Cookie Policy

This page lists every cookie and similar storage mechanism the site sets, what it does, and how long it lives. We keep this short and accurate, because most cookie pages are neither.

A “cookie” is a small text record stored by your browser. The same rules apply to localStorage, sessionStorage and browser-fingerprinting techniques, and we treat them the same way here.

What we set by default

Two cookies run without asking, because they are necessary for the site to work.

Cookie	Set by	Purpose	Lifetime
__cf_bm	Cloudflare	Distinguishes humans from bots so the site stays up under attack. Required for security.	30 minutes
etc_consent	This site	Records your cookie-consent choice so we do not ask again.	12 months

These two cookies cannot be refused without breaking the site. They are exempt from consent under the ePrivacy regime and UK PECR rule on strictly-necessary cookies.

What we set only if you opt in

Analytics is off until you click “Accept analytics” in the banner or in the footer link below. Once accepted, the following are set.

Cookie	Set by	Purpose	Lifetime
_ga	Google Analytics 4	Distinguishes unique users for traffic analysis. We have IP anonymisation switched on.	13 months
_ga_<container-id>	Google Analytics 4	Maintains session state between page loads in a single visit.	13 months

Google Analytics is operated by Google LLC. Its data ends up on US-based infrastructure. The transfer relies on the EU–US Data Privacy Framework (and the UK Extension, for UK residents). If you would rather not be measured at all, click “Refuse analytics” in the cookie banner; the GA scripts are not loaded.

We also honour the Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser signal. If your browser sends GPC, analytics stays off regardless of the banner choice.

What we do not set

For clarity: we do not run advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, third-party trackers, social media trackers, A/B-testing cookies, or behavioural-profiling tools. We do not embed Facebook Pixel, TikTok Pixel, X (Twitter) Pixel, LinkedIn Insight, or any equivalent.

If you see a cookie that is not on the list above, it has not been set by us. Browser extensions, captive-portal Wi-Fi and corporate proxies sometimes inject cookies of their own; that activity is outside our control.

Changing or withdrawing consent

There are three ways to change your choice:

• The cookie banner reappears on request: click “Cookie settings” in the footer.
• The etc_consent cookie can be cleared in your browser’s settings; on next page load the banner returns.
• Send mail to etc [at] virugroup [dot] company and we will document the choice from our side.

Browsers also expose a “delete cookies” option per-site that removes everything we set.

Why the list is so short

A page that sells citizenship advice does not need to track its visitors. The shorter this list is, the easier the site is to trust. If we ever add a cookie, we add it to this table on the day, and we note the change on the news page.

Contact

Cookie questions, ePrivacy complaints, KVKK questions, ICO referrals: etc [at] virugroup [dot] company.