
Article 1 
Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Schengen consultation network (technical specifications) are hereby amended as set out in Annexes I, II, III and IV respectively.
Article 2 
This Decision shall enter into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall apply from 5 April 2010.
Article 3 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States in accordance with the Treaties.
Article 4 
This Decision shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Done at Brussels, 22 December 2009.
For the Council
The President
A. CARLGREN
ANNEX I

Part 1 of the Schengen consultation network (technical specifications) is amended as follows:

1.. in point 1.1.2., the last subparagraph shall be deleted;
2.. in point 1.1.3., the first subparagraph shall be replaced by the following:
'The application developed by each Member State reads delivery notifications from the inbox — on the basis of FORM R — and checks whether there is a corresponding delivery notification (FORM R) for every sent A, B, C, E, F, G or H form, which contained the “Document unifier”. The “Document unifier” is a unique context string — which identifies the mail — in the line beginning with the numbers “000”.';
3.. in point 1.3., the fourth subparagraph shall be replaced by the following:
'The “Subject” item of the message contains “file number” and a full stop (“.”) followed by the form-type identifier (Letter: “A”, “B”, “C”, “E”, “F”, “G”, “H” or “R”). For the respective forms, the “file number” equals the content of its heading: “001” in FORM “A”, “B”, “C”, “F”, “G”, “H” and the content of heading “048” in an FORM E. For heading definitions see 2.1.2.Examples:SubjectAUT0000010106AJKT00.BSubjectFRA2007022457471104.E'.

ANNEX II

Part 2 of the Schengen consultation network (technical specifications) is amended as follows:

1.. point 2.1.1 shall be replaced by the following:
'The general process flow of documents may be described shortly as follows. Detailed information can be found in 3.1 “LIST OF FUNCTIONALITIES”.The following messages can be exchanged via the Schengen Consultation Network:— FORM A“CONSULTATION REQUEST REGARDING VISA APPLICATION”— FORM B“REPLY TO CONSULTATION REQUEST”— FORM C“NOTIFICATION OF ISSUE OF VLTV”— FORM F“VISA APPLICATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF REPRESENTATION”— FORM G“RESPONSE TO A VISA APPLICATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF REPRESENTATION”— FORM E“ERROR MESSAGE”— FORM R“DELIVERY NOTIFICATION”— FORM H“NOTIFICATION OF ISSUE OF A VISA”The receipt of any form A, B, C, F, G, E or H has to be acknowledged by replying with a form R, if the original message contained a ‘Document unifier’. The ‘Document unifier’ is labelled by ‘000’ on the form (the individual headings are documented below.). For the sake of clarity, the notification of the delivery is not stated explicitly in the following flow samples.';
2.. in point 2.1.1.1, the following changes shall be introduced:

— the first subparagraph shall be replaced by the following:
'Four forms – A, B, C and H – are exchanged via the network. A FORM A contains the consultation request on which the consulted authority has the opportunity to reply within 7 calendar days (See also 1.2.2). If the applicant has a nationality or belongs to a category of such a national for whom prior consultation is requested by a/some Member State(s) consultation of those States' central authority is required pursuant to Article 22 of the Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of 13 July 2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code)';
— the third subparagraph shall be replaced by the following:
'If the consulting (requesting) authority issues a VLTV it notifies this to all Member States by sending C FORMs.';
— below the table (Fig. 2), the following subparagraph shall be added:
'According to Article 31 of the Visa Code a Member State may require that its central authorities be informed of visas issued by other Member States to nationals of specific third countries or to specific categories of such nationals, except when an airport transit visa is issued. This information is transmitted by sending an H-FORM.';
3.. point 2.1.1.2 shall be replaced by the following:
'If and only if a State intends to represent another State or to be represented by another State, the consultation procedure shall meet the requirements referred to in Article 8 of the Visa Code and in the representation arrangements concerned, as described in the below sample process pictures (pictures 1 and 2).Consultation when processing a visa application in the context of representation shall be subject to the following rules, in accordance with Article 22 of the Visa Code, and can be carried out in the framework of one or both of the following scenarios:
Picture 1 — 
Norway’s central authorities are to ensure that necessary consultations of the other States take place. The absence of a reply within seven (7) days shall mean that the consulted State(s) has(have) no grounds for objecting to the issuing of the visa. If the represented State (Sweden) wants to be involved this has to be laid down in a bilateral representation arrangement between the States involved (Norway and Sweden). In that case, the represented State must always reply to the representing State's FORM F using a FORM G (obligation to reply). A visa cannot be issued if no reply indicating consent is received. The represented State may specify on the FORM G reply, that a Visa of Limited Territorial Validity (VLTV) should be issued in the framework of representation. In this case, all other Schengen States are duly notified (by means of a FORM C) of the VLTV's issued by the representing State. It is not necessary to state the territory to which the visa is limited.

