The new Schengen Visa Code has come into effect from 2nd February. The new rules on obtaining a Schengen Visa have made getting a 5-year, multiple-entry visa to the European Union much clearer and easier.
Travellers to the Schengen Area were able to get multiple-entry visas in the past as well, and that too, more than once. However, the rules for the same were not clearly defined.
With the new visa code coming into force on 2nd February, visa applicants must meet certain eligibility requirements to get a 5-year, multiple-entry visa. The new rules apply to all Embassies, Consulates and Visa centres of all the 26 countries that are a part of the Schengen Zone.
With a multiple-entry Schengen Visa, you can travel to and from the Schengen Area as many times as you want. However, you cannot violate the 90/180 rule, which means that you can only remain in the Schengen Zone for 90 days in 180 days.
The updated Schengen Visa Code specifies well-defined rules on who can benefit from a multiple entry visa. The Code also states that, depending on an applicant’s visa and travel history, multiple entry visas will be granted for 1, 3 or 5 years.
Here is what the new Schengen Visa Code states:
- A multiple-entry visa with a validity of one year will be granted if the applicant has legally obtained and used three visas in the recent two years
- A multiple-entry visa with a validity of two years if the applicant had legally obtained a one-year, multiple-entry visa within the previous two years
- A multiple-entry visa with a validity of five years will be granted if the applicant had legally obtained and used a two-year multiple-entry visa in the recent three years.
Apart from your frequency of travel to the Schengen Area, you must also fulfil other requirements:
- You must have a valid reason to enter the Schengen Area multiple times in the given number of years
- You must have a clean visa history. You must have never overstayed your Schengen Visa or worked unlawfully in the Schengen Area.
- You must have a clean criminal record in your home country
- You must have purchased adequate Travel Insurance for the first year of your multiple-entry visa that you have applied for
If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate Overseas, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.
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