Article 1DefinitionsFor the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:(1)"identity data" means the following data:(a)surname (family name); first name or names (given names); date of birth; nationality or nationalities; and sex; as referred to in Articles 16(1)(a), 17(1) and 18(1) of Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EU) 2017/2226 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2017 establishing an Entry/Exit System (EES) to register entry and exit data and refusal of entry data of third-country nationals crossing the external borders of the Member States and determining the conditions for access to the EES for law enforcement purposes, and amending the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement and Regulations (EC) No 767/2008 and (EU) No 1077/2011 (OJ L 327, 9.12.2017, p. 20).;(b)surname (family name), first name(s) (given name(s)), surname at birth; alias(es); date of birth, place of birth, sex and current nationality; as referred to in Article 17(2) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1240 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EU) 2018/1240 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 September 2018 establishing a European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and amending Regulations (EU) No 1077/2011, (EU) No 515/2014, (EU) 2016/399, (EU) 2016/1624 and (EU) 2017/2226 (OJ L 236, 19.9.2018, p. 1).;(c)surnames, forenames, names at birth, previously used names and aliases, place of birth, date of birth, gender and any nationalities held, as referred to in Article 20(2) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1861 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EU) 2018/1861 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 November 2018 on the establishment, operation and use of the Schengen Information System (SIS) in the field of border checks, and amending the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement, and amending and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1987/2006 (OJ L 312, 7.12.2018, p. 14).;(d)surnames, forenames, names at birth, previously used names and aliases, place of birth, date of birth, gender and any nationalities held, as referred to in Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1860 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EU) 2018/1860 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 November 2018 on the use of the Schengen Information System for the return of illegally staying third-country nationals (OJ L 312, 7.12.2018, p. 1).;(e)surnames, forenames, names at birth, previously used names and aliases, place of birth, date of birth, gender and any nationalities held as referred to in Article 20(3) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1862 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EU) 2018/1862 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 November 2018 on the establishment, operation and use of the Schengen Information System (SIS) in the field of police cooperation and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, amending and repealing Council Decision 2007/533/JHA, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1986/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Decision 2010/261/EU (OJ L 312, 7.12.2018, p. 56).;(f)surname (family name), first names (given names), date of birth, place of birth (town and country), nationality or nationalities and gender, previous names, if applicable as referred to in Article 5(1), point (a)(i), of Regulation (EU) 2019/816 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EU) 2019/816 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 establishing a centralised system for the identification of Member States holding conviction information on third-country nationals and stateless persons (ECRIS-TCN) to supplement the European Criminal Records Information System and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1726 (OJ L 135, 22.5.2019, p. 1).;(g)until the start of operations of the Visa Information System pursuant to Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1134 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EU) 2021/1134 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021 amending Regulations (EC) No 767/2008, (EC) No 810/2009, (EU) 2016/399, (EU) 2017/2226, (EU) 2018/1240, (EU) 2018/1860, (EU) 2018/1861, (EU) 2019/817 and (EU) 2019/1896 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Decisions 2004/512/EC and 2008/633/JHA, for the purpose of reforming the Visa Information System (OJ L 248, 13.7.2021, p. 11).: surname (family name), first name or names (given names), date of birth, sex, place and country of birth, and nationalities as referred to in Article 9(4), points (a) and (aa), of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EC) No 767/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 concerning the Visa Information System (VIS) and the exchange of data between Member States on short-stay visas (OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 60).;(h)from the start of operations of the Visa Information System pursuant to Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1134: surname (family name), first name(s) (given name(s)), date of birth, place and country of birth, sex, and nationality or nationalities as referred to in Article 9(4), points(a) and (aa), and in Article 22a(1), point (d), of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008;(2)"equal" means a 100 % correspondence between data from two different EU information systems, including, where necessary, the use of a conversion-harmonisation functionality for harmonising the format of all data before comparison;(3)"transliteration" means a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters in previously identified ways.

Article 2Same identity dataThe procedures for determining the cases where identity data shall be considered as the same are set out in Annex I.

Article 3Similar identity dataThe procedures for determining the cases where identity data shall be considered as similar are set out in Annex II.

Article 4Logs1.The common identity repository shall keep the logs of the comparison of data containing, at least:(a)the date and time of the comparison;(b)the result of the comparison, including which identity data was considered as same or similar;(c)the colour of the link following the automated comparison;(d)the colour of the link following the manual processing subsequent to the creation of a yellow link;(e)the amendments to the links, including where the identity data was considered as similar.2.The logs shall be stored in the common identity repository. They shall be stored for no longer than one year following the comparison of data. After that period, they shall be automatically erased.3.The logs shall be used by the common identity repository to produce automatic reports of activities and to support and monitor the accuracy of the comparison of data between EU information systems.

