A European Commission decision of 15 July 2025 (C(2025) 4694) introduced the cascade system for Turkish citizens. Under it, applicants who use their visas correctly progress in stages towards longer, multiple-entry visas.

The effect is visible in the data: multiple-entry visas issued to Turkish citizens rose from 645,583 in 2024 to 736,556 in 2025, about 69 per cent of all visas issued.

The question that causes most confusion in practice is this: which countries does the rule apply to, and why does not everyone get the same outcome?

The rule binds every Schengen state

The short answer is all of them. No country can say it does not apply the rule.

All 29 Schengen states are obliged to apply the decision.
Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are included as well, since they are bound by the Schengen acquis despite not being EU members.
For Denmark the decision is binding, but the manner of implementation is left to its own internal procedures.
Ireland is outside the Schengen area and therefore outside this scheme; a separate visa is required.

How the tiers work

For Turkish citizens resident in Türkiye and applying from Türkiye, the progression is:

Two Schengen visas obtained in the last three years and used correctly: a one-year multiple-entry visa
After using the one-year visa correctly: a three-year visa
After using the three-year visa correctly: a five-year visa

Professional lorry drivers are excluded from this progression.

Why outcomes differ

Because the cascade is not an automatic entitlement. The decision sets a framework, but whether to grant a tier is at the discretion of the consulate in each application.

A widely shared observation in the sector is that tourism-focused countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain may issue relatively longer visas even to first-time applicants, while Germany and France tend to assess more cautiously and often issue a visa covering only the travel dates.

There is no official statement to this effect; it rests on observation, and consular practice shifts over time. It should not be treated as a fixed rule.

That said, the Commission's 2025 refusal statistics partly align with it. For applications from Türkiye the refusal rate was 10.7 per cent in Greece, against 29.3 per cent in Poland, 26.5 per cent in Sweden and 21.1 per cent in Germany.

What costs you a tier

Progression depends on having used previous visas correctly. The most common mistakes:

Overstay: exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period. This affects not only the cascade but future applications generally.
Ignoring the main destination rule: spending longer in a country other than the one that issued the visa. Some countries then ask for a letter of explanation.
Never using the visa: an unused visa does not build a record of correct use.

The overlooked condition: passport validity

This is little known and directly affects anyone aiming for a long visa.

The validity you request cannot exceed the remaining validity of your passport. With four years left on your passport, a five-year visa will not be issued, however strong your file is.

If you are aiming for a long-validity visa, renewing your passport before applying may make more sense.

What to include in your file

It helps to state that you wish to be assessed under the cascade arrangement, and to evidence your previous visas and their correct use:

Copies of the visa pages in your old passport
Entry and exit stamps (since the Entry/Exit System became fully operational on 10 April 2026, new trips will not be stamped; digital records are used instead)
Flight tickets and accommodation records from previous trips

Source

The rules described here follow the European Commission decision C(2025) 4694 of 15 July 2025; the statistics are from the Commission's 2025 Schengen visa data published on 28 May 2026. Consular practice can change; check the current position before applying.

The Cascade Rule in Practice: How Each Country Applies It