abscondingmeans the action by which a third-country national does not remain available to the competent administrative or judicial authorities;
country of returnmeans one of the following:
decision ordering removalmeans an administrative or judicial act or decision stating or declaring that a third-country national can be removed to one or more countries of return;
entry banmeans an administrative or judicial act or decision prohibiting the entry into and stay on the territory of the Member States of a third-country national;
illegal staymeans the presence, on the territory of a Member State, of a third-country national who does not fulfil, or who no longer fulfils, the entry conditions for third-country nationals as set out in Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2016/399, or the conditions for stay or residence in that Member State, or, in the case of a Member State not bound by that Regulation, the conditions for entry, stay or residence laid down in equivalent national law;
removalmeans the enforcement of a return decision or a decision ordering removal by the competent authorities through physical transportation from the Member States to a country of return;
returnmeans the actions by which an illegally staying third-country national:
return decisionmeans an administrative or judicial act or decision, stating or declaring the stay of a third-country national to be illegal and stating or imposing an obligation for that third-country national to leave the territory of the Member States;
return operationmeans an operation organised or coordinated by a competent authority or supported by Frontex by which third-country nationals are returned from one or more Member States.
third-country nationalmeans any person who is not a citizen of the Union within the meaning of Article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and who is not a person enjoying the right of free movement under Union law, as defined in Article 2, point (5), of Regulation (EU) 2016/399;
voluntary returnmeans the departure from the territory of the Member States on his or her own, with or without assistance, and without resorting to removal, of an illegally staying third-country national complying with the obligation to leave within or after the expiry of the departure period set out in the return decision;