Ireland-->Spain. APIS required?

July 4, 2007 5:24 AM

Do I need to provide my passport details for APIS (Advanced Passenger Information System) purposes when flying from Dublin, Ireland to Barcelona, Spain?

I will be flying with Aer Lingus in August.

Am I correct in thinking that as Ireland is not part of the Schengen system that the info. must be supplied? If so, where do I supply the information? Check-in? There was no form in the Aer Lingus booking procedure.

posted by knapah to travel & transportation (6 answers total)

They probably already have the info from when you booked your ticket - name, date of birth, the number on your passport/national ID card, and nationality - but if they don't have it at the airport when you check in, they'll give you a little paper form to fill out while they check you in. I've done basically the same thing flying into and out of the States.

You can contact Aer Lingus if you've still got questions. Here's a pretty exhaustive page from the British Department for Transport; I don't see why Ireland-originating passengers would be providing anything different from British ones, as you mentioned above that the distinction is Schengen/non-Schengen.
posted by mdonley at 6:39 AM on July 4, 2007

Also, in my experience with Aer Lingus in particular, if they need the APIS or further data that I didn't provide, they will send an additional email after I've bought my ticket, with a link to the form to fill out.
posted by pineapple at 10:34 AM on July 4, 2007

As far as I'm aware we don't have to provide API when we go to the continent (after all, we could hop on a ferry to mainland Britain, and take trains from Holyhead/Stranraer/wherever all the way to Barcelona if we wanted to). True, Ireland isn't party to the Schengen Treaty because of the CTA we have with Britain, but we can travel freely as long as we carry a passport.

The only time I've ever been asked to provide API is when I travel to South Africa, and even then it's only for Johannesburg (if I flew to Cape Town they wouldn't ask for it).
posted by macdara at 10:53 AM on July 4, 2007

Here's the list that eBookers provides regarding what destinations require API.
posted by macdara at 10:56 AM on July 4, 2007

Thanks mdonley and pineapple, I'll be keeping an eye out for any emails from Aer Lingus.

macdara: Spain have just enacted legislation which requires API, I was just unsure if the ruling applied to Ireland as well as the United Kingdom. It appears likely that it does and only those countries within the Schengen Information System are exempt.
posted by knapah at 12:28 PM on July 4, 2007

First I've heard about that Spanish legislation, so thanks for the heads up (not that I'm going there any time soon). It seems a bit ridiculous, seeing as it's not like you can't get into the country by other means without giving them such info, but there you go.
posted by macdara at 1:19 PM on July 4, 2007