Customs, Immigration
and Crew Entry
GenDec and APIS filings, eAPIS and the GAR, ESTA, ETA, EES and ETIAS for passengers, crew visas, pets, disinsection and the airport of entry rules that decide where a private flight can land first.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 10 September 2026
The working reference
How customs and crew entry work for a private flight
A private flight clears customs and immigration at an airport of entry, usually at the aircraft or in a general aviation terminal, on data the operator sent ahead. The United States wants eAPIS filed at least an hour before departure both ways, ESTA for visa-waiver passengers and, for some foreign crews, a TSA waiver. The United Kingdom wants the General Aviation Report between two and 48 hours before the flight, now including Common Travel Area legs, and an Electronic Travel Authorisation for visa-free passengers. The Schengen states are moving from passport stamps to the Entry Exit System and ETIAS, Belgium wants a GenDec on every flight, and Italy asks for disinsection on arrivals from listed countries. Mexico runs APIS and the entry authorisation, the Bahamas clears in limited morning hours, Australia wants passenger data 48 hours ahead with quarantine on the aircraft and the catering, and China puts the full passenger data on the permit itself. Crew normally enter on the General Declaration or a crew visa and carry an ID that reads CREW in English with a photo, company and expiry. Pets travel on microchips, vaccinations and country permits, and in the UK only on operators whose fleet is Defra-approved. The desk files the manifests, checks every passenger's authorisation before the flight and books the clearance at the aircraft where the field allows it.
The filings
eAPIS for the United States and its territories, both directions, at least an hour before departure. The GAR for the United Kingdom, two to 48 hours ahead. GenDec for Belgium and most states outside the EU. APIS for Mexico. Border Force passenger data 48 hours ahead for Australia. The desk files all of them from one passenger list.
Passenger authorisations
ESTA for visa-waiver nationals entering the United States, valid two years. The UK ETA for visa-free nationals including US citizens since January 2025, applied for online, valid two years. ETIAS for visa-free travel to the Schengen area once live, with the EES recording entries and exits biometrically. Visas on arrival in the UAE and Jordan for most western passports; electronic visas for Kenya.
Crew
Crew normally enter on the General Declaration, on a crew visa where the state requires one, or on the same authorisation as passengers when they are not operating. China wants a C visa; the US 15-day visa-free entry there is transit only. Crew IDs abroad read CREW, in English, with photo, company and expiry, and handlers are told when a pilot is over 65.
Airports of entry and clearance
Customs clears at the aircraft at the business aviation terminals of the Gulf, at the FBO in the United States, at the general aviation terminals of the London fields and at the terminal in most of Asia. Out-of-hours clearance is booked ahead, and small fields clear in limited hours: the Bahamas in the morning, Brisbane not overnight, Melbourne with gaps in the small hours.
Pets
The UK admits pets only on operators with a Defra-approved fleet, with a microchip before the rabies vaccination, travel 21 days after it, tapeworm treatment for dogs 24 to 120 hours before and 48 hours' notice. Mexico wants the health certificate and the import paperwork at the airport. The Bahamas and Barbados issue import permits; the US Virgin Islands generally welcome pets.
Cabotage, disinsection and the rest
A foreign-registered charter aircraft may not carry new passengers for hire between two domestic points, so a G-registered jet cannot sell Dallas to Las Vegas. Italy requires disinsection on arrivals from listed countries and the certificate is checked. Australia treats the aircraft for insects and declares the catering. The regulation hub carries cabotage in full.
Where it applies
How the rule changes by region
United States
eAPIS both ways at least an hour before departure, ESTA for visa-waiver passengers, a TSA waiver for some foreign crews, clearance at the FBO. New entry rules in 2026 and the busiest executive airports on their own pages.
United Kingdom
The GAR two to 48 hours ahead including Common Travel Area flights, the ETA for visa-free passengers, Border Force at the aircraft or the terminal, pets only on Defra-approved operators.
