A series of earthquakes hit Taiwan after a powerful earthquake earlier this month killed 13 people

NEW DELHI (PTI): Indian travelers who frequent Europe can now apply for multiple-entry Schengen visas for up to five years, with the European Commission making certain changes to the existing rules.

Herve Delphin, Ambassador of the European Union to India, said that the new visa system is another step towards strengthening personnel exchanges between the two sides.

“On April 18, the European Commission adopted specific rules for the issuance of multiple-entry visas to Indian nationals that are more favorable than the standard rules for visa codes that have applied so far,” the EU announcement said.

It said the new visa “cascading” system for Indian nationals residing in India to apply for a Schengen (short stay) visa in India will provide travelers with an established travel history an easier opportunity to obtain a visa with multi-year validity.

“Under India’s newly adopted visa ‘cascading’ system, Indian nationals who have obtained and legally used two visas in the past three years can now obtain a long-term, multiple-entry Schengen visa, valid for two years.” said.

“A two-year visa is usually followed by a five-year visa if the passport still has sufficient validity. During the validity period of these visas, the holders have the same travel rights as visa-exempt nationals,” it said.

The change in visa norms comes in the context of “strengthening” ties under the EU-India Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility, which seeks full cooperation between the two sides on immigration policy.

The Schengen visa allows the holder to travel freely within the Schengen area and stay for a short period of up to 90 days within any 180-day period. The visa has no specific purpose but does not grant the right to work.

The Schengen Area consists of 29 European countries, 25 of which are EU countries.

These countries are 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, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Let the truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please become a VB supporter and help us communicate the truth to everyone.