Germany · Transit
Do you need a transit visa for Germany?
In brief
It depends on your passport and on whether you leave the international transit area. Nationals of 12 countries on the EU list and 8 more on Germany's national list need an airport transit visa even to change planes at a German airport, unless they hold an exemption document, such as a valid US, Canadian or Japanese visa on the way to or from that country.12 India is on neither list. To pass border control, you need a Schengen visa if your passport requires one.5
Checked 6 Nov 2026Source: EU Visa Code and Germany's Residence OrdinanceReport a change
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ContentsIn brief
Who needs an airport transit visa, by nationality
| Your passport | Changing planes in the transit area | Going through border control | Official list |
|---|---|---|---|
| On the EU list 12 | Airport transit visaunless exempt (see Exemptions) | Schengen visa | Visa Code, Annex IV |
| On Germany's list 8 | Airport transit visaunless exempt (see Exemptions) | Schengen visa | § 26(2) AufenthV, Annex C |
| Other passports that need a Schengen visa 85 | No airport transit visa | Schengen visa | Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex I |
| Visa-free passports | Nothing | No visaup to 90 days in any 180 | Germany entry rules by nationality |
On the EU list (Visa Code, Annex IV) 12 nationalities, at every Schengen airport
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
DR Congo
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Ghana
Iran
Iraq
Nigeria
Pakistan
Somalia
Sri Lanka
On Germany's national list 8 more, at German airports
Cuba
Jordan
Lebanon
Mali
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Türkiye
Germany exempts Jordanians who hold a valid visa for Australia, Israel or New Zealand and a confirmed ticket or boarding pass to that country, or who are returning to Jordan from an authorised stay there, if the onward flight leaves the same airport within 12 hours of arrival in Germany.2 Germany exempts Turkish holders of service, ministerial and other official passports.2 The consolidated German Residence Ordinance on gesetze-im-internet.de includes amendments up to a law of 22 October 2026.2
Changing planes in the international transit area
- Nationals of some countries need an airport transit visa even to change planes in the international (non-Schengen) part of an EU airport.3
- Each Schengen country can add its own airport transit visa requirements for other nationalities, on top of the common EU list.3
- An airport transit visa is valid only for transit through the international transit areas of airports in the Schengen states; it does not allow entry.1
- An airport transit visa issued because of a national list is valid only at the airports of the state or states concerned.1
Nationals of the third countries listed in Annex IV shall be required to hold an airport transit visa when passing through the international transit areas of airports situated on the territory of the Member States.
EU Visa Code, consolidated text · checked · read from an archived copy of 18 Oct 2026
Going through border control
To leave the transit area, change airports or travel on inside the Schengen area, you pass border control and need a Schengen visa if your passport requires one; an airport transit visa does not allow entry.15 See the Germany entry rules by nationality, and the EU Entry/Exit System for what happens at the border.
Exemptions
No airport transit visa is needed, even on the lists above, if you hold:
- a valid Schengen visa, a national long-stay visa or a residence permit of a Schengen state;1
- a valid visa for Canada, Japan or the United States (or a non-Schengen EU state, or the Netherlands' Caribbean territories), when travelling to the issuing country or another third country, or returning from the issuing country after using the visa;1
- one of the residence permits listed in Annex V of Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino, the United Kingdom or the United States, or a residence permit of a non-Schengen EU state or the Netherlands' Caribbean territories;1
- a status as a family member of an EU citizen, a diplomatic passport, or flight crew membership (nationals of a Chicago Convention state).1
For the United States, Annex V lists a valid unexpired immigrant visa, the Form I-551 Permanent Resident Card, the Form I-327 Re-entry Permit and the Form I-571 Refugee Travel Document endorsed 'Permanent Resident Alien'.1 For the United Kingdom, Annex V lists the UK Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).1 Annex V lists the residence permits that let holders transit Schengen airports without an airport transit visa: for Canada the permanent resident card and the Permanent Resident Travel Document, for Japan the residence card.1
third-country nationals holding a valid visa for a Member State which does not take part in the adoption of this Regulation, or for a Member State which does not yet apply the provisions of the Schengen acquis in full, or for Canada, Japan or the United States of America, or holders of a valid visa for one or more of the overseas countries and territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), when travelling to the issuing country or to any other third country, or when, having used the visa, returning from the issuing country;
EU Visa Code, Article 3(5) · checked · read from an archived copy of 18 Oct 2026
Fee and how to apply
| Fee | EUR 90, EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 111No page states a fee for the airport transit visa itself; the Visa Code's visa fee covers it |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Apply to the Schengen state where the transit airport is; with two or more transit airports, to the state of the first transit airport.1 |
| Validity | Multiple-entry airport transit visas may be issued for up to six months.1 |
More on the fee in each country: Schengen visa fee.
Recent changes
- Since 3 June 2026 Indian citizens no longer need an airport transit visa for a layover at a German airport. German Missions in India · checked
FAQ
Do Indians need a transit visa for Germany?
No, not to change planes in the international transit area: India is on neither the EU list nor Germany's national list. Since 3 June 2026 Indian citizens no longer need an airport transit visa for a layover at a German airport. To leave the airport, Indian citizens need a Schengen visa.
Do I need a transit visa for a layover in Frankfurt?
Only if your passport is on the EU list or Germany's list and you hold no exemption document, or if you leave the transit area: for example to change airports or terminals through border control.
Can I leave the airport during a layover in Germany?
Only with a Schengen visa if your passport needs one; an airport transit visa does not allow entry. Visa-free passports can enter for up to 90 days in any 180.
How much is a German airport transit visa?
No official page states a separate fee; the Visa Code's visa fee applies: EUR 90, and EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11.
Sources
Official sources only. Each was checked on the date shown.
- European Union (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, Visa Code, consolidated text, EUR-Lex): airport transit visa lists, airport transit, exemptions and applying and changes
- Federal Ministry of Justice, Germany (gesetze-im-internet.de): Aufenthaltsverordnung (AufenthV): airport transit visa lists, exemptions and applying and changes
- European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME): airport transit
- German Missions in India (Federal Foreign Office): applying and changes
- European Union, Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 (EUR-Lex consolidated text of 30.12.2025): Schengen visa
More: Germany entry rules by nationality · transit pages · all visa guides.
About this page
By the Visa Almanac editorial team. Every rule, fee and date on this page comes from the official sources listed above, each read on the day shown; where they are silent, we say so. Editorial policy · Change log
- Updated
- 6 Nov 2026
- Last checked
- Official sources
- 5