New Delhi: The European Union eased visa norms, offering Indian travellers who wish to visit Europe in the upcoming holiday season multiple-entry Schengen visas with longer validity, The Indian Express (TIE) reported.
The amended norms will allow frequent Indian travellers to apply for five-year multiple-entry visas, putting them parallel with “visa-free nationals”.
On Monday, the EU issued a statement announcing the same. It allowed Indian nationals to apply for long-term multi-entry visas valid for up to two years after having obtained and used two visas in the past three years. It stated a two-year visa would be followed by a five-year visa if the passport had sufficient validity.
European Union’s ambassador to India, Herve Delphin, called the new norms a fresh step towards enhancing people-to-people contact between the two nations.
The EU statement read, “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,” TIE quoted.
The statement said that the updates to the visa norms in the context of “strengthened” relations under the EU-India common agenda on migration and mobility aim at comprehensive cooperation on migration policy between the two parties.
In holiday seasons, Indians face considerable delays in securing visa appointments to countries under the Schengen region, which could last up to two to three months.
The Schengen visas allow a holder to travel freely in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. The visa is not purpose-bound nor grants the right to work.