France has decided to start issuing Schengen visas with a longer validity period for Cambodians who have graduated from French universities with master’s or doctoral degrees.
Announcing the news during the second World Alumni Day of French education, the charge d’affaires of the Embassy in Phnom Penh, Fabrice Etienne, said that Cambodian alumni with an education level equal to or higher than a master’s level are now eligible for France Schengen visas with a validity of one to five years, SchengenNews reports.
In addition to Cambodian alumni, French visas with a longer validity period will also be issued to their spouses and their minor children.
A short-stay Schengen travel visa (comprising 29 European countries, including Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland) valid for one to five years can be issued to Alumni who have completed their studies in France as well as to their spouses and their minor children.
According to the charge d’affaires, the decision to issue visas with a validity of up to five years for this group of Cambodian nationals has been taken in an effort to strengthen alumni links with France.
Cambodian alumni and their spouses and children who get issued visas with a validity of one to five years still need to follow the 90/180-day rule.
This means that on the basis of the longer validity visa, they are permitted to stay in the territory of the Schengen Area for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period.
Cambodian alumnus wishing to obtain a longer validity French Schengen visa need to make an application through TLS Contact. At their interview, among the other required documents, they need to present a copy of their master’s or doctoral degree and register on the France Alumni Cambodia website.
Cambodians Applied for Over 8,500 French Schengen Visas in 2023
Schengen Statistics show that in 2023, Cambodians applied for a total of 8,557 French Schengen visas. During the same year, 7,339 Cambodians were issued a French Schengen visa, and 1,043 were refused a visa.
Of those who were issued a visa, 872 received a multiple-entry French Schengen visa. On the other hand, the remaining were granted single-entry visas.
France and Germany were the only countries that received Schengen visa applications from Cambodians last year.
Differently from France, Germany received a significantly lower number of applications. Cambodians applied for 3,561 German Schengen visas in 2023.
Germany issued 3,201 visas and rejected 332 Schengen visas to Cambodians last year.
