11

New Zealand’s Experience in Implementing API in a ‘Visa Free’ Environment

Advance Passenger Screening

Presentation to :

APEC Business Mobility Group

Brendan QuirkChief Operating Officer

New Zealand Immigration Service

14/15 August 2003

22

Our Vision

• To keep New Zealand a desirable and safe place to

live and visit

Our Objectives

• To facilitate genuine visitors’ travel to NZ

• To improve border and airline security

Advance Passenger Screening

33

• 7 million travel movements per annum - ‘in and out’

• 7% growth per annum over the past 10 years

• 60% travel is between NZ and Australia

• 55% travellers are visa free NZ or Australian passport

holders

• 35% travellers are Visa Free visitors

• 10% travellers are Visa Required visitors or hold

resident, student or work visas

New Zealand Air Travel

44

Reduces the chance of “risk” travellers entering NZ

• Check passports, visas & alerts before a passenger

boards a flight to New Zealand

• Provide Airlines with an electronic directive to “Board”

or “Do Not Board” a passenger

• Provide accurate advance passenger information

(API) for profiling to determine if intervention at the

border is necessary.e.g., customs, police.

Advance Passenger Processing system

55

How the NZ APP System Works

SITAnetw ork

Departure Control System

Airportcheck-inagent

NZIS systems

NZ APPApplication Processor

NZpassportsNZ visasNZ alertsPerson location

expected movements

boarding requests

validation requests,

biodata requests

visas, alerts, person locations

boarding directives

CommsGateway

[SYD][ATL]

[Auckland]

Not yet implemented

Australian government approval is underway

NZ Customs

EDIFACT

AU APPApplication Processor

AUpassportsAU visas

[SYD]

Near-real time XML messages

66

NZ APP complies – with a ‘Visa Free’ orientation

Standard data elements (plus PNR locator)

Accesses government databases for verification

Interactive API (Board / Do Not Board directives)

Legislation and policy requirements – NZ & Australia

Advance data used to facilitate genuine passengers

Platform for Immigration, Customs & Quarantine

Builds on airlines’ implementation of Australia’s APP

APEC API Standards & Principles

77

From concept to reality…

• Government decision to implement (January 2002)

• Funding agreed (May 2002)

• Solution model defined (July 2002)

• Contract negotiated (February 2003)

• Pilot commenced with Air New Zealand (July 2003)

• Official launch August 2003

Advance Passenger Screening

88

Results of the pilot

• 46 flights processed – out of Melbourne, Australia

• Some false “Do Not Board” directives – but passengers

cleared for boarding after checks with NZ Immigration support

• Initial problems fixed – airline staff now seeking special

clearance for 1-2 passengers per flight, and expect this to reduce further

• 3 passengers stopped from boarding - –no visa,

no outwards ticket

• No people incorrectly allowed to board

Advance Passenger Screening

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Proposed between NZ and Australia

• Verification requests – passports and visas

• Document alerts (lost & stolen passports)

• People alerts (shared intelligence)

Future opportunities

• Global lost & stolen passports (APEC/ICAO initiatives)

• Verification against passport databases

• Pre-flight registration (IATA initiative)

Information Sharing

1010

New Zealand aims to balance individual’s rights

to privacy and to live freely & safely

• NZ privacy legislation – based on OECD model

• Airline conditions of carriage – advise passengers that their

details will be provided to border control authorities

• Verification requests – limited to specific data fields, and only

when the passenger requests to travel

• Trans-national organised crime legislation – enables

controlled information sharing by agreement

• Border security legislation – introduced

Privacy

1111

• APP platform – a foundation for future facilitation initiatives

• Airlines – consistency of approach by Governments will help

compliance with API systems, and are a critical alliance.

• Data quality and timeliness of data updates critical

• Physical support team – needed 24 x 7 to handle exceptions

• Advance Passenger Information – enables a more targeted

approach to border control, enhancing facilitation & risk response

• Information sharing – vital for countries with “visa free”

arrangements

New Zealand’s learning to date

1212

Questionsand

Discussion