98/701/JHA: Council Decision of 3 December 1998 on common standards relating to filling in the uniform format for residence permits
Date: 1998-12-03
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: European standard, administrative formalities, foreign national, identity document, mutual recognition principle, residence permit

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Official Journal of the European Communities

9. 12. 98

COUNCIL DECISION

of 3 December 1998

on common standards relating to filling in the uniform format for residence permits

(98/701/JHA)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to Joint Action 97/11/JHA of 16 December 1996 concerning a uniform format
for residence permits (1), and in particular Article 2(1) thereof,

Whereas it is necessary to establish common standards relating to filling in the said format, so as
to ensure the uniform aspect thereof;

Whereas this Decision does not affect the competence of Member States relating to the recogni-
tion of States and territorial entities, as well as of passports and travel documents issued by these
States or entities; whereas the attribution of the codes in the Appendix to this Decision is of a
purely administrative nature and is without prejudice to the determination of the nationality of
third country residents,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The uniform format for residence permits shall be filled in in accordance with the procedures
contained in the Annex hereto.

Article 2

The Council shall examine, at least once a year, the procedures and codes contained in the
Annex and the Appendix hereto with a view to adapting them.

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal
of the European Communities.

Article 3

Done at Brussels, 3 December 1998.

For the Council

The President

K. SCHL(cid:153)GL

(1) OJ L 7, 10. 1. 1997, p. 1.

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ANNEX

I. PROCEDURES FOR COMPLETION OF THE COMMON REFERENCE AREA OF THE

STICKER IN THE UNIFORM FORMAT OF THE RESIDENCE PERMIT.

The format adopted for the sticker is in ID2 format (conforming with the dimensions for the ID2 type
card (ISO7810)).

There are eight spaces to be completed in accordance with the technical specifications, where appropriate,
as follows:

1. Permit No

The number of the document shall appear in this space (protected by special security features and
preceded by a letter code), in accordance with part one paragraph 3.7 (initial letter(s) as detailed in
paragraph 3.2) of the technical specifications.

2. Name

The surname(s) and first name(s) shall be inserted here in order. The surname(s) and first name(s) on the
document to which the sticker is attached must be exactly the same as those on the sticker.

3.

‘Valid until' space

The relevant date of expiry shall be entered in this space or, if necessary, a word or a code indicating
unlimited validity.

Member States shall forward to the General Secretariat of the Council the various words or codes
referred to in the previous subparagraph, to enable the Secretariat to draw up a list for distribution to all
Member States. Such a list could also be used as an additional device for discovering falsifications.

Where an expiry date is entered, the date must be entered by means of three groups of two figures in
the following order, two for the day, two for the month and two for the year, to be separated by a
hyphen, and the first figure shall be a nought where the number is lower than 10 (e.g. 15-01-96: 15
January 1996).

4. Place/date of issue

This space shall indicate the place and date of issue of the residence permit.

The date of issue shall be entered by means of three groups of two figures in the order laid down in the
third subparagraph of point 3.

5. Type of permit

This space shall show the specific type of the residence permit issued by the Member State to the
national of a third country.

This space should not be harmonised because of disparities between the laws of the Member States.
However, Member States will forward to the General Secretariat of the Council the various references
they include in this space to enable the Secretariat to draw up a list for distribution to all Member
States. Such a list could also be used as an additional device for discovering falsifications.

6. Remarks

Member States may enter in this space information and remarks for national use which are required by
national provisions concerning nationals from third countries, including information on authorisation
to work and passport number.

Member States will forward to the General Secretariat of the Council the various permanent references
they include in this space to enable the Secretariat to draw up a list for distribution to all Member
States. Such a list could also be used as an additional device for discovering falsifications.

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7. Date/signature/authorisation

Where necessary, the issuing authority may affix here its signature and its stamp and/or require the
holder to affix his signature.

If this space is used, the date should be entered by means of three groups of two figures in the order
laid down in the third subparagraph of point 3.

Where the Member State’s legislation or practices require the affixing of an issuing-office stamp, the
stamp should be located in the rectangle bounded on the right by the right edge of the sticker, on the
left by the ‘Remarks' box, above by the emblem of the Member State and below by the machine-read-
able area.

