Date: 2023-02-02Category: Not ApplicableState: Union GovernmentCountry: Europe
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/221 of 1 February 2023 laying down and developing the universal message format (UMF) standard pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/818 of the European Parliament and of the Council
Issued by European Commission
· Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs
Executive Summary:
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/221 establishes the universal message format (UMF) standard for cross-border information exchange in Justice and Home Affairs, pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/818. It defines specific UMF rules for systems like Eurodac, ECRIST-CN, ESP, CIR, and MID. The decision entered into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (2.2.2023).
Key Points / Main Content:
* **UMF Standard Definition and Use:**
* The UMF standard for cross-border information exchange is defined in Annex I.
* euLISA and other Union agencies should use the UMF standard for new information exchange models and systems.
* Annex II lists elements derived from the UMF standard for developing Eurodac, ECRIST-CN, ESP, CIR, and MID.
* The UMF standard may be used for information exchange between information systems, authorities, or organizations in the field of Justice and Home Affairs.
* The UMF standard shall be used to describe information exchanged between information systems, without prejudice to specific provisions for interoperability components.
* The UMF standard is not mandatory for describing data elements stored in an information system or database.
* **ESP, CIR, and MID Development:**
* The UMF standard must be used to describe and label identity, travel document, and biometric data queried and received via the ESP.
* The UMF standard must be used to describe and label identity, travel document, and biometric data exchanged with the CIR and the MID, as referred to in Articles 20 and 22 of Regulation (EU) 2019/818.
Impact Analysis:
* **EU Agencies (euLISA, etc.):**
* Impact: Must implement the UMF standard in the development of new information exchange models and information systems in the area of Justice and Home Affairs.
* Action Required: Integrate the UMF standard into development processes for relevant systems.
* **Authorities and Organizations in Justice and Home Affairs:**
* Impact: May use the UMF standard for information exchange.
* Action Required: Consider adopting the UMF standard for improved interoperability.
* **Developers of Eurodac, ECRIST-CN, ESP, CIR, and MID:**
* Impact: Must use elements from the UMF standard as defined in Annex II for system development.
* Action Required: Implement the specified UMF elements in the development of these systems.
* **Denmark:**
* Impact: Bound by this decision, as it notified the implementation of Regulation EU 2019/818 in its national law.
* Action Required: Ensure national laws align with this decision.
* **Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein:**
* Impact: This decision constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis.
* Action Required: Align with the decision according to their agreements with the EU.
* **Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Romania:**
* Impact: This decision constitutes an act building upon, or otherwise relating to, the Schengen acquis
* Action Required: Implement the decision according to their respective Acts of Accession.
* **Ireland:**
* Impact: Not participating in the adoption of this Decision and is not bound by it or subject to its application.
* Action Required: No action required.
Key Entities Referenced
European Union: A political and economic union of member states located primarily in Europe.
European Parliament: One of the legislative bodies of the European Union, directly elected by EU citizens.
European Commission: An executive branch of the European Union responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, and managing the EU's day-to-day operations.
Universal Message Format UMF: A standard for structured, cross-border information exchange between information systems, authorities, or organizations in the field of Justice and Home Affairs within the EU.
Regulation EU 2019/818: A regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for interoperability between EU information systems in the field of police and judicial cooperation, asylum and migration.
Schengen acquis: The body of law that regulates the Schengen Area, concerning the abolition of checks at the internal borders of the participating states.
Eurodac: A European Union fingerprint database for identifying asylum seekers and irregular immigrants.
European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice euLISA: An EU agency responsible for the operational management of large-scale IT systems essential for the implementation of asylum, border management and migration policies.
L 30/26 EN Official Journal of the European Union 2.2.2023
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2023/221
of 1 February 2023
laying down and developing the universal message format (UMF) standard pursuant to Regulation
(EU) 2019/818 of the European Parliament and of the Council
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/818 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2019on establishing
a framework for interoperability between EU information systems in the field of police and judicial cooperation, asylum
and migration and amending Regulations (EU) 2018/1726, (EU) 2018/1862 and (EU) 2019/816(1), and in particular
Article 38(3) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Regulation (EU) 2019/818, together with Regulation (EU) 2019/817 of the European Parliament and of the
Council(2) establishes a framework to ensure interoperability between the EU information systems in the field of
borders, visa, police and judicial cooperation, asylum and migration.
