NITN | @notintownlive | 23 Apr 2024, 07:53 am
Schengen Visa
Photo Courtesy: Unsplash
The European Commission on April 18 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.
"This new visa ‘cascade’ regime for Indian nationals residing in India who apply for Schengen (short-stay) visas in India will provide easier access to visas with multi-year validity for travellers with an established travel history, if the passport validity allows," read a statement issued by European Union.
According to the newly adopted visa “cascade” regime for India, 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 two-year visa will normally be followed by a five-year visa, if the passport has sufficient validity remaining.
During the validity period of these visas, holders enjoy travel rights equivalent to visa-free nationals.
This 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.
Schengen visas allow the holder to travel freely in the Schengen area for short stays of a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period.
"The visas are not purpose-bound, but they do not grant the right to work," read the statement.
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.
- Tomorrowland Comes to Thailand with Its First Historic Asia Festival
- New Year, New Ride: PM Modi to launch first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train this month
- History's Most Dramatic Stories Are Buried in Washington D.C.-Here's Where to Find Them
- How a Winter Train Ride in Northern Norway Brings Travellers Closer to the Arctic Sky
- Ready for India’s first nature-themed airport terminal in Guwahati? PM Modi shares first glimpse
- Free shows, fireworks & all-night parties: Why Berlin is the place to be this New Year’s Eve
- This new luxury Sleeper Bus in Europe lets you fall asleep in one country and wake up in another
- Guess which tranquil, beautiful Kerala village Anand Mahindra stopped by!
- Machu Picchu mystery: What left 1,400 tourists suddenly stranded in the Andes?
- One Fare stays! Ontario extends popular transit programme till 2027
Etihad Airways is set to introduce direct flights to Luxembourg, becoming the first airline from the Middle East to operate services to the country. Launching on Oct 29 2026, the new route will also be the only nonstop connection between Luxembourg and Abu Dhabi, linking two key centres in Europe and the Middle East, the airline said.
Lufthansa will mark its 100th anniversary in 2026, commemorating a century since the founding of the original “Luft Hansa” on January 6, 1926. The airline’s first flight followed shortly after, on April 6 of the same year, marking the beginning of what would become one of aviation’s most recognisable brands.
Tata Group-owned Air India on Tuesday announced a new, unilateral codeshare partnership with airBaltic, the flag carrier of Latvia, thus making the Baltic region more conveniently accessible for Air India customers.