Picture 2 — 
Sweden’s central authorities are to ensure that necessary consultations of the other State(s) take place. The absence of a reply within seven (7) days shall mean that the consulted State(s) has(have) no grounds for objecting to the issuing of the visa. The represented State must always reply to the representing State's FORM F using a FORM G (obligation to reply). A visa cannot be issued if no reply indicating consent is received. The represented State may specify on the FORM G reply, that a Visa of Limited Territorial Validity (VLTV) should be issued in the framework of representation. In this case, all other Schengen States are duly notified (by means of a FORM C) of the VLTV's issued by the representing State. It is not necessary to state the territory to which the visa is limited. The consultation procedure (7 calendar days) and any further communication between the represented State and representing State in relation to the decision process (e.g. exchange of forms F and G) has to be done within 15 calendar days in accordance with Article 23(1) of the Visa Code.
';
4.. in point 2.1.2, the first subparagraph shall be replaced by the following:
'Each heading is identified by a number ranging from 001 to 999, followed by the separation sign “.”, the value of the heading and <CR><LF> (=Hexa: 0X0D resp. 0X0A) or <LF> (=Hexa:0X0A). The leading numbers refer to the headings in a form (A, B, C, F, G, H, E, R).';
5.. in point 2.1.4, the following changes shall be introduced:

— in the table, heading ‘027’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
027. Main destination M Code (3) x3 CZE (see 2.2.1)';
— heading ‘023’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
023. Border of entry M Code (3) CZE (see 2.2.1)';
— heading ‘026’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
026. Type of visa M Code (1) C';
— headings 029, 030, 031 and 032 shall be deleted;
— the following heading shall be added:

‘099. Reference number of the application in the VIS O*4 alphanumblank (33) CZE200907264365
(*4)Mandatory if the Member State's reference number of the application is available in the VIS.’;
— in the explanation, below the table, the following changes shall be introduced:
— heading ‘027’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
Heading No. 027: Main destination format: Code (3) x 3This refers to the Member State or Member States (max 3) of main destination where the visa applicant should stay.';
— heading ‘023’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
Heading No. 023: Border of entry format: Code (3)This refers to the applicant’s information about the State of first entry.';
— heading ‘026’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
Heading No. 026: Type of visa format: Code (1)“C” visas type is to be used.';
— headings 029, 030, 031 and 032 shall be deleted;
— the following heading shall be added:
'Heading No. 099: Reference number of the application in the VIS format: alphanumblank (33)Unique number for identifying the visa application, consisting of country code [A-Z] indicating the issuing State, supplemented with a sequence of capital letters, numeral code, TELEX characters and blanks in minimal length 1 and maximum length 30 characters.The maximum total length has to be 33 characters.';
6.. point 2.1.5 shall be replaced by the following:
'

