Travel Advice from eAPIS

26 Nov Travel Advice from eAPIS

eAPIS is a fact of life for all international GA flights. The following email went out to all eAPIS accounts with useful comments for system users. Whether you’re flying to Canada, the Bahamas or Mexico, compliance is mandatory and infractions are punishable by a $10,000 fine. You will find FBOs on your returning leg to be very helpful, but compliance rests entirely upon you. This website, as do AOPA and other sites has published guides on how to use eAPIS to leave and return to the US via private aircraft. Establishing an account is free, takes a few minutes and allows you to use the system almost immediately. 

If you’re anticipating travel out of the country, take a moment to review the following.

=======

Dear eAPIS user,

As the holiday season is approaching and as many of you will be traveling internationally, we in the CBP Private Aircraft APIS Office want to provide you with information that will help you complete your APIS manifest submissions.

Because our office receives many common questions, we have worked to address current issues and frequently asked questions through a newsletter format.  The information is intended to assist private aircraft pilots in preparing and submitting APIS manifests by addressing common mistakes, best practices, and regulatory requirements.

The Private Aircraft eAPIS Newsletter is being published through the collaborative efforts of partnering aviation trade organizations.  The contributors for this newsletter are:

AOPA – Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

COPA – Canadian Owners and Pilots Association

EAA – Experimental Aircraft Association

NBAA – National Business Aviation Association

Thanks to all these organizations for their continued partnership and assistance.

In this newsletter, CBP is addressing the following topics:

1)      CBP User Fee Decals – How do I get a 2013 decal?

2)      Passwords – Why is my password not working?

3)      System Lock-Out – I’ve been locked out of eAPIS, what do I do?

4)      Leaving the United States – Do I have to depart from a CBP airport?

5)      eAPIS Online Help – Where is it?

The new year is just around the corner.  2012 CBP User Fee Decals will soon expire and a new User Fee Decal for year 2013 will be required for aircraft arriving on and after January 1, 2013.

The CBP User Fee Decal system is operated by the Decal and Transponder Online Procurement System (DTOPS).  For additional information regarding CBP User Fee Decals or to access DTOPS visit the DTOPS website at https://dtops.cbp.dhs.gov/.   DTOPS is currently taking orders for 2013 CBP User Fee Decals.

For system security reasons, your eAPIS password expires every 90 days.  If your password expires because you haven’t accessed eAPIS in the last 90 days, don’t worry.  The next time you need to access eAPIS you can update your account by resetting your password from the eAPIS log-on page.

Changing or resetting your password is simple and only takes about 5 minutes to complete.

If you need to change your password for whatever reason (your password has expired or you have forgotten it) a new password can be created by completing the following steps:

1.  From the eAPIS Welcome page, select the link “Reset your password”.

2.  On the reset password page, enter your sender ID, primary contact e-mail address, and a new password.

Remember, your password must:

• begin with a number;
• be between eight and twelve characters in length;
• and contain one of the following special characters such as:

~    !    @    #    $     %

Your password can not contain your sender ID and no character can be repeated consecutively more than two times.

It is important for you to remember your password as it cannot be retrieved from the system.

3.       After you have selected save, an activation key will be sent to the email address associated with your eAPIS account.  For private aviation eAPIS accounts, the activation key is sent systematically within seconds.  (Commercial eAPIS accounts may take up to 5-7 days.)

4.  Once you have received your activation key, you may go to the eAPIS Welcome page

and “Log-In” using your eAPIS Sender ID and newly created password (be careful not to enter the activation key in place of the password – a very common mistake).

5.       After you have entered your Sender ID and password correctly, the final step of resetting your password is entering the applicable activation key.

System Lock-Out – I’ve been locked out of eAPIS, what do I do?

eAPIS initiates a 10-minute lock-out period after 3 mistaken password attempts.  If you’ve been locked out, the system will let you try again after 10 minutes.

Common reasons for mistaken password attempts and lock-outs:

• Accidental entries (incorrectly typing your password);
• CAPS lock is on (your password is case-sensitive, please ensure your CAPS lock is off); and,

• User’s trying to log in with an old or expired password.

The short answer is, “no”.  Private aircraft may depart from any US port or place. Within eAPIS, you can get more information about this situation by clicking on the field help associated with the departure airport field.

It says, “Enter the ICAO airport code corresponding to the last domestic port of departure. For a complete list of airport codes select the Options button to the right of the field. If the airport code is not found, choose the airport code closest to your departure site. If you’re not leaving from the airport location, enter details of departure location below.”

eAPIS Online Help – Where is it?

We want to remind you that if you ever need immediate assistance when submitting an APIS manifest through eAPIS, there are always two online resources available to you:

(1)    eAPIS Field Help – When you have questions about a specific field, field help is available by clicking on the underlined word(s) above the field; and

(2)    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – FAQs are available by clicking on the red “Help” button in the upper right corner of eAPIS.

We hope this information is helpful.  If you have any questions or concerns, or suggestions for newsletter content, please contact[email protected].

Safe travels and thank you for your continued compliance.

Ralph D. Modisette
National APIS Account Manager
U.S. Customs & Border Protection
Office of Field Operations