COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Visa Information System (VIS), the use of fingerprints at external borders and the use of biometrics in the visa application procedure/REFIT Evaluation
Date: 2016-10-14
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU visa policy, biometrics, border control, data collection, data protection, data transmission, external border of the EU, information system, personal data, right of asylum

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 14.10.2016  SWD(2016) 327 final   COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION  Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Visa Information System (VIS), the use of fingerprints at external borders and the use of biometrics in the visa application procedure/REFIT Evaluation  {COM(2016) 655 final} {SWD(2016) 328 final}  
 
 
The evaluation of the Visa Information System (VIS) looked into the legal framework of the 
VIS  and  examined  whether  this  instrument  is  fit  for  purpose,  delivers  on  its  objectives  at 
reasonable cost, is relevant, coherent and has EU added value. 

The evaluation shows that the VIS was effective in meeting its objectives of: 

facilitating the visa application procedure; 

 
  preventing  the  bypassing  of  the  criteria  for  determining  which  Member  State  is 

responsible for examining a visa application; 

  helping to fight fraud; 
 

facilitating  checks  at  external  border  crossing  points  and  within  the  territory  of  the 
Member States; 

  helping identify any person who may not, or may no longer, fulfil the conditions for 

entry to, stay or residence in the Member States; 
facilitating the application of the Dublin III Regulation1; and 

 
  helping prevent threats to the internal security of any of the Member States. 

The  technologically  advanced  VIS  introduces  digital  facial  images  and  fingerprints  and  is 
therefore a significant tool for tackling past challenges related to fraud (such as trying to use 
someone else’s visa) and abuse of the Schengen visa. A sizeable majority of the responding 
Member  States2  —  84.2 %  —  agreed  that  the  introduction  of  the  VIS  facilitated  the  fight 
against visa fraud. 

The  procedure  for  collecting  fingerprints  is  relatively  simple  and  discreet.  To  give 
fingerprints, the applicant only has to place his or her fingers on a digital scanner. Although 
authorities  and  applicants  agree  that  the  VIS  made  the  application  procedure  slower  and 
lengthier  due  to  the  need  to  register  alphanumeric  and  biometric  data,  overall  the  VIS  has 
sped  up  the  processing  of  visa  applications  by  providing  a  quick  and  reliable  means  of 
verifying  the  applicant’s  visa  history  and  assessing  irregular  migration  and  security  risks. 
Over  70 %  of  responding  Member  States  considered  that  the  introduction  of  the  VIS 
facilitated the visa application procedure. 

If someone applies for a new visa within five years, their fingerprints are as a rule, though not 
always,  copied  from  the  previous  application  in  the  VIS  and  not  collected  anew.  The 
obligation to erase applicants’ data, including biometrics, by the five-year term set by the VIS 
Regulation  could  not  be  checked  because  the  system  was  evaluated  before  this  deadline 
(October  2016).  In  general,  national  authorities  have  not  recorded  any  data  protection 
complaints. Although there was some degree of resistance to fingerprint-taking, in particular 
at the beginning of the process and in certain regions or by certain categories of applicants, 
the procedure is generally well accepted by applicants. 

Since  October  2014,  the  identity  of the  visa  holder  and the authenticity of  the  visa must  be 
systematically  checked  by  the  Schengen  states’  border  guards  when  a  visa  holder  arrives  at 
the  external  border.  This  helps  to  avoid  the  risk  of  visa  fraud  by  allowing  quick,  safe  and 

1   Regulation 604/2013 (the ‘Dublin III Regulation’, replacing Regulation (EC) No 343/2003). 
2   References to ‘responding Member States’ in this paper refer to countries responding to the VIS evaluation 

questionnaire referred to in Section 5 ‘Method’ on p. 20 of the CSWD. 

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secure  biometric  verifications,  but  also  makes  checks  at  external  borders  more  efficient  and 
enhances  overall  border  security.  Thus,  the  substantial  majority  of  the  responding  Member 
States  (73.5 %)  considered  that  the  introduction  of  the  VIS  facilitated  checks  at  external 
border crossing points and within the territory of the Member States. 

