Article 19 Admissibility

1. The competent consulate shall verify whether:

- the application has been lodged within the period referred to in Article 9(1),

- the application contains the items referred to in Article 10(3)(a) to (c),

- the biometric data of the applicant have been collected, and

- the visa fee has been collected.

2. Where the competent consulate finds that the conditions referred to in paragraph 1 have been fulfilled, the application shall be admissible and the consulate shall:

- follow the procedures described in Article 8 of the VIS Regulation, and

- further examine the application.

Data shall be entered in the VIS only by duly authorised consular staff in accordance with Articles 6(1), 7, 9(5) and 9(6) of the VIS Regulation.

3. Where the competent consulate finds that the conditions referred to in paragraph 1 have not been fulfilled, the application shall be inadmissible and the consulate shall without delay:

- return the application form and any documents submitted by the applicant,

- destroy the collected biometric data,

- reimburse the visa fee, and

- not examine the application.

4. By way of derogation, an application that does not meet the requirements set out in paragraph 1 may be considered admissible on humanitarian grounds or for reasons of national interest.