CARICOM will retire its eAPIS portal on September 30, 2026, requiring aviation and maritime operators to submit passenger and crew manifests exclusively through the new MDEX platform from October 1. Commercial carriers, vessel operators, aircraft owners and port agents are being urged to complete the transition before the deadline.
CARICOM prepares to retire eAPIS
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) is preparing to shut down its existing Electronic Advance Passenger Information System, or eAPIS, as the region moves passenger and crew manifest submissions to a new digital platform.
CARICOM IMPACS announced on September 2 that the current eAPIS portal will be officially decommissioned on September 30, 2026. From October 1, all manifest submissions, including passenger and crew information, must be processed exclusively through the CARICOM Manifest Digital Exchange (MDEX) Portal.
The transition concerns commercial carriers, vessel operators, aircraft owners and port agents, placing both aviation and maritime operators within the scope of the September deadline.
The change does not introduce the region’s Advance Passenger Information requirement. CARICOM has operated an electronic APIS framework for years, requiring passenger and crew information from aircraft and vessels travelling through participating Caribbean states. The October deadline instead changes the platform through which those submissions must be made.
Existing eAPIS accounts will not transfer
For operators, moving to CARICOM MDEX requires a new registration rather than simply transferring existing credentials.
CARICOM IMPACS has explicitly warned that current eAPIS accounts will not migrate automatically to the new platform. “Current eAPIS accounts will not transfer automatically.” Operators must therefore create a new account and establish their organisation’s profile on the CARICOM MDEX Portal.
CARICOM IMPACS is also encouraging affected operators to begin submitting data through MDEX before September 30. The objective is to complete the changeover before the legacy platform is taken offline and maintain uninterrupted compliance once MDEX becomes the exclusive submission channel.
That makes the final days of September an operational transition period for airlines, aircraft operators, shipping companies and port agents still using the existing system.
Aviation and maritime operators face the same deadline
The CARICOM MDEX transition is notable because it applies across both aviation and maritime operations.
Passenger and crew manifests are an important component of regional border-management procedures. CARICOM’s Advance Passenger Information System allows required traveller and crew information from aircraft and vessels to be submitted in advance to support processing by participating authorities.
The existing CARICOM eAPIS portal states that the regional APIS framework came into effect on February 1, 2007, initially covering 12 CARICOM Member States within the Single Domestic Space.
Nearly two decades later, CARICOM IMPACS is replacing the portal used for these submissions rather than introducing a new passenger-information regime.
For operators, the distinction matters. The regulatory principle behind providing Advance Passenger Information remains in place, while the immediate requirement is to ensure that organisations are registered and ready to use the new MDEX environment.
October 1 becomes the operational cut-off
CARICOM IMPACS has set a clear sequence for the migration: operators should establish their new MDEX profiles and begin transitioning submissions before September 30, while the old eAPIS platform remains available.
Once eAPIS is decommissioned, MDEX becomes the exclusive channel from October 1, 2026.
For aviation and maritime companies with regular movements across participating Caribbean markets, the priority is therefore operational readiness rather than adapting to a new category of passenger-data requirement.
The immediate task is to complete registration, confirm organisational access and move existing manifest-submission processes to CARICOM MDEX before the old portal closes.
Source principale : CARICOM IMPACS
FAQ
When will the CARICOM eAPIS portal close?
CARICOM IMPACS will officially decommission the existing eAPIS portal on September 30, 2026.
When does CARICOM MDEX become mandatory?
From October 1, 2026, all manifest submissions, including passenger and crew information, must be processed through the CARICOM MDEX Portal.
Who is affected by the transition to MDEX?
CARICOM IMPACS specifically identifies commercial carriers, vessel operators, aircraft owners and port agents among the stakeholders required to transition.
Will existing CARICOM eAPIS accounts work on MDEX?
No. CARICOM IMPACS says existing eAPIS accounts will not transfer automatically. Operators must create a new account and establish an organisational profile on MDEX.
Does MDEX introduce a new passenger-data requirement?
No. CARICOM already operated an Advance Passenger Information framework. The October 2026 change concerns the platform used to submit the required passenger and crew information.
