Article 1 
Visas issued by the Member States in conformity with Article 5 shall be produced in the form of a uniform format (sticker). They shall conform to the specifications set out in the Annex.
Article 2 
1. Further technical specifications for the uniform format for visas relating to the following shall be established in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 6(2): (a) additional elements and security requirements including enhanced anti-forgery, counterfeiting and falsification standards; (b) technical standards and methods to be used for the filling in of the uniform visa. 2. The colours of the visa sticker may be changed in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 6(2). 3. In accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 6(2), it may be decided that the specifications referred to in Article 2 shall be secret and not be published. In that case they shall be made available only to the bodies designated by the Member States as responsible for the printing and to persons duly authorised by a Member State or the Commission.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL The uniform format for visas was initially developed in the intergovernmental Schengen cooperation and taken over into EU law with the adoption of Regulation No 1683/95 on a uniform format for visas. All Member States, including Denmark, United Kingdom and Ireland participated in this Regulation which was based on Article 100 (c) TEC introduced at Maastricht. The integration of the Schengen acquis into the Union and the introduction of “variable geometry” in Union law took place subsequently, on 1 May 1999, when the Amsterdam treaty entered into force. Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 laying down a uniform format for visas took over the design adopted by the Schengen states and sets out in its recitals that these documents have to contain all the necessary information and meet very high technical standards, notably as regards safeguards against counterfeiting and falsification. These measures were taken in the framework of fighting irregular migration. Since the introduction of the uniform format for visas, two substantial modifications to the initial Regulation have been adopted, which have contributed to the issuance of secure documents, fulfilling very high technical standards. The first amendment was introduced with Regulation (EC) No 334/2002 integrating a photograph produced according to high security standards as a first step towards the use of elements establishing a more reliable link between the visa sticker and the holder, as an important contribution to ensuring that the uniform format for visas was protected even against fraudulent use. The second amendment with Regulation (EC) No 856/2008 related primarily to an adaptation of the numbering in order to comply with the requirements of the Visa Information System (VIS). Whereas the security concept for the uniform visa format dates back to 1995, with the above mentioned modifications, high quality counterfeits have recently been detected in several Member States. It is therefore necessary to develop a new security concept and design for a future more secure visa. For a future visa concept it is important to take into account that the current EU visa document is part of the entire visa system including the Visa Information System (VIS), which is still in its roll-out phase. Regardless of the database system it is currently still necessary to have a physical document for the visa. There is still a need for the visa sticker, first because of all Multiple Entry Visas (MEV) which are issued with a long period of validity before the full roll-out of the VIS and secondly, because the uniform visa format is also used for the long stay D-Visas, which are not stored in the VIS and which will remain valid for several years. For those reasons a physical document for the visa sticker will still be necessary for years to come. Moreover, in relation to the current visa sticker, further improvement of the overall security is necessary, without increasing the costs for the document itself.
Revised version (Article 2 ):
2. The colours of the visa sticker may be changed in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 6(2). 3. In accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 6(2), it may be decided that the specifications referred to in Article 2 shall be secret and not be published. In that case they shall be made available only to the bodies designated by the Member States as responsible for the printing and to persons duly authorised by a Member State or the Commission.
Article 3 
2. Each Member State shall designate one body having responsibility for printing visas. It shall communicate the name of that body to the Commission and the other Member States. The same body may be designated by two or more Member States for this purpose. Each Member State shall be entitled to change its designated body. It shall inform the Commission and the other Member States accordingly.
Article 4 
1. Without prejudice to the relevant more extensive provisions concerning data protection, an individual to whom a visa is issued shall have the right to verify the personal particulars entered on the visa and, where appropriate, to ask for any corrections or deletions to be made. 2. No information in machine-readable form shall be given on the uniform format for visas unless it also appears in the boxes described in points 6 to 12 of the Annex, or unless it is mentioned in the relevant travel document.
Article 5 
For the purposes of this Regulation a ‘visa’ shall mean an authorization given by or a decision taken by a Member State which is required for entry into its territory with a view to: — an intended stay in that Member State or in several Member States of no more than three months in all, — transit through the territory or airport transit zone of that Member State or several Member States.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Grounds for and objectives of the proposal This proposal contains a number of amendments to Regulation (EC) No 562/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 establishing a Community Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code). These are the result of the experience gained during the first years of its application. The proposal also contains some closely related modifications to the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985. General context On 13 October 2006, Regulation (EC) No 562/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 establishing a Community Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code) entered into force. After four years of practical application, the need for a number of limited technical amendments has emerged. The main sources for these amendments are: - practical experiences of the Member States and the Commission in the application of the Schengen Borders Code, including the results of Schengen evaluations and the reports and requests submitted by Member States; - the Commission report of September 2009 on the operation of the provisions on stamping of the travel documents of third-country nationals in accordance with Articles 10 and 11 of the Schengen Borders Code (COM(2009) 489); - the Commission report of 13 October 2010 on the application of Title III (Internal Borders) of the Schengen Borders Code (COM(2010) 554); - consistency considerations linked to other recently adopted legislation, in particular the Visa Code (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of 13 July 2009) and the Return Directive (Directive 2008/115/EC of 16 December 2008). This proposal contains amendments that improve clarity and narrow the scope for divergent interpretations of the existing text as well as amendments responding to practical problems that have arisen during the first years of the Schengen Borders Code. Furthermore it provides for an explicit legal framework for bilateral agreements related to joint border checks on road traffic New policy initiatives, such as the creation of an EU Entry/Exit System and an EU Registered Traveller Programme, will be the subject of specific proposals to be discussed separately.
Revised version (Article 5 ):
For the purposes of this Regulation, ‘visa’ means a visa as defined in Article 2(2)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code) ( 1 ).
