The Schengen Information System (SIS II) is the large-scale IT database that underpins the Schengen area's compensatory measures for the abolition of internal border controls. It allows national authorities — border guards, police, customs, visa, and judicial authorities — to enter and consult alerts on wanted or missing persons, third-country nationals to be refused entry or stay, and objects such as stolen vehicles, firearms, identity documents, and banknotes.
SIS II became operational on 9 April 2013, replacing the original SIS that had run since 1995 under the Schengen Convention. Its legal basis is split between a first-pillar instrument covering border checks and migration (Regulation (EC) No 1987/2006) and a former third-pillar instrument covering police and judicial cooperation (Council Decision 2007/533/JHA). The system is operated centrally by eu-LISA, the EU Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems, based in Tallinn and Strasbourg.
In the migration and refugee context, SIS II is central to the enforcement of entry bans: under the Return Directive (2008/115/EC), Member States can issue alerts for the purpose of refusing entry or stay to third-country nationals, which then bind all Schengen states. Critics, including the European Data Protection Supervisor and civil society groups, have raised concerns about due process, the right to an effective remedy, and the proportionality of long-lasting alerts.
A recodified SIS entered into application on 7 March 2023, based on Regulations (EU) 2018/1860, 2018/1861 and 2018/1862. The renewed system adds new alert categories (including return decisions), biometric identifiers such as palm prints and facial images, and tighter interoperability with other EU databases like the Entry/Exit System, ETIAS, Eurodac, and VIS under the 2019 interoperability regulations.
Participating states include all EU members except Ireland (which uses SIS for police cooperation only) and the Schengen-associated states Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.
Example
In 2022, eu-LISA reported that SIS II contained over 90 million alerts and was consulted billions of times annually by authorities across the Schengen area.
Frequently asked questions
National border, police, customs, visa, and judicial authorities of participating states, plus Europol and Eurojust within their mandates. Access is logged and audited.
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