TITLE IVU.K. ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATION
Article 37U.K.Organisation of visa sections
1.Member States shall be responsible for organising the visa sections of their consulates.
In order to prevent any decline in the level of vigilance and to protect staff from being exposed to pressure at local level, rotation schemes for staff dealing directly with applicants shall be set up, where appropriate. Particular attention shall be paid to clear work structures and a distinct allocation/division of responsibilities in relation to the taking of final decisions on applications. Access to consultation of the VIS and the SIS and other confidential information shall be restricted to a limited number of duly authorised staff. Appropriate measures shall be taken to prevent unauthorised access to such databases.
[F12. The storage and handling of visa stickers shall be subject to adequate security measures to avoid fraud or loss. Each consulate shall keep an account of its stock of visa stickers and register how each visa sticker has been used. Any significant loss of blank visa stickers shall be reported to the Commission.
3. Consulates or central authorities shall keep archives of applications in paper or electronic format. Each individual file shall contain the relevant information allowing for a reconstruction, if need be, of the background for the decision taken on the application.
Individual application files shall be kept for a minimum of one year from the date of the decision on the application as referred to in Article 23(1) or, in the case of appeal, until the end of the appeal procedure, whichever is the longest. If applicable, the individual electronic application files shall be kept for the period of validity of the issued visa.]
Textual Amendments
Article 38U.K. [F1Resources for examining applications and monitoring visa procedures]
[F11. Member States shall deploy appropriate staff in sufficient numbers in consulates to carry out the tasks relating to the examination of applications, in such a way as to ensure a reasonable and harmonised quality of service to the public.]
[F21a. Member States shall ensure that the entire visa procedure in consulates, including the lodging and handling of applications, the printing of visa stickers and the practical cooperation with external service providers, is monitored by expatriate staff to ensure the integrity of all stages of the procedure.]
2.Premises shall meet appropriate functional requirements of adequacy and allow for appropriate security measures.
[F13. Member States' central authorities shall provide adequate training to both expatriate staff and locally employed staff and shall be responsible for providing them with complete, precise and up-to-date information on the relevant Union and national law.]
[F23a. Where applications are examined and decided on by central authorities as referred to in Article 4(1a), the Member States shall provide specific training to ensure that the staff of those central authorities have sufficient and updated country-specific knowledge of local socio-economic circumstances, and complete, precise and up-to-date information on relevant Union and national law.
3b. Member States shall also ensure that consulates have sufficient and adequately trained staff for assisting the central authorities in examining and deciding on applications, notably by participating in local Schengen cooperation meetings, exchanging information with other consulates and local authorities, gathering relevant information locally on migratory risk and fraudulent practices, and conducting interviews and additional examinations.]
4.Member States’ central authorities shall ensure frequent and adequate monitoring of the conduct of examination of applications and take corrective measures when deviations from the provisions of this Regulation are detected.
[F25. Member States shall ensure that a procedure is in place which allows applicants to submit complaints regarding:
(a) the conduct of staff at consulates and, where applicable, of the external service providers; or
(b) the application process.
Consulates or central authorities shall keep a record of complaints and the follow-up given.
Member States shall make information on the procedure provided for in this paragraph available to the public.]
Textual Amendments
Article 39U.K.Conduct of staff
1.Member States’ consulates shall ensure that applicants are received courteously.
[F12. Consular and central authorities' staff shall, in the performance of their duties, fully respect human dignity. Any measures taken shall be proportionate to the objectives pursued by such measures.
3. While performing their tasks, consular and central authorities' staff shall not discriminate against persons on grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.]
Textual Amendments
[F1Article 40 U.K. Consular organisation and cooperation
1. Each Member State shall be responsible for organising the procedures relating to applications.
2. Member States shall:
(a) equip their consulates and authorities responsible for issuing visas at the borders with the requisite material for the collection of biometric identifiers, as well as the offices of their honorary consuls, where they make use of them, to collect biometric identifiers in accordance with Article 42;
(b) cooperate with one or more other Member States under representation arrangements or any other form of consular cooperation.
