Article 45

1. Member States may cooperate with commercial intermediaries for the lodging of applications, except for the collection of biometric identifiers. 2. Such cooperation shall be based on the granting of an accreditation by Member States’ relevant authorities. The accreditation shall, in particular, be based on the verification of the following aspects: the current status of the commercial intermediary: current licence, the commercial register, contracts with banks; existing contracts with commercial partners based in the Member States offering accommodation and other package tour services; contracts with transport companies, which must include an outward journey, as well as a guaranteed and fixed return journey. 3. Accredited commercial intermediaries shall be monitored regularly by spot checks involving personal or telephone interviews with applicants, verification of trips and accommodation, verification that the travel medical insurance provided is adequate and covers individual travellers, and wherever deemed necessary, verification of the documents relating to group return. 4. Within local Schengen cooperation, information shall be exchanged on the performance of the accredited commercial intermediaries concerning irregularities detected and refusal of applications submitted by commercial intermediaries, and on detected forms of travel document fraud and failure to carry out scheduled trips. 5. Within local Schengen cooperation, lists shall be exchanged of commercial intermediaries to which accreditation has been given by each consulate and from which accreditation has been withdrawn, together with the reasons for any such withdrawal. Each consulate shall make sure that the public is informed about the list of accredited commercial intermediaries with which it cooperates.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-14 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.