Eurodac: EU asylum and migration database

How Eurodac has been updated

The European Dactyloscopy Database (Eurodac), the EU's asylum and migration database, has been modernised under the migration and asylum pact to support more effective asylum and migration management across the EU.

Since becoming operational in 2003, Eurodac has helped EU countries identify asylum applicants and determine responsibility for examining applications for international protection under what used to be known as the 'Dublin system'.

Previously, Eurodac mainly stored the fingerprints of asylum applicants and irregular migrants registered in EU member states. It helped authorities identify individuals, establish whether a person had previously applied for asylum in another member state and determine responsibility for examining asylum applications.

The updated Eurodac goes beyond fingerprint data by collecting more comprehensive biometric and identity information on different categories of migrants. This makes it possible to secure more accurate identification, support the implementation of asylum and migration rules, help address irregular migration and unauthorised movements within the EU and provide better data to inform policymaking.

Key features of the updated Eurodac

The modernised Eurodac became operational on 12 June 2026. It introduces a range of new features designed to improve identification, support asylum and migration management and help address irregular movements within the EU.

These improvements include the collection of biometric and identity data, an expanded scope of categories and strengthened security measures and data storage arrangements, supported by robust data protection safeguards.

The provisions related to beneficiaries of temporary protection will start applying from 12 June 2029.

Personalisation:

the registration of individual asylum seekers, instead of applications

the collection of additional biometric data, such as facial images, and personal data, such as name, date of birth, nationality, a copy of identity documents an the date of the application

the mandatory collection of biometric data for persons of at least six years of age

Scope of categories:

persons applying for international protection

persons resettled under national or EU resettlement schemes

persons who have been apprehended in connection with the irregular crossing of an external EU border, as well as persons disembarked following search and rescue operations

persons found to be staying illegally on the territory of a member state

beneficiaries of temporary protection (although their data would only be stored for the duration of that status)

Security features:

in clearly defined circumstances, member states can record the fact that a third country national could pose a security threat, and it would be possible to remove this security flag in consultation with other members states

access for law enforcement authorities will be simplified

Data storage:

different storage periods for different categories of individual

data relating to applicants for international protection will be stored for 10 years

data relating to persons admitted under resettlement schemes and persons found irregularly entering or illegally staying in the EU will be stored for five years

Interoperability with other IT systems

Authorities across the EU share information through large-scale IT systems to protect citizens, fight crime and secure borders.

In addition to the Eurodac database, there are other IT systems that help secure the EU's borders, including:

• the Schengen Information System (SIS)
• the Visa Information System (VIS)
• the Entry/Exit System (EES)

Soon, two other large-scale IT systems will be implemented, namely:

• the European Criminal Record Information System for Third-country Nationals (ECRIS-TCN)
• the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)