3. A Member State may also cooperate with an external service provider in accordance with Article 43.
4. Member States shall notify to the Commission their consular organisation and cooperation in each consular location.
5. In the event of termination of cooperation with other Member States, Member States shall strive to assure the continuity of full service.]
Textual Amendments
F3Article 41U.K. [F3Cooperation between Member States]
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Textual Amendments
Article 42U.K.Recourse to honorary consuls
1.Honorary consuls may also be authorised to perform some or all of the tasks referred to in Article 43(6). Adequate measures shall be taken to ensure security and data protection.
2.Where the honorary consul is not a civil servant of a Member State, the performance of those tasks shall comply with the requirements set out in Annex X, except for the provisions in point D(c) of that Annex.
3.Where the honorary consul is a civil servant of a Member State, the Member State concerned shall ensure that requirements comparable to those which would apply if the tasks were performed by its consulate are applied.
Article 43U.K.Cooperation with external service providers
1.Member States shall endeavour to cooperate with an external service provider together with one or more Member States, without prejudice to public procurement and competition rules.
2.Cooperation with an external service provider shall be based on a legal instrument that shall comply with the requirements set out in Annex X.
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4.The examination of applications, interviews (where appropriate), the decision on applications and the printing and affixing of visa stickers shall be carried out only by the consulate.
[F15. External service providers shall not have access to the VIS under any circumstances. Access to the VIS shall be reserved exclusively to duly authorised staff of consulates or of the central authorities.]
6.An external service provider may be entrusted with the performance of one or more of the following tasks:
[F1(a) providing general information on visa requirements, in accordance with points (a) to (c) of Article 47(1), and application forms;]
(b)informing the applicant of the required supporting documents, on the basis of a checklist;
[F1(c) collecting data and applications (including collection of biometric identifiers) and transmitting the application to the consulate or the central authorities;]
(d)collecting the visa fee;
[F1(e) managing the appointments for the applicant, where applicable, at the consulate or at the premises of an external service provider;
(f) collecting the travel documents, including a refusal notification if applicable, from the consulate or the central authorities and returning them to the applicant.]
[F17. When selecting an external service provider, the Member State concerned shall assess the reliability and solvency of the organisation or company and ensure that there is no conflict of interests. The assessment shall include, as appropriate, scrutiny of the necessary licences, commercial registration, statutes and bank contracts.]
8.The Member State(s) concerned shall ensure that the external service provider selected complies with the terms and conditions assigned to it in the legal instrument referred to in paragraph 2.
[F19. Member States shall be responsible for compliance with the rules on the protection of personal data and ensure that the external service provider is subject to monitoring by the data protection supervisory authorities pursuant to Article 51(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) .]
10.The Member State(s) concerned shall provide training to the external service provider, corresponding to the knowledge needed to offer an appropriate service and sufficient information to applicants.
11.The Member State(s) concerned shall closely monitor the implementation of the legal instrument referred to in paragraph 2, including:
[F1(a) the general information on the criteria, conditions and procedures for applying for a visa, as set out in points (a) to (c) of Article 47(1), and the content of the application forms provided by the external service provider to applicants;
(b) all the technical and organisational security measures required to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction or accidental loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access, in particular where the cooperation involves the transmission of files and data to the consulate or the central authorities of the Member State(s) concerned, and all other unlawful forms of processing personal data;]
(c)the collection and transmission of biometric identifiers;
(d)the measures taken to ensure compliance with data protection provisions.
[F1To this end, the consulate(s) or the central authorities of the Member State(s) concerned shall, on a regular basis and at least every nine months, carry out spot checks on the premises of the external service provider. Member States may agree to share the burden of this regular monitoring.]
[F211a. By 1 February each year, Member States shall report to the Commission on their cooperation with, and monitoring, as referred to in point C of Annex X, of external service providers worldwide.]
12.In the event of termination of cooperation with an external service provider, Member States shall ensure the continuity of full service.
13.Member States shall provide the Commission with a copy of the legal instrument referred to in paragraph 2.
