The first time you arrive at a Schengen country border with your Canadian passport, you will be asked for your personal information, and Passport Control officers (Border officers) will take a photo of your face and/or scan your fingerprints. This is known as your biometric data. Children under 12 do not need to provide fingerprints, only a photo.

Along with your biometric data, your personal information collected includes:

• data listed in your travel document(s) (e.g. full name, date of birth, etc.)
• date and place of each entry and exit
• whether you were refused entry.

What happens to your biometric data?

Your biometric data (fingerprints and photo of our face) becomes a digital file or template which is collected and stored in the central, secure Biometric Matching Service (sBMS) database and is used for identity verification upon future entries. Your data may be shared with other relevant bodies such as Immigration and law enforcement. Refer to 6131 Who can access your personal and biometric data collected at a European border?

How long is your personal information and biometric data kept?

Your data will be kept in the EES as follows:

• Biometric data (fingerprints and photo of face) – 3 years
• Records of entries, exits and refusals of entry – 3 years.
• Your Individual files containing personal data – 3 years plus one day

Your data is automatically erased after each time period expires.

More information

Specific conditions for collecting and storing personal data in the EES are found in Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 establishing the Entry/Exit System.

Refer to the European Union website Data held by the EES for more information.

								
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