On April 18, 2024, EU adopted more favourable Schengen visa rules for Indian nationals to strengthen the relations under the EU-India Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility, which seeks comprehensive cooperation on migration policy between the EU and India.
The Schengen visa allows the holder to travel freely in the Schengen area for short stays of a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. The visas are not purpose-bound, but they do not grant the right to work.
The more favourable rules relate to the issuing of multiple entry visas, which are more favourable than the standard rules of the Visa Code that applied to date. The new visa regime will provide easier access to visas with multi-year validity for travellers with an established travel history, if the passport validity allows for it.
Indian nationals can now be issued with long-term, multi-entry Schengen visas valid for a two year-period after having obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years. The two-year visa will normally be followed by a five-year visa, if the passport has sufficient validity remaining. During the validity period of these visas, holders enjoy travel rights equivalent to visa-free nationals.
More information can be found here: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/india/european-union-adopts-more-favourable-schengen-visa-rules-indians_en?s=167
