The Schengen Information System (SIS) is operational in Cyprus, upgrading border security and policing in the country, the Ministry of Justice and Public Order said in a statement on Tuesday.

As stated, the main purpose of the SIS is to exchange information and data between the participating countries in real time, while ensuring that the authorities have more complete and reliable information at their disposal.

It is added that the use of the system in the Schengen countries started in 1995 and has since undergone two upgrades, first in 2013 and then in March 2023, after which the SIS has the possibility to add fingerprints, photographs and DNA files, while its functionalities have been also optimised.

It is noted that with these capabilities, the SIS has further strengthened Europe's authorities in terms of protecting vulnerable persons, as authorities can enter information and additional data (e.g. DNA records) on missing persons for identification purposes, while also allowing for preventive alerts concerning certain vulnerable persons categories, such as children at risk of abduction or potential victims of terrorism, trafficking, gender-based violence or armed conflict.

It is added that the use of the system also enhances the counter-terrorism and counter-crime action of the European authorities through the exchange of information on persons and objects involved in activities related to terrorism or serious crime, an area in which, from March 2021, participating countries have been exchanging "search matches" with EUROPOL for SIS entries related to terrorist crimes.

The use of the SIS also strengthens the effort to combat irregular migration of third country nationals to Europe, since through the system countries enter return decisions, as well as alerts regarding persons found to be illegally staying in the EU and are subject to entry bans, it is added.

It is also noted that the SIS does not contain personal data on all European citizens or residents and that entries in the system only include information on persons or objects related to various crimes.

In a statement on the same subject today, the Ministry of Interior said that access to the SIS is one of the milestones towards fully implementing the Schengen acquis.

The Ministry clarifies at the same time that controls at internal borders with other Schengen member states have not been lifted, both for citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, European citizens and third country nationals, and adds that until its accession to the Schengen area, Cyprus will continue, as before, to carry out checks on both arriving and departing passengers at all Border Crossing Points, on the basis of the Aliens and Immigration Law.