Online content will help evaluate fraud risk, according to documents seen by Statewatch

The German Federal Police have proposed checking the social media applicants for Schengen visa to help officials verify information, British civil liberties watchdog Statewatch has said, citing internal documents it has seen.

Embassy staff and police in the 29-country Schengen Area, of which Britain is not part, commonly assess applications against subjective criteria, including the “plausibility” of stated travel reasons and applicants’ likeliness to leave the zone.

The document suggests that social media accounts should be added to the assessment.

“It may be possible to check whether the traveler is active in them and which content is displayed, which groups they belong to, or which places were last visited,” the London-based charity organization cites the document as saying. “Job profiles can allow conclusions about the actual profession and thus income.”

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The recommendation is reportedly part of the ‘Handbook Visa Fraud: Preventive measures and repressive control approaches’ that also urges developing “risk profiles,” which would use such criteria as “gender, age, groups of persons, origin, itinerary” to assess risk of committing visa fraud by applicants.

According to a German Federal Police spokesperson as cited by Statewatch, “intensive” open-source research “generally falls within the legal framework for border controls (Schengen Borders Code) and the rules for issuing visas (Visa Code).”

“Furthermore, appropriate measures are always dependent on the national legislation in the EU member states,” the spokesperson emphasized.

As of 2024, the Schengen Area covers 25 of the 27 EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. A Schengen visa application does not currently allow applicants list their social media accounts.