Article 5Entry into forceThis Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in the Member States in accordance with the Treaties.Done at Brussels, 11 July 2022.For the CommissionThe PresidentUrsula von der LeyenANNEX I1.DATA FROM DIFFERENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

	Data-category	SIS	EES	ETIAS	ECRIS-TCN	VIS
1	Names (including surname and first name)	SurnamesPreviously used surnamesAliases surnamesForenamesPreviously used forenamesAliases forenamesNames at birth	Surname (family name)First nameNamesGiven names	Surname (family name)Surname at birthOther names (aliases, artistic names, usual names)First name(s)Given name(s)	Surname (family name)PseudonymsAliasesPrevious namesFirst names (Given names)PseudonymsAliasesPrevious names	Surname (family name)Surname at birth (former family name(s))First name(s) (given name(s))
2	Date of birth	Date of birthAliases date of birth	Date or birth	Date of birth	Date of birth	Date of birth
3	Gender	GenderAliases gender	Sex	Sex	Gender	Sex
4	Nationality and place of birth	Any nationalities heldAliases nationalityPlace of birth (country of birth)Aliases place of birth (country of birth)	NationalityNationalities	Current NationalityPlace of birth	NationalityNationalitiesPlace of birth (town and country)	Current nationalityNationalitiesNationality at birthPlace and country of birth

Data-category	SIS	EES	ETIAS	ECRIS-TCN	VIS
Names (including surname and first name)	SurnamesPreviously used surnamesAliases surnamesForenamesPreviously used forenamesNames at birthAliases forenames	Surname (family name)First nameNamesGiven names	Surname (family name)Surname at birthOther names (aliases, artistic names, usual names)First name(s)Given name(s)	Surname (family name)PseudonymsAliasesPrevious namesFirst names (Given names)PseudonymsAliasesPrevious names	Surname (family name)Surname at birth (former family name(s))First name(s) (given name(s))

In order for identity data to be considered as the same, where a link is created between data from two EU information systems, the following cumulative conditions must be met:(a)the data inserted in at least one of the following data fields is equal in the two systems:(i)surname;(ii)family name;(iii)previously used surnames;(iv)surname at birth;(v)other names (aliases, artistic names, usual names);(vi)pseudonyms;(vii)aliases surnames;(viii)previous names;(ix)former family names;(b)the data inserted in at least one of the following data fields is equal in the two systems:(i)first name;(ii)forename;(iii)name;(iv)given names;(v)previously used forenames;(vi)other names (aliases, artistic names, usual names);(vii)pseudonyms;(viii)aliases forenames;(ix)previous names.3.2.Date of birth

Data-category	SIS	EES	ETIAS	ECRIS-TCN	VIS
Date of birth	Date of birthAliases date of birth	Date or birth	Date of birth	Date of birth	Date of birth

In order for identity data to be considered as the same, where a link is created between data from two EU information systems, the values contained under the data-category "date of birth" must be equal in both systems.3.3.Gender

Data-category	SIS	EES	ETIAS	ECRIS-TCN	VIS
Gender	GenderAliases gender	Sex	Sex	Gender	Sex

In order for identity data to be considered as the same, where a link is created between data from two EU information systems, the data contained under the data-category "gender" must be equal in both systems.3.4.Nationalities and place of birth

Data-category	SIS	EES	ETIAS	ECRIS-TCN	VIS
Nationalities and place of birth	Any nationalities heldAliases nationalityPlace of birth (country of birth)Aliases place of birth (country of birth)	NationalityNationalities	Current NationalityPlace of birth	NationalityNationalitiesPlace of birth (town and country)	Current nationalityNationalitiesNationality at birthPlace and country of birth

In order for identity data to be considered as the same, where a link is created between data from two EU information systems, at least one of the data fields under the data-category "nationalities and place of birth" must be equal in both systems, including at least one of the nationalities.ANNEX II1.DATA FROM DIFFERENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

	Data-category	SIS	EES	ETIAS	ECRIS-TCN	VIS
1	Names (including surname and first name)	SurnamesPreviously used surnamesAliases surnamesForenamesPreviously used forenamesNames at birthAliases forenames	Surname (family name)First nameNamesGiven names	Surname (family name)Surname at birthOther names (aliases, artistic names, usual names)First name(s)Given name(s)	Surname (family name)PseudonymsAliasesPrevious namesFirst names (Given names)PseudonymsAliasesPrevious names	Surname (family name)Surname at birth (former family name(s))First name(s) (given name(s))
2	Date of birth	Date of birthAliases date of birth	Date or birth	Date of birth	Date of birth	Date of birth
3	Gender	GenderAliases gender	Sex	Sex	Gender	Sex
4	Nationality and place of birth	Any nationalities heldAliases nationalityPlace of birth (country of birth)Aliases place of birth (country of birth)	NationalityNationalities	Current NationalityPlace of birth	NationalityNationalitiesPlace of birth (town and country)	Current nationalityNationalitiesNationality at birthPlace and country of birth

