POLICY REPORT ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM IN LATVIA ...

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Please describe (planned) developments in relation to biometric visas, for example the
share of visas issued which are biometric, regions covered, pilot measures and testing, etc,
also referring to the Visa Information System (VIS).
With regard to cooperation between Member State consular services and the set up of
joint consular services for visas, please describe any relevant progress in this area, for
example listing the visa representation agreements signed and the Member States
involved (please specify whether you Member State represents these Member States or
vice versa.
By the introduction of the Central Visa Information System (henceforth – CVIS), the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to start taking the biometric data of visa applicants in
compliance with the regions specified by the European Commission – VIS Roll-out. In
compliance with VIS Roll-out, by introducing the CVIS, it will be necessary to start the taking
of biometric data of visa applicants in the region of Northern Africa where the embassy of the
Republic of Latvia in Egypt is situated. In the next stage, the taking of biometric data of visa
applicants will be started in the Middle East region where embassy of the Republic of Latvia in
Israel is situated. The said embassies have purchased equipment for taking fingerprints of visa
applicants and, as soon as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs receives the software applicant from
the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs required for linking the biometric data
equipment with the National Visa Information System (NVIS), as well as required training to
use the equipment in practice, the biometric data taking equipment will be tested.
In 2010, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs worked for the successful
implementation of project "Development of the national VIS by ensuring the compliance of it
with the final technical documentation of the European Commission and provision of required
training to the users of the system" under the External Border Fund Programme 2009. In 2010,
within the framework of the project, an agreement was signed on the improvement of the
National Visa Information System, VisMail and Vision functionality; the first tests were made
with other Member States for testing the software. It is planned to develop a pilot project of an
e-questionnaire until the end of April 2011, and it is planned to start training in 2011 for
practical work with the Central Visa Information System and the National Visa Information
System in order to acquire the visa issuance process.
On 12 November 2010, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs signed an
agreement with joint-stock company "RIX Technologies" regarding development of a new
electronic service: electronic application for a Schengen visa, in order to ease the work of
consular missions. It is planned to test the service in a pilot project in June 2011, the other
signed agreement provides the development of a new system of invitations with completion
date June 2011.
On 25 November 2010, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs announced a
procurement tender for the modernization of the National Visa Information System, in order to
purchase necessary equipment within the framework of the project and to start using the
equipment, according to the provisions of the Visa Code, necessary for taking biometric data
and reading of electronic travel documents.
Latvia as the Member State of the European Union and Schengen Agreement continues
its active participation in the cooperation for consular matters among the Member States of the
European Union and Schengen Agreement. Same as in the previous years, missions of the
Republic of Latvia abroad and particularly missions of Latvia situated outside the Schengen
area are increasingly focusing on the participation of responsible officials in local Schengen
cooperation meetings. Due to the local Schengen cooperation, missions of Latvia and other
Schengen Member States can not only exchange information quickly and detect those visa