LumenHow do I get a multiple-entry Schengen visa from Spain, and for how long?
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The Visa Code sets a cascade. If you obtained and lawfully used three visas in the previous two years, you get a one-year multiple-entry visa. After using a one-year visa, you get two years, and after using a two-year visa within three years, five years. You must meet the entry conditions, and the visa can't outlast your passport.
Key facts
| What | The law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year multiple-entry visa | You obtained and lawfully used 3 visas in the previous 2 years | Visa Code, art. 24(2)(a) |
| 2-year multiple-entry visa | You obtained and lawfully used a 1-year multiple-entry visa in the previous 2 years | Visa Code, art. 24(2)(b) |
| 5-year multiple-entry visa | You obtained and lawfully used a 2-year multiple-entry visa in the previous 3 years | Visa Code, art. 24(2)(c) |
| Ceiling | Never longer than your passport’s validity | Visa Code, art. 24(2) |
| Don’t count | Airport transit visas and visas with limited territorial validity | Visa Code, art. 24(2) |
| Can be shortened | If there is reasonable doubt you’ll meet the entry conditions for the whole period | Visa Code, art. 24(2a) |
| Single-entry visa | Validity includes a 15-day period of grace | Visa Code, art. 24(1) |
All articles are as amended by Regulation 2019/1155.
The cascade
Since 2 February 2020, the Visa Code says multiple-entry visas with long validity “shall be issued” for set periods, as long as you meet the entry conditions in article 6(1)(a) and (c) to (e) of the Schengen Borders Code (Regulation 2016/399). The periods are:
- One year, if you obtained and lawfully used three visas in the previous two years.
- Two years, if you obtained and lawfully used a one-year multiple-entry visa in the previous two years.
- Five years, if you obtained and lawfully used a two-year multiple-entry visa in the previous three years.
The visa can’t be valid for longer than your passport. Airport transit visas and visas with limited territorial validity don’t count toward the cascade.
A multiple-entry visa lets you make several trips while it is valid, according to the European Commission.
Exceptions
- Consulates may shorten the validity in individual cases when there is reasonable doubt that you’ll meet the entry conditions for the whole period (art. 24(2a)).
- Consulates in a given country assess, within local Schengen cooperation, whether the cascade should be stricter or more favourable there. The Commission can then adopt local rules (arts. 24(2b) and 24(2d)).
- Separately from the cascade, a multiple-entry visa of up to five years may be issued to applicants who prove a need to travel frequently or regularly, and their integrity and reliability. That includes lawful use of earlier visas, their economic situation at home, and a genuine intention to leave before the visa expires (art. 24(2c)).
Related questions
- Travel medical insurance for a multiple-entry visa only has to cover the first planned visit (Visa Code, art. 15(2)).
Sources
- Reglamento (UE) 2019/1155 amending the Visa Code, art. 1 points 11 (art. 15(2)) and 18 (art. 24), DO L 188 of 12.7.2019, applies from 2 February 2020 (Spanish edition, BOE copy) checked 2026-10-25
- European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs: Applying for a Schengen visa, section 'What is a Schengen visa?' (page dated 2 December 2025) checked 2026-10-25
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This is general information, not legal advice, and Lumen is not a law firm. Rules change and offices differ: check the official sources above before you act. Found something wrong or out of date? Write to support@lumen.observer.