Thanks to the VIS, it takes just a few seconds to verify the identity of a visa holder at borders. 
This helps prevent and fight fraudulent use of visas and avoid identity theft. At the same time, 
visa  applicants  have  their  applications  processed  much  faster  and  this  benefits  bona  fide 
travellers. 

A vast majority of responding Member States — 78.9 % — were of the opinion that the VIS 
helps  with  the  identification  of  persons  who  do  not,  or  no  longer,  fulfil  the  conditions  for 
entry to or stay or residence in the Member States. 

The majority of the responding Member States — 63 % — consider that introducing the VIS 
had  a  positive  impact  and  helped  apply  the  Dublin  Regulation  determining  which  Member 
State is responsible for examining an asylum application. 

Finally,  all  responding  Member  States  which  used  the  VIS  for  law  enforcement  purposes 
(although  Member  States  should  be  encouraged  to  use  it  more  extensively)  considered  that 
introducing the VIS had a positive impact on the prevention of threats to the internal security 
of  the  Member  States.  The  VIS  helps  prevent  threats  by  providing  law  enforcement 
authorities with access to consult the VIS to help them prevent, detect and investigate terrorist 
offences and other serious criminal offences. 

The  evaluation  found  that  setting  up  the  VIS  as  one  of  the  most  technologically  advanced 
systems of its kind was efficient. The central system cost approximately EUR 160 million to 
develop  and  national  costs  (including  the  equipment  of  the  consular  network)  total  almost 
EUR 600  million  (of  which  EUR 140  million  in  European  funding  through  the  European 
Border  Fund).  With  a  Schengen  visa  fee  of  EUR 60  per  application,  13  million  visa 
applications would have been necessary to amortise this cost. This number has certainly been 
exceeded. 

The  VIS  has  proven  its  utility  by  providing  all its  intended services in  a  quick  and  reliable 
manner and addressing the needs, problems and issues it was set up to tackle. 

The  assessment  of  the  continuing  validity  of  the  VIS  as  an  instrument  supporting  the 
implementation of the common EU visa policy, through biometric matching for identification 
and  verification  purposes  shows  that  the  VIS  is  essential  for  the  good  functioning  of  the 
common visa policy and that it supports the common area of free movement. 

Although some initial resistance to using the VIS system was met in certain third countries, it 
is  now  universally  accepted  as  the  EU  central  tool  for  managing  the  visa  application 
procedure. Although the VIS is not yet used to its full capacity by asylum or law enforcement 
authorities  throughout  the  EU,  it  is  increasingly  accepted  as  part  not  only  of  the  visa 
procedure, but also of the procedures involved in borders, asylum and police investigations. 

The VIS’s objectives are to facilitate the visa procedure and checks at borders and within the 
territory  to  ascertain  whether  the  conditions  for  entry  to  or  stay  or  residence  in  the  EU  are 

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fulfilled. As such, the VIS is coherent with other EU policies and contributes to the wider 
objectives of the area of free movement. 

The  VIS  is  also  fully  coherent  with  the  return  and  asylum  polices,  as  well  as  with  the  EU-
wide coordination efforts of the police to prevent, detect and investigate terrorist offences and 
other serious crimes. The evaluation has not identified any possible conflicts with other policy 
fields, including in the area of international trade relations. 

The  VIS  adds  value  to  the  area  of  free  movement  and  in  particular  to  the  common  visa 
policy.  This  is  because  of  the  level  of  harmonisation  it  ensures  and  because  it  makes  it 
possible  for  visa,  border,  asylum  and  police  authorities  to  access  data  that  would  otherwise 
not be available if sourced only at national level. 

The evaluation concludes that the VIS meets its objectives and functions well. The VIS 
improves the reliability of visa processing by detecting cases of ‘visa shopping’ and visa 
fraud  at  borders,  making  them  virtually  impossible  thanks  to  the  use  of  biometrics. 
Hence, it has strengthened trust among Member States. The VIS’s benefits outweigh its 
costs, it remains relevant and continues to have EU added value. 

Based  on  these  findings,  it  is  recommended  that  the  VIS  be  maintained  and  further 
developed, including along the lines herewith suggested by the Commission, to respond 
to the new challenges in visa, border and migration policy. 

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