How you can unlock third-country access with your US, UK, or Schengen visas

With long wait times for US visas and high costs for UK visas, the Schengen visa offers a practical alternative. The Schengen area, comprising 26 European countries, permits free travel across its member nations with a single visa. A visa issued by any one of them automatically allows you to travel to the others. However, you may not know that a Schengen visa also lets you travel to some non-Schengen countries.

For example, nationals like Bosnia and Herzegovina and Cyprus allow entry by Schengen visa holders without needing additional national visa from their own embassies or consulates. Even countries outside Europe like South Korea, Mexico, the Philippines, Peru and Saudi Arabia allow such visa holders entry into their borders without requiring a separate visa.

Before taking advantage of this access, check out specific conditions individual countries impose. For example, South Korea allows Schengen visa holders to travel only if it is used as a transit country (you are flying to a Schengen nation from South Korea).

Saudi Arabia requires that the Schengen visa be used at least once. Several countries require that the Schengen visa should have six months validity left at the time of applying or that you should have a multi-entry Schengen visa. A single-entry Schengen visa will not do.

Traditionally, this would have been a deal breaker since European nations have historically shied away from issuing multi-year Schengen visas with multiple entries. However, this situation has changed since April 2024.

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Can you get a multi-entry Schengen visa?

In April 2024, the European Union approved a Schengen Visa ‘cascade’ for Indians. Basically, if you travel at least twice to Europe in three years (get two single-entry Schengen visas), you become eligible for a two-year multiple-entry Schengen visa. On expiry of this visa, you become eligible for a five-year multiple entry Schengen visa.

This has made the visa more competitive versus countries like the US and UK, which routinely issue multi-year, multiple-entry tourist visas. However, both nations have some drawbacks. The US has a large processing time that can go on for four months or more. It also mandates an interview at the Consulate or Embassy. The UK has higher-cost tourist visas than Schengen countries. A five-year multiple entry UK visa costs ₹88,167. For a 10-year UK visa, the cost is ₹110,123. A Schengen visa costs 90 euros ( ₹8,300 approximately).

Where to apply?

You must apply for a Schengen visa through the country you plan to enter first in Europe. However, many Indians choose their entry through the country which is fastest in processing and approving visas. This can be a smart strategy. Check the visa approval statistics before submitting your applications. Switzerland receives the largest share of India’s Schengen applications from a single embassy/consulate (Delhi). It is followed by Germany and the Netherlands.

France has also been historically a popular point of entry into Europe and a large recipient of Schengen visa applications. The application success rate is reasonably high (more than 85% in most cases).

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If you are looking at a ‘piggyback’ country for travel, make sure to thoroughly check its foreign ministry website and embassy/consulate website in India. Save screenshots or keep print-outs of the relevant sections. The airport staff may not be aware of this.

“I’ve had a personal experience where in December 2023, I was actually stopped and not allowed to proceed for my next flight to Dubai in Bahrain because the authorities there weren’t sure of the visa on arrival for Indians with US visa. They ended up giving me stay in a hotel and put me on the next flight the next morning,” said Raivat Shah, a Singapore-based Indian professional who has developed a website called visahacks.in to track ‘piggyback’ nations along with two friends, Chaitanya Baranwal and Walter Tay.

Third-party websites are often useful, but due to the changing and complex nature of visa regulations, ensure that you cross-check any such data with the concerned nation’s official websites.

Also Read: How Indian students can get work visas after studying abroad