Do Indians need an airport transit visa or a regular Schengen visa for traveling via Germany? The answer to this question depends on your itinerary – whether it has one or more airport layovers in Germany – and the type of US visa you hold. Not fulfilling this additional visa requirement for your travel on Lufthansa flights between India and USA can result in denial of boarding. So, let’s understand what type of Schengen visa you need for transiting through Germany airports – Frankfurt, Munich, or both.

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Airport Transit Visa for US-India Itineraries with One Schengen Layover in Germany

A Schengen Airport Transit visa (type-A) is the permit you need for transiting through an airport in Germany to your non-Schengen destination. For example, if your Lufthansa flight connects you to your final destination in India/USA either at Munich Airport or Frankfurt Airport, then you need an airport transit visa for this itinerary. It allows you to spend your connection time (up to 24 hours) in the international transit zone within the airport. You cannot leave the airport during the layover.

What documents are required to apply for an airport transit visa for Germany? 

You need the following documents to submit your transit visa application at a German visa application center, embassy or consulate in your country of residence. The German transit visa fee is 80 Euros (nearly 85 USD).

• German Transit Visa Application form
• Signed Declaration of Accuracy of Information
• Passport (issued within last 10 years and with at least 3 months validity from your travel date)
• A photocopy of your passport’s biometric and address page
• Confirmed flight ticket to USA/India
• 2 latest passport photographs

Additional documents may be required for further verification in individual cases.

How long does it take to get a German transit visa?

The standard processing time for German transit visa applications is 15 days. You can submit your application six months in advance but no later than 15 days before the scheduled date of your travel.

I have a US visa/green card. Do I need Germany’s transit visa for layover in Frankfurt or Munich?

Indian nationals holding a valid US visa or Green Card are exempt from the transit visa requirement as long as their US-India itinerary has one Schengen layover. 

Schengen Visa for US-India Itineraries with Two or More Schengen Layovers

If your US-India itinerary has a layover at both Munich and Frankfurt Airport, then you are required to possess a regular Schengen visa (not a transit visa). A transit visa only permits you to catch a connecting flight to a non-Schengen country, whereas you must have a Schengen visa for connecting to a second Schengen airport on your way to a non-Schengen country.

You would also need a Schengen visa for your travel on connecting flights to India operated by Lufthansa and its codeshare partner, SWISS Airlines, which also operates out of Schengen airports in Zurich and Geneva. Simply put, a Schengen visa (type-C) is mandatory for transiting through more than one airport in the Schengen area. Read more about a regular Schengen visa required for international transit by Indians.

Do Indians holding green cards need a Schengen visa for Lufthansa flights via two Schengen airports?

Yes. Neither a valid US visa nor permanent residency status exempts you from the  Schengen visa rules. A Schengen visa is one of the most important travel documents required for hassle-free travel on Lufthansa flights via two Schengen airports in Germany.

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Unless you travel on nonstop flights between USA and India, checking the citizenship-based visa requirements for transit in a third country is a prerequisite for international travel. This simple step can avert unexpected events such as denial of boarding. If you are scheduled to travel between India and USA via Canada, you should know whether you need to have a transit visa for Canada.

Many Indian nationals are unaware of Canada’s transit visa requirement for their travel on Air Canada flights between USA and India. On top of that they are under the misconception that their US visa authorizes them to travel to USA or India via Canada without a transit visa. The fact is that only US citizens and Green Card holders are eligible for visa-free transit in Canada.

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Do all Indian citizens require a Canadian transit visa?

India is listed among the visa-required countries by Canada. Hence, Indian passport holders are required to apply for a Canadian transit visa before they google Air Canada’s best deals for USA-India flights. According to Canada’s immigration rules, you need a transit visa if

• You are taking a connecting flight to/from USA at an airport in Canada
• Your international flight stops at a Canadian airport on its way to India/USA
• Your US-India itinerary has a layover (less than 48 hours) at any Canadian airport

Do Indians holding a US visa require a transit visa for a layover/connecting flight in Canada? 

Yes, they do. A transit visa is mandatory for all Indian citizens for transiting through Canada on the way to USA or India. This rule has nothing to do with whatever US visa you have, except Green Card. Be it an H1B, H4, B1/B2, F1/F2 or L1/L2 visa, you must have a Canadian transit visa for traveling on Air Canada between USA and India. The only exception is given for Indians with American citizenship who can transit through Canada visa-free.

Transit visa vs tourist visa for Indians traveling through Canada

A Canadian transit visa is valid for a maximum of 1 or 2 entries and it permits Indians to transit through the airports in Canada for less than 48 hours without leaving the transit zone. If you wish to leave the airport during the layover or if the connection time is longer than 48 hours, then you need a visitor visa. So, kindly note that a transit visa is considered invalid for itineraries with long layovers exceeding 48 hours.

Interestingly, Canada’s transit visa is issued free of charge, and you need to apply at least a few weeks before your planned travel from USA to India via Canada.

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In a shocking incident dated 22 June 2022, four Indian travelers including two students faced denial of boarding on flights to USA from Bengaluru Kempegowda Airport. They were all Indian passport holders with itineraries having two Schengen layovers – Paris and Amsterdam – in Europe. Air France that operated the first international leg – from Bengaluru to Paris – did not onboard them due to their incomplete visa arrangement for the transit between two Schengen airports. The airline turned down their request for boarding. All of the four travelers were sent back home.

Some travelers end up meeting the same fate as the above for not having the right visa required for international flights between USA and India via Frankfurt and Munich in Germany. Itineraries having two Schengen layovers in Germany have the same visa requirement as itineraries involving two Schengen countries, for Indian passport holders. As a rule of thumb, Indian nationals must have a regular Schengen visa for hassle-free connection/transit via two airports in the Schengen zone.