(2) Those Regulations provide for a universal message format (UMF) to serve as a standard for structured, cross-border
information exchange between information systems, authorities or organisations in the field of Justice and Home
Affairs.
(3) It is necessary to lay down specific UMF rules for the development of Eurodac, ECRIS-TCN, the European search
portal (ESP), the common identity repository (CIR) and the multiple-identity detector (MID) as provided for in
Regulation (EU) 2019/818, and to have a specific provision for labelling data fields for the systems that are in the
scope of interoperability.
(4) Given that Regulation (EU) 2019/818 builds upon the Schengen acquis, in accordance with Article 4 of Protocol
No 22 on the Position of Denmark, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning
of the European Union, Denmark notified the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2019/818 in its national law. It is
therefore bound by this Decision.
(5) This Decision constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in which Ireland does not take
part(3); Ireland is therefore not taking part in the adoption of this Decision and is not bound by it or subject to its
application.
(6) As regards Iceland and Norway, this Decision constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis
within the meaning of the Agreement concluded by the Council of the European Union and the Republic of Iceland
and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the association of those two States with the implementation, application
and development of the Schengen acquis(4) which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point A of Council
Decision 1999/437/EC(5).
(1) OJ L 135, 22.5.2019, p. 85.
(2) Regulation (EU) 2019/817 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2019 on establishing a framework for
interoperability between EU information systems in the field of borders and visa and amending Regulations (EC) No 767/2008, (EU)
2016/399, (EU) 2017/2226, (EU) 2018/1240, (EU) 2018/1726 and (EU) 2018/1861 of the European Parliament and of the Council
and Council Decisions 2004/512/EC and 2008/633/JHA (OJ L 135, 22.5.2019, p. 27).
(3) This Decision falls outside the scope of measures provided for in Council Decision 2002/192/EC of 28 February 2002 concerning
Ireland’s request to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis (OJ L 64, 7.3.2002, p. 20).
(4) OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 36.
(5) Council Decision 1999/437/EC of 17 May 1999 on certain arrangements for the application of the Agreement concluded by the
Council of the European Union and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the association of those two
States with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 31).2.2.2023 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 30/27
(7) As regards Switzerland, this Decision constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis within the
meaning of the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation
on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen
acquis(6), which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point A of Decision 1999/437/EC read in conjunction
with Article 3 of Council Decision 2008/146/EC(7).
(8) As regards Liechtenstein, this Decision constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis within the
meaning of the Protocol between the European Union, the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and the
Principality of Liechtenstein on the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the Agreement between the
European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association
with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis(8)which fall within the area referred
to in Article 1, point A of Decision 1999/437/EC read in conjunction with Article 3 of Council Decision
2011/350/EU(9).
(9) As regards Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania, this Decision constitutes an act building upon, or otherwise relating to,
the Schengen acquis within, respectively, the meaning of Article 3(1) of the 2003 Act of Accession and Article 4(1)
of the 2005 Act of Accession.
(10) The European Data Protection Supervisor was consulted in accordance with Article 42(1) of Regulation (EU)
2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council(10)and delivered an opinion on 2 August 2022.
(11) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by
Article 70(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/818,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
Definition
For the purposes of this Decision,
(1) ‘information system’ means a central or national data processing systems and any of the following interoperability
components: the European search portal (ESP), the common identity repository (CIR) and the multiple-identity
detector (MID).
Article 2
Universal message format (UMF) standard
1. The universal message format (UMF) standard for cross-border information exchange between authorities or
organisations in the field of Justice and Home Affairs shall be as set out in Annex I.
(6) OJ L 53, 27.2.2008, p. 52.
(7) Council Decision 2008/146/EC of 28 January 2008 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, of the Agreement
between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss Confederation’s association with
the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (OJ L 53, 27.2.2008, p. 1).