Textual Amendments
F1 Substituted by Regulation (EU) 2019/1155 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 amending Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code).
[F1Article 44 U.K. Encryption and secure transfer of data
1. In the case of cooperation among Member States and cooperation with an external service provider and recourse to honorary consuls, the Member State(s) concerned shall ensure that data are fully encrypted, whether transferred electronically or physically on an electronic storage medium.
2. In third countries that prohibit the encrypted data to be electronically transferred, the Member State(s) concerned shall not allow data to be transferred electronically.
In such cases, the Member State(s) concerned shall ensure that the electronic data are transferred physically in fully encrypted form on an electronic storage medium by a consular officer of a Member State or, where such transfer would require disproportionate or unreasonable measures, in another safe and secure way, for example by using established operators experienced in transporting sensitive documents and data in the third country concerned.
3. In all cases the level of security for the transfer shall be adapted to the sensitive nature of the data.]
Textual Amendments
Article 45U.K.Member States’ cooperation with commercial intermediaries
1.Member States may cooperate with commercial intermediaries for the lodging of applications, except for the collection of biometric identifiers.
2.Such cooperation shall be based on the granting of an accreditation by Member States’ relevant authorities. The accreditation shall, in particular, be based on the verification of the following aspects:
(a)the current status of the commercial intermediary: current licence, the commercial register, contracts with banks;
(b)existing contracts with commercial partners based in the Member States offering accommodation and other package tour services;
(c)contracts with transport companies, which must include an outward journey, as well as a guaranteed and fixed return journey.
[F13. Accredited commercial intermediaries shall be monitored regularly by spot checks involving face-to-face or telephone interviews with applicants, the verification of trips and accommodation, and wherever deemed necessary, the verification of the documents relating to group return.]
4.Within local Schengen cooperation, information shall be exchanged on the performance of the accredited commercial intermediaries concerning irregularities detected and refusal of applications submitted by commercial intermediaries, and on detected forms of travel document fraud and failure to carry out scheduled trips.
5.Within local Schengen cooperation, lists shall be exchanged of commercial intermediaries to which accreditation has been given by each consulate and from which accreditation has been withdrawn, together with the reasons for any such withdrawal.
[F1Each consulate and the central authorities shall make sure that the public is informed of the list of accredited commercial intermediaries with which they cooperate, where relevant.]
Textual Amendments
Article 46U.K.Compilation of statistics
Member States shall compile annual statistics on visas, in accordance with the table set out in Annex XII. These statistics shall be submitted by 1 March for the preceding calendar year.
Article 47U.K.Information to the general public
1.Member States’ central authorities and consulates shall provide the general public with all relevant information in relation to the application for a visa, in particular:
(a)the criteria, conditions and procedures for applying for a visa;
[F2(aa) the criteria for an application to be considered admissible, as provided for in Article 19(1);
(ab) that biometric data are, in principle, to be collected every 59 months, starting from the date of the first collection;]
(b)the means of obtaining an appointment, if applicable;
[F1(c) where the application may be submitted (competent consulate or external service provider);]
(d)accredited commercial intermediaries;
(e)the fact that the stamp as provided for in Article 20 has no legal implications;
(f)the time limits for examining applications provided for in Article 23(1), (2) and (3);
(g)the third countries whose nationals or specific categories of whose nationals are subject to prior consultation or information;
(h)that negative decisions on applications must be notified to the applicant, that such decisions must state the reasons on which they are based and that applicants whose applications are refused have a right to appeal, with information regarding the procedure to be followed in the event of an appeal, including the competent authority, as well as the time limit for lodging an appeal;
(i)that mere possession of a visa does not confer an automatic right of entry and that the holders of visa are requested to present proof that they fulfil the entry conditions at the external border, as provided for in Article 5 of the Schengen Borders Code[F1;]
[F2(j) information on the complaints procedure provided for in Article 38(5).]
2.The representing and represented Member State shall inform the general public about representation arrangements as referred to in Article 8 before such arrangements enter into force.
Textual Amendments
[F1Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) ( OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1 ).]