Transit Schengen Visa

A Transit Schengen Visa allows a person to transit through the Schengen area to change their means of transport, like changing the airplane. That is, arriving in one airplane and departing on another airplane.

Airport Transit Visa

An Airport Transit Schengen Visa is appropriate for passengers who need to change flights at an airport in a Schengen country. Transit passengers stop and wait in the international transit area of the Schengen area before taking their flight to their destination country.

An Airport Transit Schengen visa does not allow you to leave the transit area of the airport. Therefore, such a visa works if you need to wait for a few hours inside the airport’s international transit area.

An Airport Transit Visa is issued by the embassy or the consulate of the country where the transit airport is located.

Restrictions

If you need to stay overnight and would like to get hotel accommodations, which are only available outside the transit area, you will need to apply for a regular Schengen visa.
If your arrival and departure are from two different airports, you will need a regular Schengen visa.
If your itinerary requires you to transit through more than one airport within the Schengen area, you need to apply for a regular Schengen visa.
The Airport Transit Schengen visa is valid for 24 hours. Therefore, if you intend to remain in transit in the Schengen area for longer than one day, you will need to apply for a regular Schengen visa.

When is an Airport Transit Schengen Visa Required?

The citizens of the following countries require an Airport Transit Schengen visa, even if they are just changing an airplane at an airport in any of the Schengen countries:

Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Democratic Republic of Congo
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Ghana
Iran
Iraq
Nigeria
Pakistan
Somalia
Sri Lanka

Additionally, many Schengen countries have added a few extra countries in the above list where the airport transit Schengen visa is required. That list is given below:

Austria

Syria

Belgium

Dominican Republic
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Nepal
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria

Czech Republic

Chad
Egypt
India
Kyrgyzstan
Lebanon
Libya
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Palestine
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Yemen

Denmark

Syria

France

Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
Côte D’Ivoire
Dominican Republic
Guinea
Haiti
Mali
Mauritania
Palestine
Philippines
Russia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria

Germany

India
Jordan
Lebanon
Mali
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Turkey

Greece

Sudan
Syria

Italy

Senegal
Syria

Luxembourg

Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Nepal
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Togo

Netherlands

Cuba
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Nepal
Sierra Leone
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria

Portugal

Guinea
Senegal

Spain

Cameroon
Côte D’Ivoire
Cuba
Djibouti
Gambia
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Jordan
Liberia
Mali
Sierra Leone
Syria
Togo

Switzerland

Syria
Turkey

However, the citizens of the above-mentioned countries do not require an Airport Transit visa, if any of the following requirements are met:

They already hold a national long-stay visa or a residence permit issued by a Schengen country.
They have a valid residence permit issued by Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino, or the USA guaranteeing the holder’s unconditional readmission.
They hold a valid Schengen visa or a valid visa for one of the EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) as well as Canada, Japan or the US, even if they are returning from those countries after using their visa.
They hold diplomatic passports.
They are a close family member of an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen.
They are a flight crew member national of a contracting party to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.