Visa information system (VIS)
The purpose of the Visa Information System (VIS) is to improve the implementation of the common visa policy, consular cooperation and consultations of central visa authorities by facilitating the exchange of information between the Member States of the European Union.
of visas requests in average by month
and more than 3.5 million first-line checks were processed through the VIS core system in the first 9 months of 2019.
The Visa Information System (VIS) is used for the review of short-stay visa applications and decisions to deny, extend, cancel, or revoke visas, as well as visa verifications and verifications and identifications of applicants and visa holders in order:
- to facilitate the visa application procedure;
- to prevent multiple visa application;
- to facilitate the fight against fraud;
- to facilitate checks at external border crossing points and within the territory of the Member States;
- to assist in the identification of any person who may not, or may no longer, fulfil the conditions for entry to, stay or residence on the territory of the Member States;
- to facilitate the application of the Dublin II regulation for the determination of the country of the European Union responsible of the check of an asilum request made by a citizen from a foreign country and for the check of the said request;
- to contribute to the prevention of threats to the internal security of any of the Member States.
The informational system VIS is composed of:
- the euLISA agency, a central system; the operational management is carried out by a management authority, financed by the European Union budget.
- a communication infrastructure between the central VIS and the national interfaces.
Who is responsible for the file?
Criteria for inclusion in this file
Who can register?
Information contained in this file
How long is the information kept?
Who consults this file?
How are people informed?
How to exercise your rights?
For RMV2 processing, data subjects may exercise their rights at the diplomatic or consular representation, the prefecture or the State representation in New Caledonia, French Polynesia and the Wallis and Futuna Islands, where the visa application was submitted, or at the sub-directorate for visas of the Ministry of Immigration.
For France-Visas processing:
For visa applications lodged outside French territory, at the diplomatic or consular representation to which the application is submitted, the Immigration Department of the Ministry of the Interior or the Department of French Nationals Abroad and Consular Administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
In the case of visa applications submitted on French territory, to the central directorate of the border police and the prefecture.
The above-mentioned services, upon receiving requests to exercise the right of rectification, shall inform the applicants in writing and free of charge of any rectifications they have made.
In case of VISABIO processing:
Data subjects may exercise their rights with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Directorate of French Nationals Abroad and Consular Administration), the Ministry of Immigration (Directorate of Immigration) or the department where the visa application was submitted.
Control of the file
National Data Protection Authorities (DPA) shall monitor independently the lawfulness of the process implemented by the State member, including data transmitted from the VIS to the latter. An audit of data processing activities is carried out every four years minimum, which must comply to international norms in terms of audit.
The European Data Protection Supervisor is responsible for supervising the personal data processing activities carried out by the Management Authority, the dedicated European agency euLISA.
In order to ensure the coordination of the supervision of the Visa Information System, representatives of national data protection authorities (DPA) and the European Data Protection Supervisor usually meet twice a year in a VIS Supervision Coordination Group.
The national data protection authorities ('national DPAs') represented are those of the 28 Member States, with Ireland and the UK participating as observers. The national DPAs of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are also part of the group, as their countries also participate in the system.
For more information on the meetings of the VIS Coordination Group, please visit the European Data Protection Supervisor's website, the minutes of the meetings as well as the recently adopted documents.
Official texts
- Council Decision of 8 June 2004 establishing the Visa Information System (VIS)
- Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 concerning the Visa Information System (VIS) and the exchange of data between Member States on short-stay visas (VIS Regulation)
- Council Decision 2008/633/JHA of 23 June 2008 concerning access for consultation of the Visa Information System by designated authorities of Member States and by European Police Office (Europol)
- Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas
- Order (“Arrêté”) of 22 August 2001 creating a computerised processing of nominative information relating to the issue of visas in diplomatic and consular posts (in French)
- Decree n°2007-1560 of 2 November 2007 (in French)
- Decree n°2013-147 of 18 February 2013 (in French)
CNIL's decisions (in French)
- Deliberation No. 2020-035 of 19 March 2020 on a draft decree relating to the processing of personal data relating to foreigners applying for a visa (VISABIO)
- Deliberation No. 2017-151 of 18 May 2017 giving an opinion on a draft order creating an automated processing of personal data relating to foreigners applying for a visa, called France Visas (request for opinion n° AV)
- Deliberation No. 2007-195 of 10 July 2007 on the draft decree taken for the application of Article L. 611-6 of the code on the entry and residence of foreigners and the right to asylum, creating an automated processing of personal data
- Deliberation No. 2004-075 of 5 October 2004. Deliberation on the draft decree in the Council of State taken for the application of Article 8-4 of the Order of 2 November 1945 relating to the conditions of entry and residence of foreigners in France
- Deliberation n°01-019 of 15 May 2001. Deliberation relating to a draft order creating a computerised system for issuing visas in diplomatic and consular posts implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs