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”, the European Union has announced. The new visa ‘cascade’ regime will provide Indian nationals easier access to visas with multi-year validity for travellers “with an established travel history, if the passport validity allows”.
The decision was taken on April 18 when the European Commission adopted specific rules on issuing multiple entry visas to Indian nationals. “The decision comes 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 EU and India, with facilitation of people-to-people contacts being of key aspect due to the importance of India as a partner for the EU,” said the European Union in an announcement.
The Schengen visas allow visitors to travel freely in the Schengen area for short stays of a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. The visas do not give the right to work. The Schengen area consists of 29 European countries of which 25 are EU states (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).
