Communication of data to third countries or international organisations
Article 31
1. Data processed in the VIS pursuant to this Regulation shall not be transferred or made available to a third country or to an international organisation. 2. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, the data referred to in Article 9(4)(a), (b), (c), (k) and (m) may be transferred or made available to a third country or to an international organisation listed in the Annex if necessary in individual cases for the purpose of proving the identity of third-country nationals, including for the purpose of return, only where the following conditions are satisfied: (a) the Commission has adopted a decision on the adequate protection of personal data in that third country in accordance with Article 25(6) of Directive 95/46/EC, or a readmission agreement is in force between the Community and that third country, or the provisions of Article 26(1)(d) of Directive 95/46/EC apply; (b) the third country or international organisation agrees to use the data only for the purpose for which they were provided; (c) the data are transferred or made available in accordance with the relevant provisions of Community law, in particular readmission agreements, and the national law of the Member State which transferred or made the data available, including the legal provisions relevant to data security and data protection; and (d) the Member State(s) which entered the data in the VIS has given its consent. 3. Such transfers of personal data to third countries or international organisations shall not prejudice the rights of refugees and persons requesting international protection, in particular as regards non-refoulement.