It is also desirable that the stamp consist of a rectangle 1 cm high (cid:253) 2,5 cm wide showing the name of
the authority issuing the residence permit and the signature and/or the date. The signature and/or the
date should be framed on each side by three parallel horizontal lines, the middle one being half as long
as the other two.

8. Machine-readable area

The area reserved for machine reading (including codes indicating nationality or other status) shall be
completed in accordance with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), as
set out in the technical specification. On the second line, either the number of the permit or the
passport number shall be recorded. The three codes relating to the nationality or status of the permit
holder shall be entered in accordance with the list in the Appendix.

Member States shall notify the General Secretariat of the Council whether they intend to record the
permit or the passport number. The Secretariat will circulate this information to all Member States.

II. PROCEDURES FOR COMPLETION OF THE COMMON REFERENCE AREA OF THE
STAND-ALONE DOCUMENT IN THE UNIFORM FORMAT OF THE RESIDENCE PERMIT.

The format adopted for the stand-alone document is either the ID1 or ID2 format in accordance with ISO
standard 7810.1995. In both formats there are 12 boxes to be completed in accordance with the technical
specifications where appropriate.

A. FRONT

1. Permit No

The number of the document shall appear in this space preceded by a letter code, in accordance
with Part 2 of paragraph 3.2 (initial letter(s) as detailed in Part I, paragraph 3.2) of the technical
specifications.

2. Name

The surname(s) and first name(s) shall be inserted here in order.

3.

‘Valid until' space

The corresponding date of expiry shall be entered in this space or, if necessary, a word or a code
indicating unlimited validity.

Member States shall forward to the General Secretariat of the Council the various words or codes
referred to in the previous subparagraph, to enable the Secretariat to draw up a list for distribution
to all Member States. Such a list could also be used as an additional device for discovering
falsifications.

Where an expiry date is entered, the date must be entered by means of three groups of two figures
in the following order, two for the day, two for the month and two for the year, to be separated by a
hyphen, and the first figure shall be a nought where the number is lower than 10 (e.g. 15-01-96: 15
January 1996).

4. Place/date of issue

This space shall indicate the place and date of issue of the residence permit.

The date of issue shall be entered by means of three groups of two figures in the order laid down
in the third subparagraph of point 3.

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5. Type of permit

This space shall show the specific type of the residence permit issued by the Member State to the
national of a third country.

This space should not be harmonised because of disparities between the laws of the Member States.
However, Member States will forward to the General Secretariat of the Council the various
references they include in this space to enable the Secretariat to draw up a list for distribution to all
Member States. Such a list could also be used as an additional device for discovering falsifications.

6. Remarks

Member States may enter in this space information and remarks for national use which are
required by national provisions concerning nationals from third countries, incuding information
on authorisation to work.

Member States will forward to the General Secretariat of the Council the various permanent
references they include in this space to enable the Secretariat to draw up a list for distribution to all
Member States. Such a list could also be used as an additional device for discovering falsifications.

7. Date/signature/authorisation

Where necessary, the issuing authority may affix here its signature and its stamp and/or require the
holder to affix his signature.

If this space is used, the date should be entered by means of three groups of two figures in the
order laid down in the third subparagraph of point 3.

Where the Member State’s legislation or practices require the affixing of an issuing-office stamp,
the stamp could be located in the rectangle bounded on the right by the right edge of the stand-
alone document, on the left by the ‘Remarks' box, above by the emblem of the Member State and
below by the base of the card in the ID1 format, or by the machine-readable area in the ID2
format.

It is also desirable that the stamp consist of a rectangle 1 cm high (cid:253) 2,5 cm (1) wide showing the
name of the authority issuing the residence permit and the signature and/or the date; the signature
and/or the date should be framed on each side by three parallel horizontal lines, the middle one
being half as long as the other two.

B. BACK

Where there is a stand-alone document, the following additional references shall appear on the back.

8. Date and place of birth

Reference to the place and date of birth of the holder of the residence permit shall be entered here.

The place of birth shall be the name of the city, if known, as well as the country where the holder
of the permit was born. Reference to the country of birth must be given since the holder’s
nationality may be different from the country of his birth.

The date of birth shall be entered by means of three groups of two figures in the order laid down
in the third subparagraph of point 3.

