As an increasing number of people are travelling, it is becoming more and more important to verify the identity of the travellers. A pilot project involving a selected number of foreign service missions will adapt the use of biometric identifiers from September 24.More countries will be requiring biometric contents in the identification papers of those travelling. The same requirements will be valid for people applying for residence permit or those who require visa to travel.
After the terrorist attack in New York on September 11 2001, the Council of the European Union decided to invite the European Commission to come with proposals on how to exchange information when visas are issued. This implied that a resolution was made to develop a European Visa Information System (VIS). The establishment of VIS was seen as a comprehensive effort to bring stability and security.
The data base will contain the necessary information such as names, nationality, date of birth and biometric data about the applicant. In addition, relevant information about the reference person such as name and address will be saved in the database. It is only the individual countries’ visa authorities who will have the right to register information, change and delete information in the system. Other authorized institutions will have a limited access to the system -”a read access". This can be relevant in the case of border control and the Dublin Cooperation. Any access to the system will occur in conjunction with the regulations concerning the protection of personal information. All the information about an applicant will be deleted after five years, or if the person in the mean time has become a citizen of an EU/Schengen country.
To secure the necessary verification and identification of visa applicants, it is important to process biometric data in VIS. Biometric personal information are unique physical characteristics associated with a person, such as facial expressions, finger prints and pattern of the iris. This is used to identify the person or verify the authenticity of an identity card or passport, for example.
Personal information for visa applicants will be saved in VIS. This includes biometric information such as 10 finger prints and a digital photo. Written information such as name, address and profession of an applicant, as well as date and place where the application is submitted will be saved in the system. In addition, the decision of the member country that either approves, rejects, stop processing the case, withdraws the case or extends the visa will be also be saved in VIS.
Starting datel, September 24
Monday September 24, the pilot project takes off and from this date, biometric kiosks will be found in five foreign service missions in Stockholm, London, Kiev, Nairobi and Cairo. The biometric kiosks are a advanced photo automats that will be used for both visa applications and applications for passport. In addition to digital photo, an applicant can take digital finger prints by the help of optical sensor in the biometric kiosk.
- The aim of the biometric project is to try the new biometric kiosks and gather the knowledge about how they can be adapted to UDI's national systems such as DUF and NORVIS, says Tom Halvorsen Senior Advisor in the Department of E-Government at the UDI.
-The NORVIS project which is Norway's visa database is built to be able to use personal information that contains both pictures and finger prints, he adds. In the course of the summer in 2009 NORVIS will be connected to the EU/Schengen’s central VIS database.
Finger print will be deleted
As of today, there are no regulations that make it possible for the immigration authorities to obtain personal information through the use of biometry at the foreign service missions.
- The pilot project will continue until the beginning of 2008. Finger prints and pictures will be saved in NORVIS during this period together with the visa applications. Halvorsen emphasises that, all the finger prints will be deleted when the pilot project terminates.
Changes in the regulations are under way from The Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion (AID) The final changes in the law that will make it possible to use personal information such as biometry are in progress and will be available from the AID in the course of 2008. However, the use of biometry at the foreign service missions will not start before the VIS database is fully extended to 90 foreign service missions by the summer of 2009.
The data base will contain the necessary information such as names, nationality, date of birth and biometric data about the applicant. In addition, relevant information about the reference person such as name and address will be saved in the database. It is only the individual countries’ visa authorities who will have the right to register information, change and delete information in the system. Other authorized institutions will have a limited access to the system -”a read access". This can be relevant in the case of border control and the Dublin Cooperation. Any access to the system will occur in conjunction with the regulations concerning the protection of personal information. All the information about an applicant will be deleted after five years, or if the person in the mean time has become a citizen of an EU/Schengen country.
To secure the necessary verification and identification of visa applicants, it is important to process biometric data in VIS. Biometric personal information are unique physical characteristics associated with a person, such as facial expressions, finger prints and pattern of the iris. This is used to identify the person or verify the authenticity of an identity card or passport, for example.
Personal information for visa applicants will be saved in VIS. This includes biometric information such as 10 finger prints and a digital photo. Written information such as name, address and profession of an applicant, as well as date and place where the application is submitted will be saved in the system. In addition, the decision of the member country that either approves, rejects, stop processing the case, withdraws the case or extends the visa will be also be saved in VIS.
Starting datel, September 24
Monday September 24, the pilot project takes off and from this date, biometric kiosks will be found in five foreign service missions in Stockholm, London, Kiev, Nairobi and Cairo. The biometric kiosks are a advanced photo automats that will be used for both visa applications and applications for passport. In addition to digital photo, an applicant can take digital finger prints by the help of optical sensor in the biometric kiosk.
- The aim of the biometric project is to try the new biometric kiosks and gather the knowledge about how they can be adapted to UDI's national systems such as DUF and NORVIS, says Tom Halvorsen Senior Advisor in the Department of E-Government at the UDI.
-The NORVIS project which is Norway's visa database is built to be able to use personal information that contains both pictures and finger prints, he adds. In the course of the summer in 2009 NORVIS will be connected to the EU/Schengen’s central VIS database.
Finger print will be deleted
As of today, there are no regulations that make it possible for the immigration authorities to obtain personal information through the use of biometry at the foreign service missions.
- The pilot project will continue until the beginning of 2008. Finger prints and pictures will be saved in NORVIS during this period together with the visa applications. Halvorsen emphasises that, all the finger prints will be deleted when the pilot project terminates.
Changes in the regulations are under way from The Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion (AID) The final changes in the law that will make it possible to use personal information such as biometry are in progress and will be available from the AID in the course of 2008. However, the use of biometry at the foreign service missions will not start before the VIS database is fully extended to 90 foreign service missions by the summer of 2009.
Last updated: 11.10.2007
Published: 11.10.2007
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