Guide · updated 19 October 2026
What are API and PNR passenger data?
API and PNR are different streams of passenger information sent by airlines to border authorities. Advance Passenger Information identifies a traveller using passport and journey details. Passenger Name Record data comes from a reservation and can include the itinerary and ticket information. ICAO distinguishes the two and publishes reporting guidance for each. Interactive API adds a government response to the airline before travel. A booking record is not a verified identity document 1.
- API
- Travel-document identity information, normally collected at check-in 1
- PNR
- Reservation information generated when travel is booked 1
- Interactive API
- A government response to the carrier after passenger checks 1
What Resolution 2396 requires
Paragraph 11 of UN Security Council Resolution 2396 requires states to obtain API from airlines under domestic law and international obligations. Paragraph 12 requires capability to collect, process and analyse PNR for counter-terrorism purposes, with respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms 2.
How the records are created
ICAO distinguishes check-in identity data from reservation information. PNR can be incomplete or inaccurate and may contain sensitive personal data. API and PNR formats and reporting guidance are developed through cooperation among ICAO, the World Customs Organization and IATA 1.
What readers should check
For a programme in this register, check the published data terms for who receives the records, the purposes allowed, storage, retention and onward access. A product description alone cannot establish those contractual terms.
Questions and answers
Are API and PNR the same?
No. API is identity and travel-document information. PNR comes from a booking 1.
What does interactive API add?
It lets the receiving government communicate a response to the carrier based on passenger checks 1.