EU eases norm to offer Indians multiple entry Schengen visa with longer validity

European Union’s ambassador to India Herve Delphin described the new visa regime as another step towards enhancing people-to-people contact between the two sides. “Travel to Europe made easy,” Delphin remarked.

“On April 18, the European Commission adopted specific rules on the issuing of multiple entry visas to Indian nationals, which are more favourable than the standard rules of the visa code that applied to date,” said the EU statement.

“According to the newly adopted visa ‘cascade’ regime for India, Indian nationals can now be issued long-term, multi-entry Schengen visas valid for two years after having obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years,” it said.

“The two-year visa will normally be followed by a five-year visa, if the passport has sufficient validity remaining. During the validity period of these visas, holders enjoy travel rights equivalent to visa-free nationals,” it said.

The changes in the visa norms came in the context of “strengthened”relations under the EU-India common agenda on migration and mobility, which seeks comprehensive cooperation on migration policy between the two sides, it added.

During the holiday season, Indian travellers typically face inordinate delays in securing visa appointments to countries under the Schengen region, sometimes lasting up to two to three months. This became particularly worse during the pandemic, when the visa appointment times extended up to several months.

Even as Schengen visas — along with the US visas — are the most sought-after among Indian travellers, while the US offers a 10-year visa to Indians seeking B1/B2 category (visit and tourism visas), the Schengen countries typically offer travel date-specific visas.

Schengen visas allow the holder to travel freely in the Schengen area for short stays of a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. The visas are not purpose-bound, but they do not grant the right to work.

The Schengen area consists of 29 European countries of which 25 are EU states. These include Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.