Visa Information System (VIS) technical report

The Visa Information System (VIS) is a system for the exchange of visa data among Schengen Member States. VIS connects consulates in non-EU countries and all external border crossing points of Schengen States. It processes data and decisions relating to applications for short-stay visas to visit; or to transit through; the Schengen Area. The system can perform biometric matching; primarily of fingerprints; for identification and verification purposes. It contains full personal data; including fingerprints and face image. The countries using the system are the Schengen states, namely the 22 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden) and 4 Associated Countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).​​