separate concepts, and the answer might not be the same to each question, this is rather weird. Is this a howler perpetrated by someone at Border Force asking Eurostar to do this? Or (more likely I guess), is it someone at Eurostar misinterpreting/miscopying the request (maybe whilst trying to be very "up to date" and not thinking through the logic of the situation)?. I foresee some hoo-haa...
Click to expand...

Yes, someone probably will shout about that. Really the fields should be named identically to a passport (both terms if UK and EU are different or there are other common different ones) as the intention is that you just enter what's on the passport, not what you might identify as if different.
 
TFN

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The Eurostar for agents page says the API will be mandatory from 1st April and will need to be filled upon booking.
 
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Brissle Girl

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TFN said:
The Eurostar for agents page says the API will be mandatory from 1st April and will need to be filled upon booking.
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So you cannot book unless you have a passport that will be valid on the date of travel? That could be inconvenient for people booking many months in advance.
 
jamesontheroad

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Long before Brexit, the UK government has always stood out amongst non-Schengen nations in not conducting exit passport checks at airports and ferry terminals. It was a cost cutting measure dependent on the airlines providing accurate information and checking travel documents. Had the UK really wanted to “take back control” of its borders it could have started years ago by employing the Border Force to conduct proper exit checks. :!:/politics
 
Mike395

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jamesontheroad said:
Long before Brexit, the UK government has always stood out amongst non-Schengen nations in not conducting exit passport checks at airports and ferry terminals. It was a cost cutting measure dependent on the airlines providing accurate information and checking travel documents. Had the UK really wanted to “take back control” of its borders it could have started years ago by employing the Border Force to conduct proper exit checks. :!:/politics
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To be fair, we're far from the only developed non-Schengen country to not check on exit (see also USA/Canada/Australia). I wouldn't be surprised to see these disappear within Schengen too once EES/ETIAS has been up and running for a while and thus the bloc's immigration systems will be linked and the need for passport stamps no more.

Back on topic - I'm hoping this might eliminate the additional check (carried out by Mitie staff) post security at St Pancras, the exit passport check was always a bit of a bottleneck.
 
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Trainbike46

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I just booked a eurostar ticket, and can confirm that as soon as you complete your booking it then asks you to complete your API; it is possible, but not mandatory to do it immediately

This is what it shows:

1706867328833.png
 
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ainsworth74

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I made a booking before this was introduced and downloaded my tickets then but now going back online I can't download another copy from Eurostar without completing the API. So I presume that it will apply to all up coming bookings no matter when made just that some people who already have their tickets may not end up completing it during the transition period.
 
eta

eta

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AlbertBeale said:
Some of the info is exactly what's on the passport - number, issuer, etc - but one item isn't. UK passports show a person's "sex", whilst the request refers to the person's "gender". Since these are separate concepts, and the answer might not be the same to each question, this is rather weird. Is this a howler perpetrated by someone at Border Force asking Eurostar to do this? Or (more likely I guess), is it someone at Eurostar misinterpreting/miscopying the request (maybe whilst trying to be very "up to date" and not thinking through the logic of the situation)?. I foresee some hoo-haa...
Click to expand...
From the context it's pretty clear that you're just supposed to put in what's on the passport; I don't think there's any real risk of this somewhat contrived scenario (trans people will either have changed the gender and name in their passport, or they won't and be painfully aware of this when filling in the form...).

For my money, the real omission as far as that field is concerned is the X / non-binary gender option; even though the UK steadfastly refuses to acknowledge its existence, if you have a passport from another country with an X in it, it's impossible to fill out the form correctly.
 
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sprunt

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I've not flown for a while, so it could just be my memory slipping but I don't even remember having to fill in a Sex field when entering API for flights. Is it a recent addition, am I misremembering or are Eurostar asking for an extra piece of information?
 
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zero

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Mike395 said:
To be fair, we're far from the only developed non-Schengen country to not check on exit (see also USA/Canada/Australia).
Click to expand...
Australia does exit immigration, though Ireland (EU member) doesn't.
 
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popeter45

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Does API potentially allow the removal of UK exit checks during check-in like what's being tried with business premium?
 
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