1. The central authorities shall use ECRIS-TCN to identify the Member States holding criminal records information on a third-country national in order to obtain information on previous convictions through ECRIS, when criminal records information on that person is requested in the Member State concerned for the purposes of criminal proceedings against that person, or for any of the following purposes, if provided for under and in accordance with national law:
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checking a person's own criminal record at his or her request,
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security clearance,
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obtaining a licence or permit,
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employment vetting,
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vetting for voluntary activities involving direct and regular contacts with children or vulnerable persons,
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visa, acquisition of citizenship and migration procedures, including asylum procedures, and
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checks in relation with public contracts and public examinations.
However, in specific cases other than those in which a third-country national asks the central authority for information on his or her own criminal record, or where the request is made in order to obtain criminal records information pursuant to Article 10(2) of Directive 2011/93/EU, the authority requesting criminal records information may decide that such use of ECRIS-TCN is not appropriate.
2. Any Member State which decides, if provided for under and in accordance with national law, to use ECRIS-TCN for purposes other than those set out in paragraph 1 in order to obtain information on previous convictions through ECRIS, shall, by the date of start of operations as referred to in Article 35(4), or any time thereafter, notify the Commission of such other purposes and any changes to such purposes. The Commission shall publish such notifications in the Official Journal of the European Union within 30 days of receipt of the notifications.
3. Eurojust, Europol and the EPPO are entitled to query ECRIS-TCN to identify the Member States holding criminal records information on a third-country national in accordance with Articles 14 to 18. However, they shall not enter, rectify or erase any data in ECRIS-TCN.
4. For the purposes referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, the competent authorities may also query ECRIS-TCN to verify whether, in respect of a citizen of the Union, any Member State holds criminal records information concerning this person as a third-country national.
5. When querying ECRIS-TCN, the competent authorities may use all or only some of the data referred to in Article 5(1). The minimum set of data that is required to query the system shall be specified in an implementing act adopted in accordance with point (g) of Article 10(1).
6. The competent authorities may also query ECRIS-TCN using facial images, provided that such functionality has been implemented in accordance with Article 6(2).
7. In the event of a hit, the central system shall automatically provide the competent authority with information on the Member States holding criminal records information on the third-country national, along with the associated reference numbers and any corresponding identity information. Such identity information shall only be used for the purpose of verifying the identity of the third-country national concerned. The result of a search in the central system may only be used for the purpose of making a request according to Article 6 of Framework Decision 2009/315/JHA or a request referred to in Article 17(3) of this Regulation.
8. In the event that there is no hit, the central system shall automatically inform the competent authority.