New EU visa rules

[Bgsbgs]

The European Comission has published a press release on this subject.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/pressco ... nda_20_149

It says
“Multiple-entry visas with long validity (from 1 to 5 years) are now easier to obtain, saving frequent travellers time and money, as they will have to apply for a new visa less often;“

And
“Frequent travellers with a positive visa history are to be granted multiple-entry visa with a gradually increasing validity period from 1 year to a maximum of 5 years.

Travellers' fulfilment of entry conditions will be thoroughly and repeatedly verified in all cases, and only persons with a positive visa track record will be issued multiple-entry visas with a long validity.“


This sounds good but is pretty vague, does anyone know what it means?

My wife is exactly the kind of person they describe, but unfortunately they always refuse to give her long term visa because they have an arbitrary rule that visa expires no later than 3 months before her BRP (her next visa will be 6 months at best if they keep this rule, and she will be unable to get a visa at all in the last three months of her BRP).

Is it possible that this requirement has been removed?

[Zerubbabel]

The intention is good but the terms are vague. The only accurate thing is that the fees are increasing from 60 to 80 Euros.

My wife, permanent resident in the UK, me EEA, and every time she applies for a visa she gets 3 months/multi.

But she is lucky, another person I know, with an EEA residence, got a 10 days Schengen visa from Spain and when they sent her the passport, the visa had already expired. They literally made it start and finish in the past.

[Bgsbgs]

The relevant text in the legislation seems to be this:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content ... 19:188:TOC

“b)
paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:
‘2. Provided that the applicant fulfils the entry conditions set out in point (a) and points (c) to (e) of Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/399, multiple-entry visas with a long validity shall be issued for the following validity periods, unless the validity of the visa would exceed that of the travel document:
(a)
for a validity period of one year, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used three visas within the previous two years;
(b)
for a validity period of two years, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for one year within the previous two years;
(c)
for a validity period of five years, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for two years within the previous three years.”



I wonder if this means my wife would automatically get a 2 year visa, given she already had a one year visa which expired recently (even though her BRP is valid less than two years). None of the entry conditions mentioned say anything about a residence permit, they only mention a valid passport.

[ibwe]

The relevant text in the legislation seems to be this:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content ... 19:188:TOC

“b)
paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:
‘2. Provided that the applicant fulfils the entry conditions set out in point (a) and points (c) to (e) of Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/399, multiple-entry visas with a long validity shall be issued for the following validity periods, unless the validity of the visa would exceed that of the travel document:
(a)
for a validity period of one year, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used three visas within the previous two years;
(b)
for a validity period of two years, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for one year within the previous two years;
(c)
for a validity period of five years, provided that the applicant has obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for two years within the previous three years.”



I wonder if this means my wife would automatically get a 2 year visa, given she already had a one year visa which expired recently (even though her BRP is valid less than two years). None of the entry conditions mentioned say anything about a residence permit, they only mention a valid passport.

She could, though so far no one I know has been issued a visa under new regulations. Still if you apply from "friendly" Schengen states, like France and Greece, they might consider her for a longer one. Have a cover letter asking for a longer validity, they might just consider.