How many days will my Schengen visa be for? What the data can and cannot tell you
Three different numbers get confused in this question, only one of them is published, and the spread on that one is enormous.
Three numbers, not one
When people ask "how many days will I get", they usually mean one of three things, and the sticker carries them separately:
- Duration of stay: the days you may actually spend inside the Schengen area. Never more than 90 in any 180 (Article 2(2)(a)).
- Validity period: the window during which the visa can be used. For a multiple-entry visa this can run one, two or five years; Article 24(1) caps it at five.
- Number of entries: single, double or multiple.
A sticker reading "valid 12-09-26 to 11-09-27, MULT, duration of stay 30" gives you a year of usability and thirty days of presence inside it. The sticker anatomy diagram shows all three fields side by side.
The honest answer on duration of stay
No authority publishes duration-of-stay outcomes. The European Commission's consulate statistics count applications, visas issued, multiple-entry visas issued, limited-territorial-validity visas and refusals. They do not record whether a visa was granted for 15 days, 30 days or 90. No Schengen state publishes that breakdown for India either.
So any site quoting "your chances of getting 90 days" is quoting nothing. What the Visa Code says instead is that the period of validity and the length of the authorised stay "shall be based on the examination conducted in accordance with Article 21", the examination of your entry conditions and your intention to leave. In practice consulates issue against the trip you documented: the dates in field 27 of the form, your bookings, and your insurance cover. Ask for 40 days on a 12-day itinerary and the mismatch is the problem, not the ambition.
The one number that is published, and it is not small
The share of issued visas that were multiple-entry is published for every consulate, every year. For applications lodged in India:
| Year | Visas issued | Multiple-entry share |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 529,367 | 45.3% |
| 2019 | 1,012,487 | 62.5% |
| 2024 | 936,748 | 62.8% |
| 2025 | 966,529 | 57.6% |
And the spread between consulates in 2025 is the finding nobody else surfaces. Among consulates with at least 1,000 applications:
| Highest multi-entry share, 2025 | Lowest multi-entry share, 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium, Mumbai | 99.9% | Latvia, New Delhi | 8.4% |
| Germany, Kolkata | 99.9% | France, Kolkata | 9.0% |
| Italy, Kolkata | 99.9% | Bulgaria, New Delhi | 10.6% |
| Germany, Chennai | 99.8% | Finland, New Delhi | 11.9% |
| Germany, New Delhi | 99.7% | Portugal, Goa | 13.1% |
Two applicants with identical files, one going to Belgium via Mumbai and one to Latvia via New Delhi, are not in the same game: one queue issues almost every visa as multiple-entry, the other issues roughly one in twelve. The full tables are on the multi-entry ranking by country and by consulate, and every consulate page carries its own 17-year multi-entry column.
What decides the validity of a multiple-entry visa
Article 24(2) is a ladder, and it is written as an obligation, not a favour. Provided you meet the entry conditions and your passport outlives the visa, a multiple-entry visa "shall be issued":
- one year, if you have obtained and lawfully used three visas within the previous two years;
- two years, if you have obtained and lawfully used a one-year multiple-entry visa within the previous two years;
- five years, if you have obtained and lawfully used a two-year multiple-entry visa within the previous three years.
Airport transit visas and limited-territorial-validity visas do not count toward the ladder. Article 24(2a) lets a consulate shorten validity in individual cases where there is reasonable doubt; Article 24(2b) lets consulates in one country adapt the rules locally, more favourably or more restrictively; Article 24(2c) allows up to five years for applicants who prove they need to travel frequently and can show integrity and reliable use of previous visas. That last one is the route first-time frequent travellers actually use.
The practical reading: the ladder rewards a clean, documented history of using and respecting visas. "Lawfully used" is doing the work in that sentence, and the Entry/Exit System, fully operational since 10 April 2026, now records your entries and exits automatically.
What you can do about the days you get
- Ask for what your itinerary shows, and make fields 25 and 27 of the form, your bookings and your insurance agree to the day: see the form guide.
- If you genuinely travel often, say so in writing and attach the evidence, citing your need to travel frequently; that is the Article 24(2c) route.
- Insure for what you request. For a multiple-entry visa you only have to prove cover for the first trip (Article 15(2)), but you sign a declaration that you know you must be insured on later ones.
- Check the multi-entry record of the consulate that will actually decide your file before you expect a long visa from it.
FAQ
How many days is a Schengen visa usually given for?
There is no published figure. Neither the European Commission nor the Schengen states publish duration-of-stay outcomes, so no honest source can give you a percentage. The Visa Code says validity and length of stay follow the examination of your file and your documented itinerary, capped at 90 days in any 180.
What are my chances of getting a multiple-entry Schengen visa?
That one is measurable. In 2025, 57.6 percent of visas issued in India were multiple-entry, but the consulate-level range ran from 8.4 percent to 99.9 percent. See the multi-entry rankings for the current table.
How do I get a 5-year Schengen visa?
Article 24(2)(c): a five-year multiple-entry visa follows a two-year multiple-entry visa that you obtained and lawfully used within the previous three years. Article 24(2c) also allows up to five years for applicants who prove a need to travel frequently and their reliability.
Can I get 90 days on my first Schengen visa?
Nothing in the Visa Code prevents it, and nothing guarantees it; the length is set by the examination under Article 21 against the trip you documented. Asking for materially more days than your itinerary and bookings support tends to weaken the file rather than lengthen the visa.
Printed from Schengen Odds (https://schengen-odds.pages.dev/guide/how-long-schengen-visa-valid-days/). Sources are listed below; rules change, so check the linked official pages on the day you apply.
Questions this page answers
How many days is a Schengen visa usually given for?
There is no published figure. Neither the European Commission nor the Schengen states publish duration-of-stay outcomes, so no honest source can give you a percentage. The Visa Code says validity and length of stay follow the examination of your file and your documented itinerary, capped at 90 days in any 180.
What are my chances of getting a multiple-entry Schengen visa?
That one is measurable. In 2025, 57.6 percent of visas issued in India were multiple-entry, but the consulate-level range ran from 8.4 percent to 99.9 percent. See the multi-entry rankings for the current table.
How do I get a 5-year Schengen visa?
Article 24(2)(c): a five-year multiple-entry visa follows a two-year multiple-entry visa that you obtained and lawfully used within the previous three years. Article 24(2c) also allows up to five years for applicants who prove a need to travel frequently and their reliability.
Can I get 90 days on my first Schengen visa?
Nothing in the Visa Code prevents it, and nothing guarantees it; the length is set by the examination under Article 21 against the trip you documented. Asking for materially more days than your itinerary and bookings support tends to weaken the file rather than lengthen the visa.