Article 6 
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee. 2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 5 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC ( 1 ) shall apply. The period laid down in Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at two months. 3. The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.
Article 7 
Where Member States use the uniform visa format for purposes other than those covered by Article 5, appropriate measures must be taken to ensure that confusion with the visa referred to in Article 5 is not possible.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL The uniform format for visas was initially developed in the intergovernmental Schengen cooperation and taken over into EU law with the adoption of Regulation No 1683/95 on a uniform format for visas. All Member States, including Denmark, United Kingdom and Ireland participated in this Regulation which was based on Article 100 (c) TEC introduced at Maastricht. The integration of the Schengen acquis into the Union and the introduction of “variable geometry” in Union law took place subsequently, on 1 May 1999, when the Amsterdam treaty entered into force. Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 laying down a uniform format for visas took over the design adopted by the Schengen states and sets out in its recitals that these documents have to contain all the necessary information and meet very high technical standards, notably as regards safeguards against counterfeiting and falsification. These measures were taken in the framework of fighting irregular migration. Since the introduction of the uniform format for visas, two substantial modifications to the initial Regulation have been adopted, which have contributed to the issuance of secure documents, fulfilling very high technical standards. The first amendment was introduced with Regulation (EC) No 334/2002 integrating a photograph produced according to high security standards as a first step towards the use of elements establishing a more reliable link between the visa sticker and the holder, as an important contribution to ensuring that the uniform format for visas was protected even against fraudulent use. The second amendment with Regulation (EC) No 856/2008 related primarily to an adaptation of the numbering in order to comply with the requirements of the Visa Information System (VIS). Whereas the security concept for the uniform visa format dates back to 1995, with the above mentioned modifications, high quality counterfeits have recently been detected in several Member States. It is therefore necessary to develop a new security concept and design for a future more secure visa. For a future visa concept it is important to take into account that the current EU visa document is part of the entire visa system including the Visa Information System (VIS), which is still in its roll-out phase. Regardless of the database system it is currently still necessary to have a physical document for the visa. There is still a need for the visa sticker, first because of all Multiple Entry Visas (MEV) which are issued with a long period of validity before the full roll-out of the VIS and secondly, because the uniform visa format is also used for the long stay D-Visas, which are not stored in the VIS and which will remain valid for several years. For those reasons a physical document for the visa sticker will still be necessary for years to come. Moreover, in relation to the current visa sticker, further improvement of the overall security is necessary, without increasing the costs for the document itself.
Revised version (Article 7 ):
Where Member States use the uniform visa format for purposes other than those covered by Article 5, appropriate measures must be taken to ensure that confusion with the visa referred to in Article 5 is not possible. Upon request from Ireland or the United Kingdom, the Commission shall enter into appropriate arrangements with the requesting Member State to exchange technical information referred to in Article 2 for the purposes of issuing national visas by the requesting Member State. Costs to which Ireland and the United Kingdom do not contribute in accordance with Article 5 of Protocol No 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, shall be borne by Ireland or the United Kingdom respectively if they make such a request.
Article 8 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities . Article 1 shall become applicable six months after the adoption of the measures referred to in Article 2. The integration of the photograph provided for in point 2a of the Annex shall be implemented at the latest five years after the adoption of the technical measures provided for the adoption of this measure in Article 2. This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL The uniform format for visas was initially developed in the intergovernmental Schengen cooperation and taken over into EU law with the adoption of Regulation No 1683/95 on a uniform format for visas. All Member States, including Denmark, United Kingdom and Ireland participated in this Regulation which was based on Article 100 (c) TEC introduced at Maastricht. The integration of the Schengen acquis into the Union and the introduction of “variable geometry” in Union law took place subsequently, on 1 May 1999, when the Amsterdam treaty entered into force. Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 laying down a uniform format for visas took over the design adopted by the Schengen states and sets out in its recitals that these documents have to contain all the necessary information and meet very high technical standards, notably as regards safeguards against counterfeiting and falsification. These measures were taken in the framework of fighting irregular migration. Since the introduction of the uniform format for visas, two substantial modifications to the initial Regulation have been adopted, which have contributed to the issuance of secure documents, fulfilling very high technical standards. The first amendment was introduced with Regulation (EC) No 334/2002 integrating a photograph produced according to high security standards as a first step towards the use of elements establishing a more reliable link between the visa sticker and the holder, as an important contribution to ensuring that the uniform format for visas was protected even against fraudulent use. The second amendment with Regulation (EC) No 856/2008 related primarily to an adaptation of the numbering in order to comply with the requirements of the Visa Information System (VIS). Whereas the security concept for the uniform visa format dates back to 1995, with the above mentioned modifications, high quality counterfeits have recently been detected in several Member States. It is therefore necessary to develop a new security concept and design for a future more secure visa. For a future visa concept it is important to take into account that the current EU visa document is part of the entire visa system including the Visa Information System (VIS), which is still in its roll-out phase. Regardless of the database system it is currently still necessary to have a physical document for the visa. There is still a need for the visa sticker, first because of all Multiple Entry Visas (MEV) which are issued with a long period of validity before the full roll-out of the VIS and secondly, because the uniform visa format is also used for the long stay D-Visas, which are not stored in the VIS and which will remain valid for several years. For those reasons a physical document for the visa sticker will still be necessary for years to come. Moreover, in relation to the current visa sticker, further improvement of the overall security is necessary, without increasing the costs for the document itself.
Revised version (Article 8 ):
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities . Article 1 shall become applicable six months after the adoption of the measures referred to in Article 2. The integration of the photograph provided for in point 2a of the Annex shall be implemented at the latest five years after the adoption of the technical measures provided for the adoption of this measure in Article 2.