Switzerland


 

Entry regulations

Entry requirements for the USA: “ESTA“ (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) online registration

The requirement to register before entering the USA announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is to be introduced on 12 January 2009.

Visitors to the USA will then be required to register their personal data and travel data online not less than 72 hours prior to travel.

Download more information: English / German / French

 

APIS – Advanced Passenger Information System

More and more national governments are requiring airlines to transmit passport data via the "Advance Passenger Information System" (APIS).
If you have booked a flight to one or more of these countries, this data will be queried at the latest at the check-in counter. Airlines pass on only the information relevant for the country in question to the customs and/or immigration authorities there. However, some countries demand direct access to the flight bookings (PNRs), which may also contain other data.

Country-specific information:

USA
The US authorities require that the airlines transmit the following passenger data for passengers departing to/from the USA:

  • Passport number
  • Country that issued passport
  • Passport expiry date
  • First/last name (as they appear on passport)
  • Gender
  • Date of birth
  • Nationality

As of 4 October 2005, the USA tightened its immigration restrictions. The following data, which is not included in the passport, must also be transmitted to the US authorities upon departure:

  • Country of residence
  • Alien Registration Number (Green Card) for those who have US residency
  • Destination address in the USA

As the destination address in the USA, passengers can also indicate the full hotel address. Air passengers who are continuing their journey on a cruise ship should give the name of the ship as destination address as well as the US harbor from which the ship will depart. If the trip is to continue by rental car, the full address of the rental car station can be indicated.

US citizens, air passengers who have a permanent residence permit and travelers who are passing through the USA in transit to a third country are exempted from this regulation.

Any air passenger who does not comply with the new regulations and does not provide an address in the USA will no longer be permitted to legally enter the United States of America.

Canada
The Canadian authorities require that the airlines transmit the following passenger data before passengers fly to Canada:

  • Passport number
  • Country that issued passport
  • Passport expiry date
  • First/last name (as they appear on passport)
  • Gender
  • Date of birth
  • Nationality

Great Britain
The British authorities require that the airlines transmit the following passenger data before passengers depart to/from Miami, Washington, Dubai, Bangkok, Johannesburg or Islamabad or destinations in Algeria (ALG, HME) and Morocco (CMN, FEZ, RAK):

  • Passport number
  • Country that issued passport
  • Passport expiry date
  • First/last name (as they appear on passport)
  • Gender
  • Date of birth
  • Nationality

Other countries
The national authorities in Jamaica, China, Mexico, Spain, Dubai, Kenya, Syria, Iran, Japan and the Caribbean countries of Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, Grenada and Trinidad & Tobago require that the airlines transmit the following passenger data for all passengers departing to/from Mexico:

  • Passport number
  • Country that issued passport
  • Passport expiry date
  • First/last name (as they appear on passport)
  • Gender
  • Date of birth
  • Nationality

Download the “APIS Form” English/German Version

Téléchargez le “Formulaire APIS” version anglais/français

 

Compulsory registration for business travelers to Belgium

Belgian government has enacted new legal requirements – effective April 1, 2007 – for all foreign workers who are traveling to Belgium. As soon as a traveler (without a Belgian employment contract) stays in Belgium for business purposes for more than five days per month, a Limosa notification has to be submitted to the Belgian government prior to the traveler´s arrival in Belgium. Limosa is meant to reduce illegal employment in the country. Failure to comply with the program may result in penalties.

Who must be declared?
The mandatory Limosa declaration applies to all employees and trainees who come to work in Belgium temporarily or partially and who, in principle, are not subject to the Belgian social security. The mandatory Limosa declaration is also applicable to all self-employed persons and self-employed trainees who come to work in Belgium either temporarily or partially, irrespective of whether they are subject to Belgian social security.

Employees
Generally speaking, a declaration must be made for the employment of employees who

  • normally work in a country other than Belgium
  • are recruited in a country other than Belgium

In other words, the mandatory Limosa declaration applies to all employees who are employed in Belgium temporarily or part-time by a non-Belgian employer.

Self-employed persons
A declaration is required for a self-employed person who comes to Belgium temporarily to exercise a self-employed activity, but does not stay here permanently.

Trainees
Trainees are also obliged to declare their arrival if they do all or part of their traineeship in Belgium as part of a foreign study program or vocational training.

When do you have to make the declaration?
For posted employees and self-employed persons, the declaration must be made before the commencement of the work on Belgian soil. For posted (self-employed) trainees, the declaration must be made before the commencement of the training period in Belgium.

How do you make the declaration?
A Limosa-1 certificate will be electronically generated upon registering. This certificate must be printed and carried by the travelers on their trip to Belgium, as they may be asked by their Belgian client to produce their certificate. The declaration can be filed via a web application at www.limosa.be. You will receive your Limosa-1 certificate immediately. Additional questions can be directed to the Limosa Contact Center at +32 2 788 51 58. The Limosa Contact Center is available Monday to Friday from 7am to 8pm and can serve you in English, French, German and Dutch. Here, you can also apply for a paper certificate. After processing, you will get your Limosa-1 certificate via fax or post.
For more information and exemption, please visit www.limosa.be.

 

Important information for all flights to Japan: implementation of Advanced Passenger Information (API) for travelers to Japan from 1 February 2007

The Japanese government follows the example of other countries and has enacted a new law. From 1 February 2007, all airlines are obliged to pass on passenger data from all travelers arriving in Japan from foreign countries to Japanese authorities before landing.

Consequently, all airlines are forced to collect the following data from travelers when checking in at the airport of departure, which then are forwarded to the Japanese authorities:

  • name of passenger
  • nationality
  • date of birth
  • gender
  • number of passport
  • airport of departure
  • travel destination in Japan

Collection of data takes place when checking in: for passengers landing in Japan from foreign countries, data will be collected at the check-in, but at the latest at the departure gate of their international flight leaving Japan again. Collecting data in advance, i.e., when making the reservation, is generally speaking not necessary*.

For passengers starting their journey in Japan, personal data is collected when checking in in Japan for their return flight.

*There is one exception to this rule. For technical reasons, passenger data from the following airports of departure must be collected before checking in: Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), Tianjin (TSN), Shenyang (SHE), Dalian (DLC), Xiamen (XMN), Qingdao (TAO), Guangzhou (CAN), Hangzhou (HGH), and Beijing (PEK).

 

NO LIQUIDS OR GELS OF ANY KIND CAN BE CARRIED ON THE AIRCRAFT

The TSA has implemented the following changes to airport screening procedures, effective August 10, 2006. These procedures will remain in place as circumstances warrant.

More Info »