Worldway Comprehensive News: According to official EU announcements, the EU mandates that effective October 12, 2015, all applicants must appear in person at a visa center when applying for a Schengen visa to provide biometric data (fingerprints of all ten fingers and a digital photograph). Submission via third-party representatives or by mail will only be applicable to applicants whose fingerprints have already been collected. So, what changes will this new regulation bring?
Interpretation of the New Policy: What changes are there for European Schengen regulations after October 12?
Embassies and consulates of European Schengen countries have issued announcements stating that "effective October 12, 2015, all visa applicants will be required to provide biometric data, namely fingerprints of all ten fingers and a digital photograph, when applying for a Schengen visa." The reason is that starting October 12, the "Visa Information System" (VIS) will be implemented in China, Japan, South Korea, and Mongolia. This system is used for exchanging visa data between Schengen countries, aiming to simplify the application process, facilitate border checks for entry into the Schengen Area, and enhance security for applicants.
After this regulation is introduced, it means that applying for a Schengen visa will require an additional step, similar to the UK visa process. In the future, applicants must appear "in person" to submit their application and provide fingerprints at the embassy, consulate, or visa service center. Additionally, according to the new EU regulations, not all applicants are required to provide fingerprints after October 12; exemptions from the fingerprinting procedure include children under the age of 12 and individuals whose physical condition makes fingerprinting impossible.
Collection Details: How is fingerprint collection conducted?
In layman's terms, biometric fingerprint collection is what Chinese people commonly refer to as "giving fingerprints." According to the regulations, applicants should provide their fingerprints at the visa application center or the visa section of the embassy/consulate in their city of residence. It is important to note that after October 12, the consular jurisdiction divisions for European Schengen countries remain unchanged. Visa submission and fingerprint collection must take place at the same location; for example, you cannot submit an application at Visa Center A and then go to Visa Center B at a different time to provide fingerprints. According to the requirements, the biometric visa application collects fingerprints from all ten fingers. To ensure quality, each fingerprint must be collected three times. During collection, the hand must be placed flat on the scanner's glass surface, and pressure should be applied evenly across all fingers. Once collection is successful, the visa will display the word "VIS (Visa Information System)", indicating that the fingerprints have been successfully saved. This means that when applying again within 59 months after this "fingerprinting," the fingerprints can be copied from the central database.
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