Flying commercial to France? Get ready for API/PNR

Key Points

France has introduced new API/PNR reporting requirements for commercial BizAv.
Strict enforcement starts on 1 Oct 2026, so make sure you’re ready by then. Getting it wrong could result in a fine!
The rules apply to commercial pax flights to/from French territory. For Private flights you still just do GenDec as before.
You’ll need to send pax data twice: once 48hrs before departure, and again at the time of departure, using the final and accurate pax manifest.
API/PNR does not replace customs or immigration requirements.

So, what changed?

France now requires commercial BizAv flights to send API + PNR data electronically to the National Travel Data Agency (ANDV), replacing the passenger-reporting part of the GenDec process.

API covers identity and travel-docs details, while PNR covers booking and journey information.

Under Article L232-7, this applies to flights arriving in or departing from French territory, except those operated entirely within mainland France.

Strict enforcement starts on 1 Oct 2026. Article L232-5 allows fines of up to EUR 50,000 per journey for data that is missing, incorrectly formatted, incomplete or clearly false.

Who is actually in scope?

It applies to commercial passenger flights regardless of aircraft reg, size or who owns the aircraft etc.

It also applies to commercial flights within the Schengen Area. Flights from LSGG/Geneva, EBBR/Brussels or LEMD/Madrid for example, are in scope. Only flights operated entirely within mainland France are excluded.

For now, only passenger data is required. Crew data is not currently requested.

How much of France are we talking about?

For API/PNR purposes, France means more than mainland France. You also need to consider the French overseas territories:

One French overseas territory to another: API/PNR required.
Mainland France to/from a French overseas territory: API/PNR required.
Mainland France to mainland France: API/PNR not required.

The French overseas territories covered are: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte, Saint-Barthelemy, Saint-Martin, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, and New Caledonia.

Which flights are exempt?

Private flights (filed with G, rather than N, in Item 8 of the FPL), but you may still need to submit a GenDec where required.
Crew-only flights, including positioning and ferry flights.
Cargo, maintenance, military and medical evacuation flights.

These flights are exempt from API/PNR reporting only. Any other customs, immigration or local notification requirements still apply.

When must the data be sent?

You normally need to send the data twice:

H-48: Send the passenger details available 48hrs before departure.
H0: At departure, send the final and accurate passenger manifest.

H-48 is a reporting point, not a cut-off. Passengers can still be added, removed or changed afterwards, and you do not need to send a new transmission after every update. Just make sure the H0 submission contains the final and accurate passenger manifest.

Last-minute flights are still OK. If a flight is first scheduled after the H-48 reporting point, current guidance is that only the H0 transmission is required.

Put simply: H-48 tells France what you know at that point, H0 tells them who actually departed.

API/PNR does not replace customs clearance

Sending passenger data and clearing customs or immigration are two separate jobs. You must still use an authorised airport of entry.

If your final destination cannot handle the required border formalities, your first landing must be at an authorised AOE. Once cleared, you can continue to your destination as a domestic flight.

One more thing: EES is separate

If you are flying commercially into France from outside the Schengen Area, you may also have obligations under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES). This is separate from France’s API/PNR programme.

EES replaces manual passport stamps with electronic entry/exit records for covered third-country nationals. Since 10 April 2026, you must use the eu-LISA Carrier Interface to check whether passengers travelling on a short-stay single- or double-entry visa have already used their permitted entries.

What should you do now?

With strict enforcement approaching, now is the time to set up and test your reporting process. You have two options:

Manage the reporting yourself: Contact ANDV for registration details and the reporting procedures that apply to your operation.
Automate the reporting: A specialist provider such as Streamlane can retrieve passenger and flight data from your flight-management system, validate it and submit it to the authorities at the required times. This removes manual submissions and helps ensure the data is sent accurately and on time.

Contact Streamlane or email contact@streamlane.eu.

A big thank you to Streamlane for helping us put this article together and work through the practical implications for BizAv operators. Among other things, Streamlane manages passenger and crew compliance in more than 80 countries, covering API, PNR, GenDec and iAPI reporting, as well as compliance checks for EU EES/ETIAS, UK ETA/eVisa and US TSA Secure Flight.

Flying commercial to France? Get ready for API/PNR