A user on Reddit shared his experience of getting a 5-year Schengen visa under the cascade system in just 4 days, after which his post went viral. Everyone wanted to know about the process through which he got this visa.

A post on Reddit by an Indian traveller sharing the process of getting a long-term Schengen visa for up to 5 years in just 4 working days under the 'cascade system' is going viral. Netizens are surprised and asking him about the process. This Reddit user is an Indian passport holder and he told that the French Consulate in Bengaluru issued him a long-term visa in just 4 days. He wrote, 'Telling my experience. For those who are curious to know about the cascade system. Seems like it is working now. At least in France.'

How to get 5 year Schengen visa in just 4 days

According to the post, the user has travelled to 32 countries and previously had three Schengen visas, for Germany and Spain. All were issued over a period of two years. The user's most recent Schengen visa was for Spain, which had a duration of 45 days. Despite this, his recent visa application through the French embassy resulted in a 5-year visa.

This experience of the Reddit user has aroused curiosity among Indian travellers who go through the often unpredictable Schengen visa process. The comments section of the post was flooded with questions related to this. Everyone was eager to know the process.

In his post, the user listed all the documents that made getting such a long Schengen visa possible. It included:

Cover letter requesting a long-term visa

Scanned pages of both new and old passport showing the previous passport and travel history

10 days itinerary for France

Income Tax Returns for two years

Three months' bank statement and salary slip

The user clarified, "To be eligible for a two-year visa in the cascade regime, you must have at least two visas in the last three years. However, getting a long-term visa is entirely at the discretion of the visa officer."

What is Shenzhen's 'Cascade Regime'?

The European Union's 'Cascade' visa regime has been developed to simplify the process of obtaining long-term, multiple-entry Schengen visas for regular visitors from countries like India. Under this arrangement, if an applicant has used two Schengen visas in the last three years, he or she can be granted a two-year multiple entry visa. After successfully using this visa, if their passport has sufficient validity, they can apply for a 5-year multiple entry visa. During the validity period, visa holders can enjoy virtually visa-free travel in the Schengen area. However, they can stay only for 90 days in any 180-day period. This visa is only for tourism or business and cannot be used for employment.

Which countries accept this visa

The multiple entry Schengen visa allows entry to all 29 countries in the Schengen area. These include 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, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.