(8) OJ L 160, 18.6.2011, p. 21.
(9) Council Decision 2011/350/EU of 7 March 2011 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Protocol between the
European Union, the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein on the accession of the
Principality of Liechtenstein to the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation
on the Swiss Confederation’s association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis, relating to the
abolition of checks at internal borders and movement of persons (OJ L 160, 18.6.2011, p. 19).
(10) Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons
with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of
such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39).L 30/28 EN Official Journal of the European Union 2.2.2023
2. The UMF standard shall be used, if appropriate, in the development by the European Union Agency for the
Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) or by any other
Union agency for new information exchange models and information systems in the area of Justice and Home Affairs.
3. The elements set out in Annex II, derived from the universal message format (UMF) standard, shall be used in the
development of the Eurodac, the European Criminal Records Information System for third-country nationals (ECRIS-TCN),
and the following interoperability components: the ESP, the CIR and the MID.
Article 3
Use of UMF
1. The UMF standard may be used for information exchange between information systems, authorities or organisations
in the field of Justice and Home Affairs.
2. The UMF standard shall be used to describe information exchanged between information systems in the field of
Justice and Home Affairs without prejudice to the specific provisions related to the interoperability components laid down
in Articles 4 and 5.
3. The UMF standard shall not be mandatory for the description of data elements stored in an information system or
database.
Article 4
Use of the UMF standard for the development of the ESP
The UMF standard shall be used to describe and label the identity, travel document and biometric data queried and received
via the ESP.
Article 5
Use of the UMF standard for the development of the CIR and the MID
The UMF standard shall be used to describe and label the identity, travel document and biometric data used for the
information exchanged with the CIR and the MID referred to in Articles 20 and 22 of Regulation (EU) 2019/818.
Article 6
Entry into force
This Decision shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Union.
Done at Brussels, 1 February 2023.
For the Commission
The President
Ursula VON DER LEYEN2.2.2023 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 30/29
ANNEX I
The Universal Message Format (UMF) standard consists of the following documents delivered as a result of the UMF Project
financed by the European Commission.
(1) ‘UMF3.1_BusinessDescription.’,
(2) ‘UMF XML Schema Overview 3.1’,
(3) ‘UMF V3.1 Schema&TestSamples’.
These documents are available on the https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/af638ba5-eb84-4476-87fb-9a76ad669d2e. This
website is managed by the UMF Secretariat hosted within Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the
European Commission. All updates of these documents are published on the same site.L 30/30 EN Official Journal of the European Union 2.2.2023
ANNEX II
UMF taxonomy table of identity and travel document data elements in EES, VIS, ETIAS, ECRIS -TCN and interoperability components.
Label of data elements UMF mapping Description
FamilyName PersonIdentity.PersonCoreName.FamilyName The surname or last name of a person.
Family name is usually shared by
members of a family. It contains all the
parts of the family name including
prefixes.
FamilyNameAtBirth PersonIdentity.PersonCoreName.BirthName Surname, family name or last name of a
person at birth
PreviousFamilyName a1) PersonIdentity.OtherName.Type Surname, family name or last name used
LUT-value: PreviousName in the past and legitimately changed.
a2) PersonIdentity.OtherName.Description
PreviousFirstNames a1) PersonIdentity.OtherName.Type Previous names, e.g. when first names
LUT-value: PreviousName were legitimately changed.
a2) PersonIdentity.OtherName.Description
OtherName a1) PersonIdentity.OtherName.Type Other name is a formal or unofficial
LUT-value: NotAssignableName name by which a person is known
a2) PersonIdentity.OtherName.Description (alias(es), artistic name(s), usual
[Available with UMF 3.1] name(s)).
FirstName PersonIdentity.PersonCoreName.FirstName The first name(s) of a person. All first
names that are part of a person identity.
DateOfBirth PersonIdentity.DateOfBirth The date on which a person was born or
was officially deemed to be born.
PlaceOfBirth PersonIdentity.PlaceOfBirth City, village or another locality where a
person was born or deemed to be born.
