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Coverage 19 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

CBP proposes mandatory advance passenger data for cross-border trains: what rail sellers and OTAs should prepare

CBP's proposed rule would have rail carriers send passport, US address and contact data for each passenger 60 minutes before departure. Comments due 14 Dec 2026.

LM
Loris Mazloum
Founder, SimpleVisa

On 13 October 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a notice of proposed rulemaking, "Advance Traveler Information for Rail." Today, rail carriers can send passenger data to CBP voluntarily. The proposal would make it mandatory for any train that arrives in, departs from, or crosses through the United States with travellers on board.

This is a proposed rule. Nothing changes for passengers yet. If it is adopted, anyone who sells cross-border rail tickets between Canada and the United States will need to collect more passenger data at booking.

This note is for rail sellers and OTAs. It is not legal advice.

What CBP is proposing

Item Proposal
Who must send Rail carriers (they can authorise another party to send on their behalf, but remain responsible)
Scope Every traveller, passengers and crew, on a train arriving in or departing from the US, including trains that cross the US border in transit
Traveller data deadline No later than 60 minutes before the train departs
Train notice Notice of arrival or departure no later than 24 hours before the train arrives at the U.S. border crossing location
Close-out A message listing who actually boarded, within 30 minutes after departure (for interactive transmission)
Late changes New or corrected data sent before the train leaves the station, or at the latest when it leaves the next stop before the border
CBP response "Accepted," or "contact CBP." If CBP flags a traveller, it may recommend that the carrier not board them
How A CBP-certified system, or a CBP-approved channel such as the eAPIS web portal

Data each passenger would need to provide

Full name, date of birth, sex
Country of citizenship and country of residence
Travel document type, number, issuing country and expiry date
Complete itinerary
Address while in the United States (except for travellers in transit)
Phone number with country code, and email if available
Where applicable: alien registration number, known traveler number, redress number, PNR locator, baggage tag, car and seat number

Key dates

13 October 2026: proposed rule published (Federal Register, FR Doc 2026-20884)
14 December 2026: comment deadline (docket USCBP-2026-0992)
Final rule and compliance date: not set yet

What rail sellers and OTAs should do

01

Map your cross-border rail inventory. List the US-Canada train routes you sell so you know which bookings would be in scope.

02

Plan for passport data at booking. If the rule is adopted, collecting passport details and a US address at check-in time will be too late for a 60-minute cutoff. Design the booking flow to capture them early.

03

Add contact fields. A phone number with country code and an email per traveller would be required where available.

04

Prepare for "do not board" outcomes. Agree with your rail partners how a CBP flag would be passed to customers, and how refunds or rebooking would work.

05

Keep it separate from entry documents. Advance data is not a visa or an ESTA. Travellers still need the right entry document for the US or Canada.

06

Comment if it affects you. Sellers and technology providers can file comments on regulations.gov until 14 December 2026.

Federal Register, 13 Oct 2026, 91 FR 64840: Advance Traveler Information for Rail, notice of proposed rulemaking (FR Doc 2026-20884). Comments: docket USCBP-2026-0992, due 14 Dec 2026 (the Federal Register page links the comment form).

CBP: eAPIS transmission system.

Related: CBP ends routine passport stamps at primary inspection, The ESTA fee is now $40.62, Timatic and modern visa APIs: what each is for and eVisa API for OTAs and airlines.

Watch the United States

Coverage alerts send one email per rule change for the destinations you pick, from the partner console. Systems can take the same events as webhooks; the shape is in the developer docs. The live requirement for any passport is always in the requirements checker.

Sources

Federal Register, 13 Oct 2026, 91 FR 64840, FR Doc 2026-20884 verified 16 Oct 2026 · CBP, eAPIS transmission system verified 16 Oct 2026

LM
Loris Mazloum
Founder, SimpleVisa

Loris Mazloum founded SimpleVisa and writes the coverage notes on this blog for airlines, OTAs, and other travel companies. Each note is checked against the government source named at the bottom before it publishes. SimpleVisa keeps requirement data for 190+ destinations and files applications where a government channel exists.

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