Europe
EES and ETIAS replacing stamps across Schengen, Belgium's GenDec on every flight, Italy's disinsection certificate, the UK a separate system since Brexit.
Middle East
Visas on arrival in the UAE and Jordan for EU, US, UK and Canadian passports, customs at the aircraft at the business aviation terminals, crew on the General Declaration.
Asia and Australia
Full passenger data on the Chinese permit, C visas for crew, sponsorship letters at secondary Chinese airports. Australia wants Border Force data 48 hours ahead, quarantine on the aircraft and off-terminal clearance pre-arranged.
Caribbean and Mexico
Mexico runs APIS and the entry authorisation with pets cleared at the airport. The US Virgin Islands are domestic inbound with eAPIS on departure. The Bahamas clears in the morning; Barbados and the Dominican Republic want notice.
Guides and updates
Customs and Crew articles from the desk
The detailed pieces behind this page, newest first, each with the year it was written and the discipline it belongs to.
Country guides
Where the rule differs by country
The regional pages that carry the detail for this discipline, each with the permit, entry, slot, handling and fuel facts for that country.
Questions
Customs and Crew trip support questions
What is the difference between API and APIS?
API is the advance passenger information itself: names, passport details, dates of birth, nationalities and the itinerary. APIS is the electronic system that transmits it to the border authority before departure. Formats and deadlines vary by country, and non-scheduled operators now file through the same systems as the airlines.
When must eAPIS be filed for a flight to the United States?
At least an hour before departure, for arrivals and departures, with every passenger and crew member on the manifest. The US Virgin Islands are domestic inbound from the mainland but need eAPIS on every departure.
What is the GAR and who files it?
The General Aviation Report, the UK's online declaration of every private arrival and departure, filed between two and 48 hours before the flight, now including Common Travel Area flights. The operator or its trip support desk files it; a missed filing carries a fine.
Do US citizens need anything to enter the UK or Europe on a private jet?
For the UK, an Electronic Travel Authorisation, valid two years, applied for online. For the Schengen area, ETIAS once it goes live, with the Entry Exit System recording the crossing biometrically instead of a stamp.
Where does a private flight clear customs?
At an airport of entry, at the aircraft or in the general aviation terminal in most of the Gulf, the UK and the United States, and at the terminal in much of Asia. Out-of-hours clearance and small fields with limited customs hours are booked ahead.
What visa does the crew need?
Usually none beyond the General Declaration for a short stay, a crew visa where the state requires it, such as China's C visa, and the same authorisation as passengers when they are not operating. Crew IDs abroad should read CREW in English with photo, company and expiry.
Can I bring a pet on a private jet internationally?
Yes, with the country's import rules met: microchip, rabies vaccination and the waiting period, tapeworm treatment for dogs into the UK, import permits for the Bahamas and Barbados, and in the UK only on an operator with a Defra-approved fleet. The desk files the permits with the trip.
What is cabotage?
The rule that a foreign-registered charter aircraft may not carry new passengers for hire between two domestic points. The same passengers continuing an international itinerary do not trigger it. Intra-EU cabotage is largely relaxed; the UK, Switzerland and Norway apply restrictions.
Which arrivals need disinsection?
Italy requires it on arrivals from listed countries and checks the certificate; Australia treats the aircraft on arrival or accepts a certificate and declares the catering. The desk carries the paperwork with the permit.
What does the desk need to file customs and crew paperwork?
Passport details and nationalities for everyone on board, the crew licences, the airports and times, the pets if any, and whether the flight is private or charter. It comes back with every manifest filed, every authorisation checked and the clearance booked.
Get it filed
Manifests, visas and clearance from the desk
Send the passenger and crew list with the schedule, and the desk files eAPIS, the GAR, GenDec and APIS, checks every ESTA and ETA, and books the clearance at the aircraft where the field allows it.
Contact UsPrefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email tripsupport@icarusjet.com. The desk is staffed 24/7.