9. Nationality

The nationality or any other status of the holder of the residence permit shall be entered here.

Reference to the nationality shall be by reference to the name of the country of which the
foreigner is a national, or to any other relevant status, e.g. Colombia.

10. Sex

The sex of the holder of the residence permit shall be entered here in accordance with ICAO
standards for the machine-readable zone.

Member States will forward to the General Secretariat of the Council the various references they
include in this box to enable the Secretariat to draw up a list for distribution to all Member States.
Such a list could also be used as an additional device for discovering falsifications.

(1) For ID1 format, these dimensions should be reduced by half.

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11. Remarks

Member States may enter in this box information and remarks for national use which are required
by national provisions concerning nationals from third countries, for example the holder’s address.

Member States will forward to the General Secretariat of the Council the various references they
include in this box to enable the Secretariat to draw up a list for distribution to all Member States.
Such a list could also be used as an additional device for discovering falsifications.

12. Machine-readable area

(on reverse side of the document in ID1 format and on the front of the document in ID2 format)

The area reserved for machine reading (including codes indicating nationality or other status) shall
be completed in accordance with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation
(ICAO), as set out in the technical specification. The three codes relating to the nationality or
status of the permit holder shall be entered in accordance with the list in the Appendix.

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Appendix

List of the codes for entering the nationality or status of the holder of the residence permit in the
machine-readable area

Country

Code

EUROPE

Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Georgia
Holy See (Vatican City State)
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Malta
Moldova, Republic of
Monaco
Poland
Romania
Russian Federation
San Marino
Slovakia
Slovenia
Switzerland
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Turkey
Ukraine
Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of

Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Congo, the Democratic Republic of the
Cote d’Ivoire
Djibouti
Egypt

ALB
AND
ARM
AZE
BLR
BIH
BGR
HRV
CYP
CZE
EST
GEO
VAT
HUN
LVA
LTU
MLT
MDA
MCO
POL
ROM
RUS
SMR
SVK
SVN
CHE
FRM
TUR
UKR
YUG

DZA
AGO
BEN
BWA
BFA
BDI
CMR
CPV
CAF
TCD
COM
COG
COD
CIV
DJI
EGY

AFRICA

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Country

Code

Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
S(cid:209)o Tom(cid:130) and Pr(cid:146)ncipe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania, United Republic of
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador

AMERICA

GNQ
ERI
ETH
GAB
GMB
GHA
GIN
GNB
KEN
LSO
LBR
LBY
MDG
MWI
MLI
MRT
MUS
MAR
MOZ
NAM
NER
NGA
RWA
STP
SEN
SYC
SLE
SOM
ZAF
SDN
SWZ
TZA
TGO
TUN
UGA
ZMB
ZWE

ATG
ARG
BHS
BRB
BLZ
BOL
BRA
CAN
CHL
COL
CRI
CUB
DMA
DOM
ECU

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Country

Code

ASIA

El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
United States of America
Uruguay
Venezuela

Afghanistan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
China
East Timor
India
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, Republic of
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Lebanon
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
Oman
Pakistan
Palestine
Philippines
Qatar

SLV
GRD
GTM
GUY
HTI
HND
JAM
MEX
NIC
PAN
PRY
PER
KNA
LCA
VCT
SUR
TTO
USA
URY
VEN

AFG
BHR
BGD
BTN
BRN
KHM
CHN (1)
TMP
IND
IDN
IRN
IRQ
ISR
JPN
JOR
KAZ
PRK
KOR
KWT
KGZ
LAO
LBN
MYS
MDV
MNG
MMR
NPL
OMN
PAK
*
PHA
QAT

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Country

Code

SAU
SGP
LKA
SYR
TJK
THA
TKM
ARE
UZB
VNM
YEM

AUS
FJI
KIR
MHL
FSM
NRU
NZL
PLW
PNG
WSM
SLB
TON
TUV
VUT

OCEANIA

Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan
Thailand
Turkmenistan
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen

Australia
Fiji
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Nauru
New Zealand
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu

(1) For residents of Hong Kong, the code HKG may be used.

The following codes are also used:

Stateless
Refugees (Convention of 28 July 1951)
Other refugees
International Committee of the Red Cross
UNHCR

XXA
XXB
XXC
CRC
UNR