As of 15 May 2014 the EU Visa Information System (VIS) will be enforced. The VIS is a system for the exchange of data on short-stay visas between Schengen States and it is being progressively deployed, region by region, until all Schengen States' consulates worldwide are connected.
It is a simple and discreet procedure that is carried out directly at the Embassy and only takes a few minutes. Visa applicants nationals and non-nationals resident in Trinidad and Tobago will have to provide their biometric data (a digital photograph and 10 fingerprint scans). Such biometric data, along with the data provided in the Schengen visa application form, will be recorded in the VIS central database. The recourse to biometric technology will protect visa applicants better against identity theft and prevent false identifications, which in certain cases lead to refuse a visa or entry to a person who is entitled to enter.
Visa applicants will only have to provide such biometric data every 5 years. During this 5-year period, the fingerprints will be copied from the first visa application, so that frequent travellers will only have to complete the procedure once within this period.
Exemptions from the obligation of fingerprinting are provided for the following categories of applicants only:
* Children under 12,
* Persons for whom the collection of fingerprints is physically impossible;
* Heads of State and members of the national Governments (with their official delegations and spouses) if they travel for official purposes.
The VIS central database is very secure and data will be processed in accordance with the highest data protection standards.