CountryOfBirth PersonIdentity.CountryOfBirth Country of birth is the country where a
person was born or officially deemed to
be born
Gender PersonIdentity.Gender Gender is the sex of a person
FamilyNameOfFather a1) PersonIdentity.ParentOrGuardianName. Surname, last name of the first parent
Type (the father) of a person
LUT-value: Father
a2) PersonIdentity.ParentOrGuardianName.
FamilyName
[Available with UMF 3.1]
FirstNameOfFather a1) PersonIdentity.ParentOrGuardianName. First name(s) of the first parent (the
Type father) of a person
LUT-value: Father
a2) PersonIdentity.ParentOrGuardianName.
FirstName
[Available with UMF 3.1]2.2.2023 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 30/31
UMF taxonomy table of identity and travel document data elements in EES, VIS, ETIAS, ECRIS -TCN and interoperability components.
Label of data elements UMF mapping Description
FamilyNameOfMother a1) PersonIdentity.ParentOrGuardianName. Surname, last name of the second parent
Type (the mother) of a person
LUT-value: Mother
a2) PersonIdentity.ParentOrGuardianName.
FamilyName
[Available with UMF 3.1]
FirstNameOfMother a1) PersonIdentity.ParentOrGuardianName. First name(s) of the second parent (the
Type mother) of a person
LUT-value: Mother
a2) PersonIdentity.ParentOrGuardianName.
FirstName
[Available with UMF 3.1]
Nationality PersonIdentity.Nationality.Country Country in which a person holds legal
citizenship (or indication of a stateless
condition).
NationalityAtBirth a1) PersonIdentity.Nationality.Country Country or countries in which a person
a2) PersonIdentity.Nationality.StartDate = held legal citizenship at birth
DateOfBirth
DocumentType Document.DocumentType Type of the document
DocumentNumber Document.NumberInformation.Number Alphanumeric number, which has been
assigned by the owner, bearer, user,
publisher, distributor, issuer or
manufacturer of the document.
IssuingCountry Document.IssuingAuthority. Country of the issuing authority of the
NationalAffiliation document
IssuingAuthority Document.IssuingAuthority.Department/ The name of the authority that issued the
Agency.Name document
IssueDate Document.IssueDate Date when the document was issued
ValidUntil Document.ValidUntil Date until the document is valid
FullName PersonIdentity.PersonCoreName.FullName Full name is a complete name of a
person. The attribute full name
contains the complete name of a
person. In addition to the content of
first name, Family name and, in some
systems, patronymic name, this can
carry additional parts of a person’s
name such as titles, middle names or
suffixes like ‘the third’, ‘III’ or names
which are neither a first (given) nor a
family nameL 30/32 EN Official Journal of the European Union 2.2.2023
Biometric data elements present in EES and sBMS (shared Biometric Matching Service)
Label of data elements Description
BiometricType Indication of the biometric modality.
NISTFormat The NIST format that was used to exchange the biometric sample.
NIST The binary file of the biometric data.
MatchingScore Result of the comparison, indicating the degree of similarity between the biometric samples
(for fingerprints, the matching score is for the whole fingerprint set from the probe data). The
higher the score, the higher the similarity.
MatchingInterval This element indicates in which interval the matching score lies below, in-between and above
the matching threshold and possible matching threshold.
Facial image
QualityValue An indication of the quality of the biometric. The biometric quality scores of the
facial images are based on an algorithm that follow the ISO/IEC 19794-5:2011
recommendations.
NotProvidedReason Code table value indicating a reason why facial image was not provided.
Source Code table value indicating the source of the facial image.
Fingerprint
QualityValue An indication of the quality of the biometric. The biometric quality scores of the
fingerprints are based on the NFIQ 2.0 (NIST Fingerprint Image Quality version
2.0).
NotProvidedReason Code table value indicating the reason why fingerprints were not provided.
FingersPermutation Indicator whether the verification should be performed with fingers permutation or
not.
HandsPermutation Indicator whether the search should be performed with hands permutation or not.
Only applicable for identifications with fingerprints.