Visa Information System (VIS) and exchange of data between Member States on short-stay visas (VIS Regulation)

The Council adopted conclusions on the VIS : exchange of data on Schengen short-stay visas including the national long-stay visas which are concurrently valid as short-stay visas.

In particular, the Council considers that without prejudice to the adoption of the proposal for the Visa Information System, Member States who will be implementing the VIS Regulation should plan for the collection of biometric data for the VIS, at consular posts, on a coordinated and coherent regional basis, that reflects the problems of illegal migration and threats to the internal security of the Member States and the feasibility of collecting biometric data from all locations. Those Member States should endeavour to be in a position to collect all the biometric data required for the VIS within 24 months of the commencement of the roll out.

Those Member States should endeavour to be in a position to commence the collection of biometric data for the VIS in early 2007, which should begin with consular posts in North Africa and the Near East regions.

In order to facilitate the development of a collaborative approach and the completion of the roll out within the time table, every effort should be made to resolve outstanding issues, in particular, the methods of collection of biometric data. Those Member States should also plan to process biometric data at border crossing points in a coordinated and coherent manner that complements the collection of the data at consular posts.