Visa Information System (VIS)

Each person applying for a Schengen visa must appear in person at one of the Visa Application Centres of Gerry’s International in Islamabad, Lahore or Karachi (addresses: see here), in order to collect the necessary biometric data: 10 fingerprints and a digital photograph. These biometric data are stored in the Visa Information System for a period of 59 months and can possibly be reused for later applications.

Exemptions for the fingerprint requirements are granted to:

• Children under the age of 12;
• Persons for whom the collection of fingerprints is physically impossible;
• Heads of State and members of National Governments and their accompanying spouses, as well as the members of their official delegation when invited by Member States' governments or by international organizations for an official purpose.

For more information about the Visa Information System, please consult the European Commission website at http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/visa-information-system/index_en.htm.