2.1.5.No Heading M/O* Format Examples/Comments
000. Document unifier (to use in form R) M*1 alphanumblank (50) DB-SQNR06755-MTS-ID-AUT
001. Reference number of consultation request M alphanum (19) DSL0290096401230100
040. Reference number of reply M alphanum (19) FRA0010020030040050
041. Reply M code (1) 
3 “1”explicit approval“2”refusal
042. Date of reply M date (8) 19960305 (YYYYMMDD)
099. Reference number of the application in the VIS O*2 alphanumblank (33) CZE200907264365
(*)M: Mandatory heading; O: Optional heading(*1)See *1 of form A.(*2)Mandatory if the Member State's reference number of the application is available in the VIS.Heading No. 000 & Heading No. 001:See FORM A: “CONSULTATION REQUEST REGARDING VISA APPLICATION”.
Heading No. 040: Reply reference format: alphanum (19)Identifier of a reply to a consultation.The heading’s structure is as follows:
 3 bytes for identification of the consulting State.
 16 free bytes for identification at national level.
Heading No. 041: Reply format: code (1)Consultation can result in the following replies:
 “1” explicit approval within the deadline of 7 calendar days.
 “2” refusal within the deadline of 7 calendar days.
Heading No. 042: Date of reply format: date (8)This is the date the consulted central authority formulates its reply.Heading No. 099:See FORM A: “CONSULTATION REQUEST REGARDING VISA APPLICATION”.';
7.. in Point 2.1.6, the following changes shall be introduced:

— in the table, heading ‘045’ shall be replaced by the following:

‘045. Visa number M alphanumblank (12)(*4) D000000001, CZE000000001
(*4)The previous version of visa number with 9 characters has to remain operational and readable.
Exception for Germany: ICAO document 9303 on machine-readable travel documents provides the country code “D” for Germany.’;
— heading ‘026’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
026. Type of visa M Code (1) C';
— heading ‘027’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
027. Main destination M Code (3) x3 CZE (see 2.2.1)';
— heading ‘023’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
023. Border of entry M Code (3) CZE (see 2.2.1)';
— headings 029, 030, 031 and 032 shall be deleted;
— the following heading shall be added:

‘099. Reference number of the application in the VIS O*5 alphanumblank (33) CZE200907264365
(*5)Mandatory if the Member State's reference number of the application is available in the VIS.’;
— in the explanation, below the table, the following changes shall be introduced:
— heading ‘045’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
Heading No. 045: Visa number format: alphanumblank (12)Unique number for identifying the visa sticker, consisting of one or three letter(s) identifying the State, supplemented with TELEX characters if needed and a sequence number of the visa sticker. The total number of characters shall amount to 12';
— ‘Heading No. 000 & Heading No. 001 & Remaining headings’ shall be replaced by the following:
'Other headings:See FORM A: “CONSULTATION REQUEST REGARDING VISA APPLICATION”.';
8.. in point 2.1.7, the following changes shall be introduced:

— in the table, heading ‘027’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
027. Main destination M Code (3) x3 CZE (see 2.2.1)';
— heading ‘023’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
023. Border of entry M Code (3) CZE (see 2.2.1)';
— heading ‘026’ shall be replaced by the following:
'
026. Type of visa M Code (1) C';
— headings 029, 030, 031 and 032 shall be deleted;
— the following heading shall be added:

‘099. Reference number of the application in the VIS O*4 alphanumblank (33) CZE200907264365
(*4)Mandatory if the Member State's reference number of the application is available in the VIS.’;
— in the explanation, below the table, ‘Headings’ shall be replaced by the following:
'Other headings:See FORM A: “CONSULTATION REQUEST REGARDING VISA APPLICATION”.';
9.. point 2.1.8 shall be replaced by the following:
'

2.1.8.No Heading M/O* Format Examples/Comments
000. Document unifier (to use in form R) M*1 alphanumblank (50) DB-SQNR06755-MTS-ID-AUT
001. Reference number of consultation request M alphanum (19) DSL0290096401230100
040. Reference number of reply M alphanum (19) FRA0010020030040050
041. Reply M code (1) 
3 “1”explicit approval“2”refusal“5”approval for LTV
042. Date of reply M date (8) 19960305 (YYYYMMDD)
101. Comments O alphanumblank (240) LTV:BNL-D-F
099. Reference number of the application in the VIS O*2 alphanumblank (33) CZE200907264365
(*)M: Mandatory heading; O: Optional heading(*1)See *1 of form A.(*2)Mandatory if the Member State's reference number of the application is available in the VIS.
Heading No. 041: Reply format: code (1)In addition to the codes mentioned in heading 041. ofFORM B: “REPLY TO CONSULTATION REQUEST”the following code is also allowed:“5” approval for LTV
Heading No. 101: Comments Format: alphanumblank (240)This optional space enables the represented State to transmit additional information to the representing State for the purpose of issuing the visa.Other headings:See FORM B: ‘REPLY TO CONSULTATION REQUEST”.';
10.. point 2.1.9 shall be replaced by the following:
'

