A case shared in an online forum in 2025 is a useful example for anyone who travels to Europe regularly from Dubai. The applicant, a UAE resident, applied together with his spouse at VFS Dubai for a Germany Schengen visa and received a visa valid for two years, with multiple entries. We have not seen the documents or the officer’s notes, and the post does not state his nationality, so this page lists what he sent and reads it against the official rule on longer visas. It sits next to our annotated Germany document list, a different case: a visit by invitation.
The case in short
- Applicant. A UAE resident applying with his spouse at VFS Dubai. The post does not state a nationality.
- Destination. Germany, for two planned trips.
- Visa history. Five earlier visas (two of them for Cyprus, which is in the EU but outside Schengen) and one refusal, between 2023 and 2025. The list is below.
- Decision. A Germany visa valid for two years, multiple entry. The applicant reports that it was ready three days after the appointment.
- When. The post dates from August 2025.
What the applicant sent
He listed these documents:
- Two travel itineraries, with booked flights.
- Hotel bookings.
- A bank statement.
- An employer no-objection letter covering both trips.
- A cover letter.
- Travel insurance for the first trip.
- A copy of a medical insurance with worldwide coverage.
- The UAE residence visa.
It is a short list. What stands out is that it is built around the plans: two trips, each with flights and hotels, an employer letter that names both, and insurance that covers the first one. For a multiple-entry visa, the rules ask for travel medical insurance covering the period of the first intended visit (Article 15 of the Visa Code).
The visa history and the rule on longer visas
The applicant listed his earlier visas, which we reproduce as he gave them:
- 2023: Cyprus (in the EU but outside Schengen), one week, single entry.
- 2023: Hungary, 7 days, single entry.
- 2023: Cyprus, one year, multiple entry.
- 2023: Netherlands, refused.
- 2024: Germany, one year, multiple entry.
- 2025: Austria, 16 days, multiple entry.
- 2025: Germany, two years, multiple entry (this case).
This history matches the rule the Schengen states apply to longer visas, as explained by the Danish Immigration Service: 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 previous one-year multiple-entry visa within the previous two years; five years if you have obtained and lawfully used a previous two-year multiple-entry visa within the previous three years. Some nationalities have adapted rules, and the officer decides on each application.
What we notice in this file
We cannot say what decided the validity, but several things match what we recommend:
- The earlier visas were used. A one-year multiple-entry visa from Germany in 2024, followed by a longer one in 2025, is the pattern the rule looks for. The rule asks for visas that were lawfully used, not only held.
- The plans are real. Two itineraries with booked flights and hotel bookings show why multiple entries are needed.
- The employer letter covers both trips. The job and the leave are shown for the whole period, not trip by trip.
- The file is short and consistent. Eight items, each with a clear role: purpose, accommodation, funds, job, insurance and residence.
- An earlier refusal did not end the history. He lists a 2023 refusal from the Netherlands, followed by longer visas from Germany. We do not know the reason for that refusal or how much it weighed.
The decision was fast: he reports that the visa was ready three days after the appointment. The average we quote is about 15 days, and up to 45 days officially. A shorter or a longer wait says nothing about the result, so do not read his timing as a promise. A longer visa does not mean a longer stay: the 90-day limit still applies (see the official short-stay calculator). See our Germany visa service for how it works from Dubai.
What one case does and does not prove
One approval is not a rule. We have not seen the documents or the officer’s notes, we do not know his nationality, his income or how many months of bank statements he sent, and the post is from 2025. A longer visa is never a right: the officer decides the validity on each application.
What it does show is that a history of visas that were used, together with a file built around real plans, can lead to a longer visa. It also shows that a short file can be enough when every item has a clear role.
The short version
A longer Schengen visa is built over time: visas used lawfully, one after the other, and a file where the plans, the job and the insurance match. If you travel to Europe every year from Dubai, keep your earlier visas and your travel records, and apply with a file that shows why you need several entries.
See our Germany visa service, read our annotated Germany document list, or check your eligibility, free.