Many Ghanaian business travellers apply for a fresh single-trip Schengen visa every time they travel to Europe. European Union law provides a structured route to long-validity multiple-entry visas for exactly this group, and consulates are expected to apply it. This note sets out the rule, the conditions attached to it, and where applications are lodged in Accra.
The cascade in Article 24(2)
Since 2 February 2020, Article 24(2) of the EU Visa Code (Regulation 810/2009 as amended by Regulation 2019/1155) provides that, where the applicant meets the entry conditions, multiple-entry visas with long validity are issued according to a ladder: a one-year multiple-entry visa after three visas obtained and lawfully used within the previous two years; a two-year multiple-entry visa after a one-year multiple-entry visa obtained and lawfully used within the previous two years; and a five-year multiple-entry visa after a two-year multiple-entry visa obtained and lawfully used within the previous three years. The validity of any visa is capped by the validity of the passport.
Two further provisions matter. Article 24(2c) allows a consulate to issue a visa of up to five years directly to an applicant who proves the need or justifies the intention to travel frequently, together with integrity, reliability, a sound economic situation in the country of origin and a genuine intention to leave the Schengen area before the visa expires. Article 24(2a) allows validity to be shortened where there is reasonable doubt that the entry conditions will be met throughout the period. "Lawfully used" means no overstay and no breach of the terms of any previous visa.
Insurance
Whatever the validity of the visa, Article 15 of the Visa Code requires travel medical insurance of at least €30,000, valid throughout the Schengen area, for each trip. Holders of multiple-entry visas confirm on the application that they will hold insurance for each subsequent stay.
Where to apply in Accra
Applications are lodged with the consulate of the main destination, or the first point of entry where stays are of equal length. The Netherlands accepts applications through VFS Global in Accra, which also covers residents of Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone; applications may be lodged up to six months and no later than fifteen days before travel. France uses VFS Global at One Airport Square, Ground Floor, with a service fee of €24, and decisions are made by the French Embassy in Accra. Spain uses BLS International Ghana. Germany takes applications directly at the German Embassy through a free waiting-list appointment; the fee is €90, standard processing is fourteen days, incomplete files are refused at reception, and both parents must attend for a minor.
Refusal rates and the wider picture
Across the EU in 2025 there were roughly twelve million Schengen applications and a global refusal rate of 14.6 per cent. Published statistics for Ghana are far worse: reported figures for 2024 show around 56,000 applications and a refusal rate in the region of 45 per cent, among the highest in the world. The gap between the two numbers is the gap between well-prepared files and the rest. A multi-entry visa is only granted to an applicant whose history, funds and purpose are consistent — which is the same standard that decides any first application.
What is coming
The EU has adopted a Visa Policy Strategy that moves towards a single online application platform and a digital visa replacing the passport sticker with a signed barcode. The platform is scheduled to begin operating in 2028. First-time applicants and those with new passports or expired biometrics will still attend in person. The Entry/Exit System is already fully operational, and the ETIAS travel authorisation, when it launches, will not apply to Ghanaian passport holders, who continue to need a visa.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Visa Code), Articles 15 and 24, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2019/1155
- European Commission, DG Home — Schengen short-stay visa applications rise in 2025 (28 May 2026)
- Netherlands Worldwide — Apply for a Schengen visa in Ghana; France-Visas — Ghana; German Embassy Accra — visa information; BLS International Ghana
- EEAS — European Union to adopt new online Schengen visa application system in 2028
- Ghana 2024 statistics as reported by SchengenVisaInfo (labelled "reported")
West Side Travel Ltd is a private travel document advisory consultancy and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government department, embassy, consulate or visa-issuing authority. The above is drawn from official published sources and is general information only; requirements change and every application turns on its own facts. Talk to us before you file.