2.1.9No Heading M/O* Format Examples/Comments
000. Document unifier (to use in form R) M*1 alphanumblank (50) DB-SQNR06755-MTS-ID-AUT
047. Reference of error message M alphanum (19) DSL0290096401230100
048. Document reference (erroneous form) M alphanum (19) FRA0010020030040050
049. Type of form M code (1) 
A {“A”|“B”|“C”|“F”|“G”|“H”}
050. Type of error M code (1) 
1 1technical error2logical error
051. Reason for technical error O*2 num (3) 
008 (number of the first heading which had an error)
052. Reason for logical error O*3 code (2) 
01 reply received too late
02 consultation/information not required
03 VLTV has been issued in the meantime
04 received in duplicate
05 form unknown
099. Reference number of the application in the VIS O*4 alphanumblank (33) CZE200907264365
(*)M: Mandatory heading; O: Optional heading(*1)See *1 of form A.(*2)M if heading 050. = 1(*3)M if heading 050. = 2(*4)Mandatory if the Member State's reference number of the application is available in the VIS.
Heading No. 047: Reference of error message Format: alphanum (19)The purpose of this heading is to identify the error message:
 3 bytes identifying the sending State
 16 bytes for the national identification number
Heading No. 048: Document reference (erroneous form) Format: alphanum (19)This identifies the document the error refers to.It contains one of the following headings of a referred form:
— “Reference number of request”, (heading 001 of a referred “A” or “F”).
— “Reference number of reply”, (heading 040 of a referred “B” or “G”).
— “Reference of the decision”, (heading 044 of a referred “C” or “H”).
Heading No. 049: Type of form Format: code (1)Possible indications:. “A”, “B”, “C”, “F”, “G” or “H”.
Heading No. 050: Type of error Format: code (1)This heading indicates the error causing an E Form to be sent. The following codes can be used:
 “1” technical error
 “2” logical error
Heading No. 051: Reason for the technical error Format: num (3)If error code 1 appears under heading No. 050, the number of the heading of the document which contains the first error must compulsorily be entered under heading No. 051.
Heading No. 052: Reason for the logical error Format: code (2)If error code 2 appears under heading No. 050, the reason for the error shall be entered, according to the following codes:
 “01” Reply received too late
 “02” No consultation/information required
 “03” Reply was not taken into account since visa of limited territorial validity has been issued in the meantime
 “04” Form received in duplicate
 “05” Unknown which form was receivedThe national applications shall be adapted in such a way that the statistics generated on Form E enable distinction of the number of error messages caused by technical errors (code = “1” under Heading No. 050) and logical errors (code = “2” under Heading No. 050).Additional rule for form E:It is prohibited to scan a form E itself for logical or technical failures and to reply to a malformed E by another form E to prevent a cumulative process – “Snowball Effect”.';
11.. In point 2.1.10. under ‘Additional rules for form R’, the second bullet point shall be replaced by the following:
'If a Member State receives an alleged erroneous form R, it has to discard this form R without processing it. This means that the Member State should ignore forms R that seem to be invalid. Consequently an application which had to discard potentially malformed forms R will have remaining, unacknowledged forms A,....., H which will have to be resent until a valid form R arrives. If the problem persists it has to be solved bilaterally by technical staff.';
12.. After point 2.1.10, the following point shall be added:
'