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‘I am an Indian national with a valid Green Card. Do Green Card holders need a Schengen visa for Air France-KLM or Lufthansa flights via two Schengen airports?’

Yes, they do. Despite holding a Green Card or Canadian PR, you require a valid Schengen visa (C Type) to avert denial of boarding on USA to India flights with more than one Schengen layover. Indians having the LPR status in Canada or the US, are not immune to this particular visa rule.

I will travel on Air France-KLM codeshare flights from Houston to Delhi this summer. Do I need a Schengen visa even though the itinerary is operated by two codeshare partners?

In such itineraries, Air France operates the Houston to Paris flight, and the Paris to Amsterdam to New Delhi leg is operated by KLM. Though these two airlines are codeshare partners, it does not immunize you against the Schengen visa rule for Indian passport holders. The same is applicable to Indian nationals scheduled to travel on flights operated by Lufthansa and its partner SWISS Airlines via Frankfurt/Munich and Zurich respectively. Since Both Frankfurt/Munich and Zurich fall in the Schengen region of Europe, any itinerary having connection between two Schengen airports or countries requires you to have a regular Schengen visa (C Type).

Let’s assume that your flight from Atlanta to Mumbai is operated only by Lufthansa. You need a regular Schengen visa even for Lufthansa-only flights to India/USA if the itinerary has two Schengen airport layovers in Germany. Refer to the below Lufthansa itinerary from IndianEagle.com, a most trusted air-ticketing partner of Indians in America.

Can I transit through more than one Schengen country or more than one airport within the Schengen area, with an airport transit visa? 

Precisely, a big NO. A Schengen airport transit visa does not allow Indians to transfer from one airport (Frankfurt) to the other (Munich) within Germany, or transfer from one Schengen area (Paris) to the other (Amsterdam). Having a regular Schengen visa is compulsory for hassle-free, safe travel between USA and India via two Schengen area airports.

An airport transit visa is basically required by the nationals of certain countries which are not eligible for visa-free transit even through one Schengen area airport.

The post What Visa is Required for Transit Via 2 Schengen Airports in Your Itinerary for US to India Travel? appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Do Indians need a transit visa for Japan while traveling to USA or back to India? This is a common query by our customers booking JAL flights between USA and India. “No,” to say in short. Neither Indian passport holders nor US citizens need a visa for transit in Japan.    

If you are an Indian citizen with the itinerary having transfer between two airports in Japan, you must have a transit visa. Japan requires you to have a transit visa for catching a connecting flight at another airport after the first leg of the itinerary ends at Tokyo Haneda Airport or Narita International Airport. Even though you do not have to travel to another airport for the connecting flight, you may need to comply with Japan’s transit visa requirements, if there’s no connecting flight on the same day.

If there is no connecting flight to USA from Narita or Haneda International Airport on the same day, you may be required to undergo immigration procedures to leave the transit or departure (airside) area of the connecting airport in Japan. You need a transit visa to step out of the airport for anything – city sightseeing or catching up with a friend. In case you wish to spend time in the departure or transit area until the next connecting flight, no transit visa is required.

A transit visa is mandatory if you plan a stopover in Japan while traveling to USA or any other country via Tokyo, Narita, or Kansai Airport. The transit visa does not allow any business-centric activity during a stopover. A Japan transit visa is valid for 15 days; the validity is not extendable. Usually, it takes 5 days to get a transit visa issued from the date of the application receipt. If Indian passport holders have a tourist visa to Japan, you do not need a transit visa to travel through Tokyo or Narita International Airport or Kansai Airport, Osaka.

Do US citizens need a transit visa for Japan? US nationals and citizens do not need a tourist visa or transit visa for Japan. They need only a valid passport and confirmed onward/return flight tickets for a visit of maximum 90 days in Japan. The US passport must be valid until they exit Japan after a short stay.

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The lack of clarity about transit visa requirements is one of the reasons for denial of boarding to travelers flying between USA and India via France. Do you need a Schengen visa or airport transit visa for France? This depends on your nationality, itinerary and visa for the destination country. France is a popular international transit point on long-haul routes between USA and India that see flights by Delta Air Lines and Air France.

Effective from July 2018, Indian passport holders were excepted from requiring an airport transit visa to travel through Paris CDG and other international airports in France. However, the visa-free transit facility was ruled out during the pandemic. Some Indians are still under the impression that they can pass through France without a transit visa while traveling on international flights between India and USA.

But the truth is that Indian passport holders must need an airport transit visa to transit through France for their final destinations outside the Schengen area. There are certain exemptions. If you have a valid US visa or a Green Card, you are eligible for visa-free transit in the international transit area of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Those holding a valid visa or residence permit issued by Canada, Ireland, and Japan are eligible for the same. The visa-free transit facility is subject to the condition that they don’t step out of the international transit area.

France’s transit visa requirement for Indians changes if their visa or residence permit issued by the US or any other aforementioned country expires before, during or right after their transit in Paris. In this scenario, they need an airport transit visa or a transit Schengen visa for hassle-free transit in France. However, an airport transit Schengen visa does not allow them to enter the Schengen area outside the Paris CDG Airport.

If your itinerary has long daytime or overnight layover in France and you plan to go for sightseeing or accommodate yourself outside the airport, you need a short-stay Schengen Visa, regardless of your valid US visa or residence permit. Even if you are a US citizen, you need a short-stay Schengen visa to enter the Schengen territory during a layover at Paris CDG Airport.

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