The German Consul General in İzmir, Ralf Schröer, has said that Germany will start to implement the “cascade” regime more extensively for Turkish nationals applying for Schengen visas.
Under the “cascade” regime, Schengen visa applicants are eligible to obtain multiple-entry visas with a longer validity period based on their previous history and provided that they have met all the conditions and lawfully used their previous visas.
Considering the aim of the regime, the statement of Schröer suggests that Germany seeks to start issuing more long-term Schengen visas for Turkish passport holders, simplifying travel to the bloc for frequent visitors, Schengen.News reports.
During a seminar held at Yaşar University in İzmir, Schröer said that based on the agreement reached between the Turkish and EU authorities, businesspeople and students are given priority when it comes to visa issuance, with their applications being processed faster.
On the other hand, he stressed that due to the high demand, Turkish passport holders applying for tourist visas may need to wait for longer periods of time, Hürriyet Daily News explains.
According to the agreement we reached with the Turkish government, priority in visa issuance is given to businesspeople and students. Unfortunately, applicants under the visitor and tourist categories may have to wait several months due to high demand during this period.
Schröer further pointed out that Germany grants a large number of visas to Turkish nationals, turning down allegations that member states are purposefully denying visas to this nationality.
German Consul General Advises Against Seeking Visa Application Assistance From Intermediaries
In addition to saying that the country will start applying the “cascade” regime more extensively, the German Consul General also gave some recommendations to Turkish Schengen visa applicants.
Schröer told Turkish nationals to avoid seeking the help of visa consultancy firms unless absolutely necessary. According to him, intermediaries do not help to expedite the application processing. In contrast, they may even slow it down even more.
The involvement of commercial visa consultants neither improves nor expedites your application. On the contrary, it may even slow down the process.
Recent statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo show that Turkish passport holders submitted a total of 1,173,917 Schengen visa applications in 2024, ranking second only after Chinese applicants.
Of the total number of Turkish Schengen visa applicants, 993,875 were granted a visa, whereas 170,129 had their applications rejected.
Germany alone received 215,506 visa applications from Turkish nationals last year, and it granted 17,260 visas to this nationality.