EURODAC

Eurodac is a European Union biometric database designed to support the Dublin Regulation system, by helping to determine which member state is responsible for examining an asylum application. It collects and stores biometric data, primarily fingerprints, of asylum seekers and certain migrants, along with basic biographical information. The aim is to prevent duplicate asylum applications and to identify the first EU country of entry or the country best placed to process a claim.

When a person applies for asylum in an EU member state, their fingerprints are uploaded to Eurodac. If a match is found in the database, the Dublin mechanism assigns responsibility to the country where the person previously lodged an asylum application or is otherwise registered. If no match is found, other rules apply to determine responsibility. The system therefore functions as a centralized reference to streamline asylum procedures across participating states.

Access to Eurodac is restricted to authorized authorities. National asylum authorities can query the database to verify prior asylum records and determine responsibility. In addition, under certain legal provisions, some European law enforcement authorities may access data for specific crime-prevention or investigation purposes, subject to safeguards and oversight.

Data protection is a central feature of Eurodac and EU law governs collection, storage, use, retention, and deletion of data. Individuals have rights to information, access, correction, and redress under applicable data protection rules, and data processing is subject to independent oversight by national data protection authorities. Eurodac has undergone revisions to enhance privacy, data security, and the scope of who can access the data, reflecting ongoing balancing of asylum policy objectives with fundamental rights.