2.1.11.No Heading M/O* Format Examples/Comments
000. Document unifier (to use in form R) M*1 alphanumblank (50) DB-SQNR06755-MTS-ID-AUT
001. Reference number of consultation request M alphanum (19) DSL0290096401230100
044. Reference of the decision M alphanum (19) DSL0010012345678901
045. Visa number M alphanum (12)*2 D000000001, CZE000000001
046. Date of issue O date (8) 
19960302 (YYYYMMDD)
026. Type of visa M code (1) C
002. Surname at birth M name (50) IVANOVA
003. Other surname M name (50) POPOVA
004. First names M name (25) NATALIA
005. Date of birth M date (8) 19640123
006. Place of birth M alphanumblank (35) MOSCOW
007. Sex M code (1) 
F {“M”|“F”|“X”}
008. Original nationality M code (3) 
UKR (see 2.2.1)
009. Type of travel document M code (2) 
01 (see 2.2.3)
010. Issuing country or organization M code (3) 
RUS (see 2.2.1)
011. Number of travel document M alphanumblank (20) PP00000001
015. Duration of stay requested M num (2) 
08 (00-90)
017. Purpose of stay M code (2) x 3 
01 (see 2.2.4)
027. Main destination M code (3) x 3 
CZE (see 2.2.1)
037. Current nationality(ies) M code (3) x 3 
RUS (see 2.2.1)
039. Date request sent M date (8) 
19960301 (YYYYMMDD)
013. Planned travel dates (entry and exit) M date (8) x 2 19960401 (and extra 013. with)19960428 (YYYYMMDD)
016. Number of entries requested M code (1) 
1 {“1”|“2”|“M”}
019. Occupation O code (2) 
01 (see 2.2.5)
021. Parents' names O*3 name (50) IVANOV
022. Reference in Schengen State O alphanumblank(50) x 2 TRANSPORT COMPANY.
023. Border of entry M code (3) CZE (see 2.2.1)
025. Date the application was submitted O date (8) 
19960225 (YYYYMMDD)
(…) (…) (…) (…) 
(…) (…)
(…) (…) (…) (…) 
(…) (…)
(…) (…) (…) (…) 
(…) (…)
(…) (…) (…) (…) 
(…) (…)
(…) (…) (…) (…) (…)
033. Privileged member of a Union citizen's family O*4 code (1) 1 (see2.2.6)
099. Reference number of the application in the VIS M*5 alphanumblank (33) CZE200907264365
(*)M: Mandatory heading; O: Optional heading(*1)See *1 of form A.(*2)The previous version of visa number with 9 characters has to remain operational and readable.
Exception for Germany: ICAO document 9303 on machine-readable travel documents provides the country code “D” for Germany.(*3)Special procedure for Greece. See form A.(*4)Each Member State specifies a central clearing point which is permanently accessible by email. The central clearing point communicates the reasons for the refusal by secure means of communication – depending on the content – to the central clearing point of the requesting Member State where the visa application is pending.(*5)Mandatory if the Member State's reference number of the application is available in the VIS.';
13.. Point 2.2.3 shall be replaced by the following:
'01ORDINARY PASSPORT02GROUP PASSPORT03PROTECTION PASSPORT04DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT05SERVICE PASSPORT06OFFICIAL DUTY PASSPORT07SPECIAL PASSPORT08PASSPORT FOR ALIENS10NATIONAL LAISSEZ-PASSER11UNITED NATIONS LAISSEZ-PASSER12TRAVEL DOCUMENT FOR REFUGEES (1951 GENEVA CONVENTION)13TRAVEL DOCUMENT FOR STATELESS PERSONS (1954 NEW YORK CONVENTION)14OFFICIAL PASSPORT16SEAMAN'S BOOK99OTHERS';
14.. Point 2.2.4 shall be replaced by the following:
'00MEDICAL REASONS01BUSINESS02CULTURAL03VISIT OF FAMILY OR FRIENDS05OFFICIAL VISIT07SPORTS10TOURISM11STUDY12TRANSIT13AIRPORT TRANSIT99OTHER'.

ANNEX III

Part 3 of the Schengen consultation network (technical specifications) is amended as follows:

1.. Point 3.1. shall be replaced by the following:
'
3.1. 
For every form of type …:

AConsultation request regarding visa applicationBReply to consultation requestCNotification of issue of VLTVFVisa applications in the framework of representationGReply to a visa application in the framework of representationEError formHNotification of issue of a visa
The communication system has to perform the following functionalities:

— Prepare the form
— Send the form via the network
— Retrieve the form
— Prepare, send and retrieve a “R — Delivery Notification” formIn addition the communication system also has to perform the functionalities:
— Procedures to be applied for receiving a Form E
— Error Management
— Logs

The schemes below illustrate the position of the functions and the sequence of the different stages.

