Originally Posted by
B747-437B
Max validity of Schengen visas is 5 years and that too is restricted only to countries with treaty agreements for this (eg. Russia).
For Indians, 2 years is the current maximum permitted. I've received 2 year Schengen visas consecutively from the Dutch, French, Germans and Dutch again in various parts of the world over the last few years.
Never had to show any invitation from a European partner (just a covering letter from myself), but I have over 200 visits to 18 different Schengen countries during this period so I guess I'm considered low risk as a result.
If there was some consistency in getting a 2 yr visa that would be great. Over the years I've diverted a lot of my tourist dollars to other countries owing to the difficulties of getting a Schengen visa (as compared to other visas). Suffice to say that if they consistently issued me a 2 yr visa, I'd be buying a lot more of the East Coast to Europe fares that consistently pop up on FT.
I've never received a 2yr Schengen visa though I have had a 1.5 yr residence permit. I've only applied for a Schengen once after that at the Swiss consulate in SF and they were willing to issue a one year visa (I think my residence permit played a big role) but my I-20 expired before the end of the year so they had to cut it short. Let's hope I can get a long visa based on the residence permit.