eAPIS is the online form U.S. Customs and Border Protection requires before every international flight in a private airplane: going out of the country and coming back. This guide walks you through every click and every box, in plain language, with nothing assumed.
Time needed: about 20 minutes the first time, 10 minutes after that. You need it filed at least 1 hour before you take off.
1Gather these before you sit down
Filing is easy when everything is on the table first. Collect:
Passports for every single person flying, including children and infants. You will type each passport's number, country, and expiration date.
Your pilot certificate (the plastic card) and the country that issued it.
The airplane's registration: tail number (like N412PA), make and model (like Cirrus SR22T), and its colors (like "white with navy and gold trim").
The CBP decal number: the little sticker you buy each year from DTOPS (dtops.cbp.dhs.gov, about $30). It's usually on the inside of the door frame.
Your trip plan: the airport you leave from, the airport you land at, and the date and time of each (be realistic; you can amend later).
Everyone's home address, and for flights INTO the U.S., the address where each foreign visitor will be staying.
💡 Vector members: the Members App already stores all of this. Open the eAPIS tab and every detail below is pre-organized for you. This guide teaches you the government website itself, so you're never dependent on anyone.
2Create your account (one time only)
Do thisIn your web browser, type: eapis.cbp.dhs.gov and press Enter.
Do thisClick the button that says “Enroll” (top of the page).
Do thisChoose “Private Aviation” when it asks what kind of filer you are. You are a private pilot, not an airline.
Illustration of the enrollment screen: pick “Private Aviation”, then Continue
Do thisFill in your name, address, phone, and email. Click Submit.
Do thisWatch your email. CBP sends you a Sender ID and a temporary password. Print that email and keep it in your flight bag. The Sender ID is your username forever.
⚠️ If no email arrives in 15 minutes, check your Spam folder. It comes from a .gov address.
3Sign in
Do thisBack at eapis.cbp.dhs.gov, click “Login”, type your Sender ID and password, and sign in. The first time, it will make you choose a new password. Write it down somewhere safe.
4Start the manifest
A “manifest” is just the list of the airplane, the trip, and the people. You file one manifest per direction: one for leaving the U.S., another one for coming home.
Do thisClick “Submit a Manifest”, then choose: • Departure - if this flight LEAVES the United States. • Arrival - if this flight COMES INTO the United States.
5The aircraft page
Type carefully. This must match the registration exactly.
The box says
You type
Aircraft Registration (Tail) Number
Your N-number, no spaces - e.g. N412PA
Type / Make & Model
e.g. Cirrus SR22T
Color(s)
Base color first, then trim - e.g. White with navy and gold trim
CBP Decal Number
The number from your DTOPS sticker
Operator name & address
The owner or operator (you, or the LLC) with address
Illustration: the aircraft page. The tail number box is the one they reject most often: no dashes, no spaces.
6The itinerary page
The box says
You type
Departure airport
The 4-letter code - e.g. KSRQ (Sarasota). Foreign fields also have codes, e.g. MYNN is Nassau.
Departure date & time
Local date and time you plan to take off
Arrival airport
Where this flight lands - e.g. MYNN
Arrival date & time
Your best estimate - amend later if it changes a lot
Border crossing point (if asked)
Roughly where you cross the U.S. border/coastline - e.g. “8 NM ESE of KOPF”
💡 Times are asked in local time with the date. Double-check AM/PM: a 2 PM departure entered as 2 AM is the classic mistake.
7The pilot & crew page
You are the “crew.” Enter for the pilot (and any second pilot):
Full legal name exactly as on the passport
Date of birth, sex, citizenship
Passport number, issuing country, expiration date
Home address and phone
Pilot certificate number and the country that issued it (United States)
⚠️ Passports must be valid: an expired passport in the manifest gets kicked back, and a passenger whose passport expires before the trip can't legally travel anyway.
8The passengers page
Do thisClick “Add Passenger” once per person: everyone, including babies. Same details as the pilot (minus the pilot certificate). For flights INTO the U.S., foreign visitors also need the address where they will stay in the States.
💡 The website lets you save people for next time. Do it, and the next manifest takes five minutes. (The Vector app does this automatically, with passports encrypted.)
9Review, submit, and SAVE THE PROOF
Do thisRead the summary page slowly. Check the tail number, the dates, and every passport number. Then click Submit.
Do thisCBP emails you a confirmation. Print it or screenshot it. Carry it on the flight. This is your proof you filed.
Illustration: what success looks like. No green confirmation = not filed.
10If something changes
Different day, different people, or different airports? Log back in, open the manifest, amend it, and re-submit, still at least 1 hour before takeoff.
Slightly different takeoff time? Reasonable delays are fine; a different day is not.
11The rest of the trip: eAPIS alone is not enough
Coming home: you must also telephone the CBP office at your arrival airport before you come (the app's port list has the numbers). eAPIS does not replace the phone call.
Land at an Airport of Entry (like KSRQ, KOPF, KFPR) and go nowhere else until cleared.
Current DTOPS decal on the airplane for the calendar year.
The destination country's own forms: Bahamas C7A, immigration cards, etc. The Vector app prints all of them pre-filled.
Prepared by Vector Flight Co. for its members · Educational guide, not legal advice: the pilot in command is responsible for compliance with 19 CFR 122.22 and all CBP requirements · The screen pictures are illustrations of the flow, not exact copies of the government website (it changes styling from time to time) · vectorflightco.com