Send form types A, B, C, E, G, F or H:
';
2.. In point 3.2.1., the title shall be replaced by the following:
'';
3.. In point 3.2.2., the title shall be replaced by the following:
'';
4.. In point 3.2.3., the title shall be replaced by the following:
'';
5.. In point 3.2.4., the following changes shall be introduced:

— the title shall be replaced by the following:
'';
— paragraph a.) shall be replaced by the following:
'
a.) 
When the national application has received the form it shall prepare an “R” form in order to acknowledge the form of type “A, B, C, E, G, F and H” (each document that contains a line that starts with ′000.′) that was received.

The structure of the “R” form is described in 2.1.10 FORM R: “DELIVERY NOTIFICATION”

The “R” Form is to be prepared and transmitted in direct connection to the reception of the form of type “A, B, C, E, G, F or H”.

The procedure for preparing, sending and retrieving the “R” Form is otherwise the same as described in steps 1, 2 and 3 above for the normal forms.
'.

ANNEX IV

Part 4 of the Schengen consultation network (technical specifications) is amended as follows:

1.. Point 4.2.1. shall be replaced by the following:
'
4.2.1. 

Table 2.a.:Form for data which have been sent to the other Member States (e.g. for Belgium)

The Member State providing the data will have all columns crossed out.

OUT TO form A form B form C form F form G form H form E (T) form E (L)
AUT        
BEL        
CHE        
CZE        
DNK        
DSL        
ESP        
EST        
FIN        
FRA        
GRC        
HUN        
ISL        
ITA        
LTU        
LUX        
LVA        
MLT        
NLD        
NOR        
POL        
PRT        
SVK        
SVN        
SWE        
Table 2.b.:Form for data received from the other Member States (e.g. for Belgium)

The Member State providing the data will have all columns crossed out.

IN FROM A rec. A acc. B rec. B acc. C rec. C acc. F rec. F acc. G rec. G acc. H rec. H acc.  E (tech). E (log)
AUT              
BEL              
CHE              
CZE              
DNK              
DSL              
ESP              
EST              
FIN              
FRA              
GRC              
HUN              
ISL              
ITA              
LTU              
LUX              
LVA              
MLT              
NLD              
NOR              
POL              
PRT              
SVK              
SVN              
SWE               A rec. – A forms received
 A acc. – A forms accepted
 B rec. – B forms received
 B acc. – B forms accepted
 C rec. – C forms received
 C acc. – C forms accepted
 F rec. – F forms received
 F acc. – F forms accepted
 G rec.– G forms received
 G acc. – G forms accepted
 H rec. – H forms received
 H acc. – H forms accepted
 E(tech) – received E forms due to the technical errors in forms, which have been sent to the other Member States
 E(log) – received E Forms due to the logical errors in forms which have been sent to the other Member States
';
2.. Point 4.2.2. shall be replaced by the following:
'
4.2.2. 

Table 3.:Form for data containing bilateral statistics
COUNTRY X COUNTRY Y
 Sent out Received Accepted
A forms XY 1 YX 10 YX 11
B forms XY 2 YX 12 YX 13
C forms XY 3 YX 14 YX 15
Total E forms XY 4 YX 16 
E forms technical error XY 5 YX 17 
E forms logical error XY 6 YX 18 
F forms XY 7 YX 19 YX 20
G forms XY 8 YX 21 YX 22
H forms XY 9 YX 23 YX 24COUNTRY Y COUNTRY X
 Sent out Received Accepted
A forms YX 1 XY 10 XY 11
B forms YX 2 XY 12 XY 13
C forms YX 3 XY 14 XY 15
Total E forms YX 4 XY 16 
E forms technical error YX 5 XY 17 
E forms logical error YX 6 XY 18 
F forms YX 7 XY 19 XY 20
G forms YX 8 XY 21 XY 22
H forms YX 9 XY 23 XY 24'.
