On 15 July, the European Union adopted more favourable visa rules for Turkish citizens applying for Schengen visas (so called “cascade rule”).
This new cascade regime applies to all Turkish nationals, except truck drivers, who reside in Türkiye, and apply in Türkiye for Schengen short-stay visas and have an established travel history (a bona fide traveller). For these applicants, the new rules will provide easier access to Schengen visas with longer validity.
According to the visa “cascade” regime for Türkiye, Turkish nationals can now be issued a longer-validity, multi-entry Schengen visa, valid for one year after having obtained and used two visas within the previous three years.
The validity of the first visa will normally cover the intended travel (can be single or multiple entry). The second visa can be a multiple entry visa valid for 90 days in a six-month period.
The one-year visa can then be followed by a three-year and then by a five-year visa, if the previous visa were lawfully used, and the passport has a sufficient remaining validity.
Visa demand and travel between Türkiye and the Schengen Area, significantly increased in 2024. Schengen consulates in Türkiye processed almost 1.2 million visas (1.173.917), an unprecedented all-time high and a 10% increase from 2023. The rate of multiple-entry visas in 2024 was 65%.
In addition, more than 100 000 visas were issued in 2024 to Turkish tourists on arrival on certain Greek islands through the Temporary scheme of short stay tourist visits from certain Turkish coastal areas to selected Greek islands in the Eastern Aegean.
