YEREVAN. – The resident embassies of the EU member states participating in Schengen cooperation will be included in Visa Information System (VIS) starting June 23, 2015.

The launch of VIS was announced by Dirk Lorenz, Acting Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, as well as representatives from the EU member states embassies.

VIS is a system allowing Schengen states to exchange visa data, said Dovile Survolaite, adviser to Lithuania's Embassy in Armenia.

The system was created to facilitate visa procedure and increase safety of applying for visa. The system can perform biometric matching, primarily of fingerprints, for identification and verification purposes.

The received data is kept for five years, then the citizens need to provide data once again.

“Children under the age of 12 or people who are physically unable do not need to provide finger scans,” Lorenz added.

Asked about delays in issuing visas in Armenia, the consuls said it is difficult for small embassies to provide services to a high number of citizens, especially during tourist season. Many visas are delayed because of careless collection of documents, they warned.