Indians now eligible for 5-year Schengen visa under new cascade scheme, details here

Indians now eligible for 5-year Schengen visa under new cascade scheme, details here

Mangalore Today News Network

EU, Aug 1, 2025: Indian travellers with a clean visa history now have access to a fast-tracked, long-term Schengen visa under a new “cascade” system rolled out by the European Commission. In effect since April 18, 2024, the scheme allows eligible Indians to obtain multi-year, multi-entry visas without being tied to a specific travel purpose.

The cascade visa scheme

The cascade visa scheme rewards “trusted travellers” with a documented travel record. Indian citizens who have obtained two Schengen visas within the past three years are now eligible for a two-year multi-entry visa. This can later be upgraded to a five-year visa, provided their passport is valid for the full term.

During its validity, the visa allows holders to travel freely across the entire 29-country EU/Schengen area, mirroring the travel rights of visa-free nationals. However, the visa does not grant the right to work and still limits stays to 90 days within any 180-day period.

“These long-term Schengen visas mark the start of a new EU policy that favours regular ‘trusted travellers’ and aims to facilitate ‘people-to-people contacts’,” the European Commission said in its press statement.

The cascade system was introduced as part of the 2020 Schengen Visa Code reform. It applies a tiered structure for visa validity based on prior usage:

* 1-year visa if the traveller used three Schengen visas in the previous two years

* 2-year visa if they used a 1-year multiple-entry visa in the previous two years

* 5-year visa if they used a 2-year multiple-entry visa in the previous three years

First-time applicants typically receive short-term, single-entry visas and must build their travel history over time. Transit visas and country-specific visas do not count toward eligibility.

Applicants must apply from their home country and provide documented proof for their travel reasons. Misuse of the visa, such as overstaying or working illegally, can lead to long-term disqualification from the scheme.

So far, only Indian, Turkish, and Indonesian nationals have been brought under this visa regime, though EU officials suggest more countries could be added based on diplomatic cooperation and readmission agreements.

The policy also aligns with trade and business mobility priorities. According to EU regulations, “more favourable approaches in issuing multiple-entry visas should take into account the existence of trade agreements covering the mobility of business persons.”