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Advance Submission of Passenger Data
December 31, 2002
DHS to Require Advance Submission of Passenger Data
Effective January 1, 2003, Measure Aims to Enhance National Security
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of ongoing efforts to enhance public safety and national security, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced that it will require all commercial carriers to submit detailed passenger manifests to the agency electronically before an aircraft or vessel arrives in or departs from the United States.
The program, mandated by Congress in the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002, will be implemented on January 1, 2003. Section 402 of the Act requires the submission of Advanced Passenger Information (API) on all temporary foreign visitors.
Passenger information that must be submitted in advance includes: complete name; date of birth; citizenship; sex; passport number and country of issuance; country of residence; U.S. visa number, date and place of issuance (where applicable); alien registration number (where applicable); address while in the United States; and such other information the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Treasury, determines as being necessary.
The advance submission requirement will help DHS verify the identities of individuals being transported, while ensuring enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.
A proposed rule implementing the new passenger manifest requirements will be published in the Federal Register today. After the 30-day comment period, DHS will work quickly to finalize the rule.
-DHS-