In the case of the Schengen Information System, for each data provided for in the table, the identity data may belong to one of the following categories:(a)"confirmed identity", where the person’s identity has been confirmed on the basis of genuine identification documents, as a result of biometric matching or by a statement from the competent authorities;(b)"not confirmed identity", where there is not sufficient proof of the person’s identity;(c)"alias", where a person uses a false or assumed identity;(d)"misused identity", where a person, subject to an alert in the Schengen Information System, uses the identity of another real person, in particular when a document is used to the detriment of the real owner of that document.For the purposes of this table, aliases identity data refer to categories (b), (c) and (d), while the non-alias data refer to category (a).2.SIMILAR IDENTITY DATASection 3 provides an exhaustive list of rules for when identity data shall be considered as similar.eu-LISA, assisted and advised by the Interoperability Advisory Group, shall apply these rules by means of an algorithm in consultation with the Commission assisted and advised by the Interoperability Subgroup of the Expert Group on Information Systems for Borders and Security ("Expert Group").eu-LISA shall monitor the impact of the application of the algorithm and report, on a regular basis, to the Expert Group.Where necessary, in order to limit the number of cases in which yellow links generated by the multiple-identity detector would need to be turned into white links by the responsible authorities, the Commission, assisted and advised by the Expert Group, shall request eu-LISA to adjust the algorithm by prioritising the yellow links created between identity data that are considered more similar, in compliance with the rules in Section 3.The multiple-identity detector shall always check identity data against all rules laid down in section 3.3.CASES WHERE IDENTITY DATA SHALL BE CONSIDERED AS SIMILAR3.1.Names

Data-category	SIS	EES	ETIAS	ECRIS-TCN	VIS
Names (including surname and first name)	SurnamesPreviously used surnamesAliases surnamesForenamesPreviously used forenamesNames at birthAliases forenames	Surname (family name)First nameNamesGiven names	Surname (family name)Surname at birthOther names (aliases, artistic names, usual names)First name(s)Given name(s)	Surname (family name)PseudonymsAliasesPrevious namesFirst names (Given names)PseudonymsAliasesPrevious names	Surname (family name)Surname at birth (former family name(s))First name(s) (given name(s))

Identity data of the data-category "names" shall be considered similar where there are:(a)known transliteration in names;(b)inversions of the following categories of data:(i)surname; family name; previously used surnames; surname at birth, name at birth; aliases surnames, former family names;(ii)first name; forename; name; given names; previously used forenames; aliases forenames;(c)cases where the first name, forename and surname are regrouped in one of the data fields;(d)cases where the order of two words is inversed, including both adjacent and non-adjacent;(e)cases where the order of two letters is inversed, including both adjacent and non-adjacent;(f)cases where a single character edit including insertions, deletions and substitutions is required to have a data-category of one EU information system being equal to a data-category in another EU information system;(g)cases where a difference is found due to the use of hyphens, commas or apostrophes;(h)cases where the name is truncated.3.2.Date of birth

Data-category	SIS	EES	ETIAS	ECRIS-TCN	VIS
Date of birth	Date of birthAliases date of birth	Date or birth	Date of birth	Date of birth	Date of birth

Identity data of the data-category "date of birth" shall be considered similar where there are:(a)cases where the fields of month and day match if they are inversed;(b)cases where the difference in date of birth is due to a known conversion of different calendars;(c)cases where a single character edit including insertions, deletions and substitutions is required to have a data-category of one EU information system being equal to a data-category in another EU information system.3.3.Gender

Data-category	SIS	EES	ETIAS	ECRIS-TCN	VIS
Gender	GenderAliases gender	Sex	Sex	Gender	Sex

3.4.Nationalities and place of birth

Data-category	SIS	EES	ETIAS	ECRIS-TCN	VIS
Nationalities and place of birth	Any nationalities heldAliases nationalityPlace of birth (country of birth)Aliases place of birth (country of birth)	NationalityNationalities	Current NationalityPlace of birth	NationalityNationalitiesPlace of birth (town and country)	Current nationalityNationalitiesNationality at birthPlace and country of birth

Identity data of the data-category "nationalities and place of birth" shall be considered similar where there are:(a)known transliteration in nationalities or place of birth;(b)cases where a single character edit including insertions, deletions and substitutions is required to have a data-category of one EU information system being equal to a data-category in another EU information system;(c)known cases where nationalities/countries/cities changed their denomination.

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/333 of 11 July 2022 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/817 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards determining cases where identity data are considered as same or similar for the purpose of the multiple identity detection