Germany


 

CWT keeps you informed

Entry regulations

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).

For further information, please contact the Japanese embassy in Germany.

Japanese embassy in Germany
Hiroshimastr. 6
10785 Berlin
Germany
Tel. +49 30 210 94-0
Fax +49 30 210 94-222

 

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: pdf_icon.gif

 

VISA WAIVER PROGRAM:
IF YOU HOLD A TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY GERMAN PASSPORT AND PLAN TO VISIT THE U.S., PLEASE READ THIS

As of May 1 German temporary/emergency passports will no longer be valid for travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

Holders of German temporary or emergency passports who intend to travel to or through the United States must either obtain a valid, machine-readable regular German passport for VWP travel or apply for U.S. visas to travel to the United States.

Germany remains a designated country in the Visa Waiver Program, and its citizens with regular passports may continue to use the program for business and tourism travel to the U.S. German regular full-validity, official and diplomatic passports remain valid for Visa Waiver Program travel, per current VWP passport requirements, and are unaffected by the decision.

Consistent with U.S. entry procedures, as of May 1, 2006, VWP travelers with a temporary German passport should not anticipate permission to board an aircraft or cruise ship bound for the United States. VWP travelers arriving at a U.S. port of entry with a temporary German passport may not receive parole to enter and be denied admission to the United States. (Released on March 21, 2006)

Further information on the Visa Waiver Program
www.usembassy.de/germany/visa/vwp.html (U.S. Embassy Berlin)
www.us-botschaft.de/germany-ger/visa/vwinfo.html (US-Botschaft Berlin)

Informationen zur Beantragung eines US-Visums:
www.usembassy.de/germany/visa/ (U.S. Embassy Berlin)
www.us-botschaft.de/germany-ger/visa/ (US-Botschaft Berlin)
www.travel.state.gov (US-Außenministerium)

 

New entry regulations into the USA – starting October 4, 2005

APIS – Advanced Passenger Information System

The Department of Homeland Security has enacted a law that requires all airlines to record and transmit personal information of its passengers on flights entering the United States. Since October 4, 2005, it is mandatory to transmit passenger’s details to the US Authorities.

In order to meet this requirement, all travellers have fill out an “APIS Form” and submit it to the ground personnel at the airport before departure. Help us speed up the Check-In process at the airport and fill in the APIS Form already now. Every traveller is responsible for the exactitude of the date written on the APIS Form.

Download the “APIS Form” English/German Version pdf_icon.gif

 

U.S. authorities change entry regulations
Lufthansa registers extended data electronically at check-in as of 22nd November

As of 4th October, the USA is changing its entry regulations. The airlines will then be obliged to already transmit the first U.S. address of passengers to the U.S. authorities at take-off. The U.S. authorities are currently communicating with the airlines how to implement these new regulations.

As a customer and service-oriented airline, Lufthansa is attempting, as far as possible, to make entry easier for the passengers taking into account the legal obligations imposed by the U.S. authorities. In order to continue to guarantee passengers a simple entry into the USA, Lufthansa will directly gather the required data electronically during the check-in. Electronic registration will start as of 22nd November and will make it possible to enter the data of transfer passengers already into the system at the feeder airport. Up to 22nd November, the current practice will continue to apply. The long-term aim as of the second quarter of 2006, is to collect the required data largely when making the reservation via the Lufthansa web side, the Call Centers or the Lufthansa ticket counters at the airports.

The new elements in the extended data acquisition (“APIS Final Rule") is the first address during the stay in the USA, the country of the place of residence of the passenger, the origin and ultimate destination airport, information as to whether the passenger is in transit, the reservation code as well as the type of document. The only exceptions to the registration of addresses are U.S. citizens, passengers with Green Cards and those who are passing through the USA in transit to a third country; apart from that, passengers on flights from the USA. The data will be treated confidentially and will not be used for commercial purposes.

As a consequence of the attacks of 11th September 2001, the airlines have already been legally obliged since November 2001 to provide advance notice of passport data to the U.S. authorities via the “Advanced Passport Information System" (“APIS”) for all flights to the USA. In this connection, passport data such as first and family name, nationality, passport number, date of birth and gender are registered electronically by scanners from the machine-readable passports at the check-in for USA flights and passed on to the U.S. immigration authorities.