1. Who is responsible for processing my personal data and how can I contact the data protection commissioner?

The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Riga (postal address: Raina bulvaris 13, LV-1050 Riga) and the Federal Foreign Office (postal address: Federal Foreign Office, 11013 Berlin, Germany) are responsible for processing your personal data.

You can reach the contact person for data protection at the Embassy in Riga as follows:

Raina bulvaris 13
1050 Riga, Lettland
E-Mail: dsap-1@riga.auswaertiges-amt.de
Tel.: +371 67 08 51 00
Fax: +371 67 08 51 49

The address of the data protection commissioner of the Federal Foreign Office is:

Werderscher Markt 1
D-10117 Berlin
E-Mail: dsb-r@auswaertiges-amt.de
Tel.: + 49 30 5000 2711
Fax: + 49 30 5000 5 1733

2. What data do the diplomatic mission process when I apply for a visa and where do these data come from?

The processed personal data include the data requested in the visa application form. In general, this includes in particular your last name, maiden name, first name, date and place of birth (including the country), gender, nationality/nationalities, civil status, current address, telephone number, email address, occupation, details of your travel document (type of document, serial number, issuing state and authority, date of issue, period of validity), photograph and fingerprints.

The above-mentioned data derive from the information you provide in the visa application process.

3. What data do the diplomatic mission process when I issue a letter of invitation to someone who uses it to apply for a visa and where do these data come from?

The processed personal data include information on the inviter requested in the visa application form. This includes in particular your last name and first name, address, fax number and e-mail address.

The data mentioned above originate from the information provided by you in the letter of invitation and by the applicant in the visa procedure.

4. Why do you collect my data and what happens if you don’t?

We collect your data because it is necessary and legally required for the proper implementation of the visa process. If you apply for a visa, you are required under § 82 of the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz - AufenthG) to make available the data required to process the application and provide the necessary details. If you do not submit these data, we may reject the application while retaining the processing fee.

5. For what purposes and on what legal basis will you process my data?

We process your personal data solely in order to ensure the proper implementation of the visa procedure.

The legislative provisions are Art. 6 (1) (c) and (e) as well as (2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) in combination with Regulation (EC) No. 767/2008 (VIS regulation) and Regulation (EC) No. 810/2009 (Visa Codex) including its annexes, and §§ 72 a ff. of the Residence Act and § 69 of the Ordinance on Residence as well as the Central Register of Foreigners Implementing Regulation (AZRG-DV), the Visa Warning File Act (VWDG) and, if necessary, further special regulations or § 3 of the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG 2018).

6. How long will you use my data?

We will delete your data, as soon they are no longer required to execute the visa procedure. As a rule, this happens two years after the completion of the visa procedure, but no later than five years after the final decision on the visa.

7. Who will receive my data?

We will only transmit your data to third parties if this is necessary for the proper implementation of the visa procedure. As part of this procedure, we may transmit your personal data to the competent authorities in Germany, to the responsible visa offices of other Schengen member states or to the responsible authorities at your place of habitual residence. If an external service provider is assigned to carry out individual stages of the visa application procedure, your data will be collected by or transmitted to this provider as far as necessary for the completion of the application procedure. Your data are only transferred to recipients outside the European Union to the extent permitted under Chapter V of the GDPR.

8. Which data protection rights can I claim?

You can request information about the personal data stored about you from the above-mentioned responsible persons. Under certain conditions, you can also request the correction, deletion or restriction of the processing of your data. Furthermore, you can object to the processing of your data.

9. Where can I file a complaint?

You have the right to file a complaint about the processing of your personal data with a data protection authority – particularly in the member state in which you have your place of residence, your place of employment or the place where the alleged data protection violation occured.