# Turn the Marine Department eBS into an API

> Read the eBS Application Status table, with each Ref Id's application and payment status, and a vessel's particulars and trip history, with one API call each. A workflow can check each morning which approved applications are still Unpaid and email you.

Page: https://fous.com/automate/marine-department-ebs
Updated: 2026-11-12

Works with your own Marine Department eBS account. Fous is an independent product.

## What you can build on the eBS

### Check application status

Reads the Application Status table under Status Enquiry: the latest applications your operator account can see, with their status and payment status.

- Takes: Submitted from, submitted to (optional), form ID (optional)
- Returns: Ref Id, vessel name, form name, submission date, process date, application status, payment method, payment status, submitted by

### Get vessel particulars and trip history

Runs the Vessel Particulars Enquiry under Port Formalities for one vessel and reads its particulars and its trips in the period you give.

- Takes: Vessel name, call sign or IMO No., trip period from, trip period to
- Returns: Vessel name, call sign, IMO No., nationality, ship type, G.T., N.T., trips in the period

### Update an ocean-going vessel's ETA

Uses eBS0001 Update OGV ETA to change the estimated time of arrival on the vessel's open trip, then reads the result screen.

- Takes: Vessel name, call sign or IMO No., new ETA
- Returns: Vessel name, new ETA, application status

### Submit a dangerous goods manifest

Fills in eBS9050 Dangerous Goods Manifest for one vessel: voyage, arrival date, berth, each DG substance by UN No. and its containers, then submits it.

- Takes: Vessel, voyage reference, estimated date of arrival, berth, DG substances with UN No., container information
- Returns: eBS Ref No, vessel name, voyage reference, application status

## Automate the eBS with a workflow

A [workflow](/product/workflows) runs your methods as one process, with nobody at the screen. A schedule or a call from your own system starts it, the steps run in order, and the result arrives in your inbox or in the systems you already use.

### Approved applications still unpaid, every morning

Starts: Every weekday at 9:00, Hong Kong time

1. Check application status for everything submitted in the last 14 days.
2. Keep the rows with application status Approved or Manual Approved and payment status Unpaid.
3. Email you the list with Ref Id, vessel name, form name, application status, payment method and process date.

### Application status changes, posted to your operations system

Starts: Every 30 minutes

1. Check application status for applications submitted today and yesterday.
2. Keep the rows that are new or whose application status changed since the last run.
3. Post each one, with Ref Id, vessel name, form name, application and payment status and process date, to your webhook.

### Weekly trip history for your fleet

Starts: Every Monday at 8:00, Hong Kong time

1. For each vessel you name, get its particulars and trip history for the past 7 days.
2. Have an AI step summarize the trips per vessel.
3. Email you the summary with call sign, IMO No. and each trip.

You can run a workflow by hand on every plan, Free included. Schedules and webhook triggers come with the paid plans, from $29 a month.

## Once built, one call from your code

Once you have built a [method](/product/methods), it is one POST to /v1/runs from your backend, or a tool an AI agent calls over MCP. This is what “Check application status” would look like.

Example request:

```
curl https://api.fous.com/v1/runs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "method": "ebs.mardep.gov.hk/check_application_status",
    "input": {
      "submitted_from": "2026-11-09",
      "submitted_to": "2026-11-11"
    }
  }'
```

Example response:

```
{
  "status": "completed",
  "data": {
    "applications": [
      {
        "ref_id": "604218",
        "vessel_name": "ACME PIONEER",
        "form_name": "eBS0032 - Application for Persons Embarkation/Disembarkation and Cargo Operation Permit (OGV)",
        "submission_date": "2026-11-11 09:14:02",
        "process_date": "2026-11-11 09:14:05",
        "application_status": "Approved",
        "payment_method": "PPS",
        "payment_status": "Unpaid",
        "submitted_by": "OPS01"
      }
    ],
    "count": 1
  }
}
```

An example with invented data, not a ready-made endpoint. The method exists in your organization once you build it, and its name, inputs and fields follow your request.

## The eBS’s own options

The Marine Department documents no API or system-to-system interface for the eBS, and using the eBS is free of charge. A few forms take files instead of typed entries: batch submissions from XLS interface files and Excel templates for crew particulars. Everything else, including status checks and downloads, is done in the eBS by hand.

| Option | What it covers | What it takes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Batch submission with XLS interface files | Free Pratique (River Trade/Passenger Vessel), Repair Permits, Multiple Entry & Clearance Records and Seafarer Licences, many applications in one upload. | A registered eBS account with those services, and a file that matches the template's specification. |
| Excel uploads inside single forms | Particulars of Crew & Passenger for Immigration Pre-arrival Clearance, from a template Excel file the form offers. | A registered eBS account; the form is submitted at least 24 hours before the estimated time of arrival. |
| The eBS by hand | Every form, the Application Status and Transaction Enquiry pages (last 300 records each) and downloads of demand notes, permits and documents. | A free eBS registration; operator accounts created by your company's Administrator. |

Read on November 12, 2026: [eBS Client Portal User Manual, version 4.4](https://ebs.mardep.gov.hk/download/eBS_Client_Portal_User_Manual_en.pdf), [eBS frequently asked questions](https://ebs.mardep.gov.hk/en/faq.php), [eBS news](https://ebs.mardep.gov.hk/en/news.php).

## Signing in to the eBS

The eBS signs company users in with an eBS Account ID (formerly Agent ID), a Login ID and a password, or with iAM Smart linked to one eBS account. Applications are submitted by operator accounts that the company's Administrator creates. With Fous you sign in once through the eBS's own sign-in with your own operator account: the login is sealed with AES-256, and an expired session is signed back in.

## Worth knowing

- **Use an operator that can view all submissions**: Operator accounts, created by the Administrator, submit applications. An operator sees other operators' submissions only when View All submission? is set to True, so build on an operator with that setting.
- **Status pages show the last 300 records**: Application Status lists the last 300 applications, and Transaction Enquiry the last 300 payment records that match your search. Older records drop off, so read them often.
- **Cash and cheque wait for settlement**: With Auto-Pay, PPS, FPS or a card, permits are ready once approved. With Cash/Cheque you wait for manual settlement. The payment method can be changed only while an approved application's payment is pending.
- **Passwords expire every 90 days**: eBS passwords must be changed at least every 90 days, the last 8 cannot be reused, and an account locks after 5 invalid login attempts. A session that switches IP address is logged out.

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## Frequently asked questions

### Does the Marine Department eBS have an API?

No public API or system-to-system interface is documented. The eBS is a free website: some forms accept XLS interface files for batch submission, or an Excel file of crew and passenger particulars, and the rest is typed in. Demand notes and documents are downloaded from the Application Status page.

### Can several people in our company use the eBS?

Yes. The Marine Department issues one Administrator account per company, and the Administrator creates as many operator accounts as needed, sets their service permissions and decides whether each can view all submissions or only their own.

### Where do I download eBS permits and demand notes again?

On Status Enquiry > Application Status. Select the application and use Download Demand Note or Download Document.

### Why am I logged out of the eBS so often?

The eBS blocks a login session that uses more than one IP address. The Marine Department's FAQ suggests having your technical team keep browsing to a single IP address.

### Is Fous affiliated with the Marine Department, Hong Kong SAR Government?

No. Fous is an independent product. You use it with your own eBS operator account, and a method reads and does only what that account can.

Fous is an independent product: it is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the operator of Marine Department eBS (Marine Department, Hong Kong SAR Government). The name is used only to say which system this page is about. Something here wrong or out of date? Write to legal@fous.com.