Published on 23 March 2026

Improvements to the Schengen Information System

What is the Schengen Information System?

The Schengen Information System (SIS) is an indispensable database for the exchange of information between police, migration and border control authorities in the Schengen area. It contains alerts relating to wanted or missing persons, persons subject to an entry ban, and missing or stolen vehicles, objects and weapons.

• How has the SIS been improved?

  Several new features were introduced in March 2023 to enhance the system. For example:

  • requests for additional information must now be answered within 12 hours, making for a faster exchange of information;
  • vulnerable persons, such as children at risk of abduction by a parent due to family conflict and victims of forced marriages or human trafficking, may be listed in the database as a precautionary measure, improving victim protection;
  • persons suspected of terrorist activities must now be entered in the database for the purpose of discreet inquiries (unless there are compelling reasons not to do so), providing more information on terrorist suspects and their movements;
  • entry bans imposed for security or immigration reasons must now be entered in the database, providing the authorities with more information on persons who enter the Schengen area illegally;
  • traces found at the scene of a serious crime that cannot be identified using conventional methods, for example unidentified fingerprints, may be entered in the SIS database, offering greater possibilities for solving crimes;
  • removal orders issued by SEM or the cantonal migration authorities, including the deadline by which a person is required to leave, must be entered in the SIS to ensure that they are expelled if found to still be in the Schengen area after expiry of the deadline (e.g. during an identity check).

• What improvements are planned in the future?

  By mid-2026, Europol should able to propose SIS alerts on persons suspected of engaging in terrorism or serious crime to individual Schengen states.
  
  Binding response times, defined single points of contact and uniform communication channels for exchanging information via the SIS database should also be in place by this time.

Are you registered in the SIS database?

You are entitled to obtain additional information if your data is processed in the SIS database and, if necessary, to access, correct or delete this data. Further information is available under the following link:

The Schengen information system (SIS) and your personal data

«Schengen» e i vostri dati personali

If you wish to know whether you are registered in the database, or if you would like to have any information in the database changed or deleted, you can submit an application to fedpol under the following link:

Requests for information on entries in fedpol databases and for correction or deletion of data