Netherlands · Transit
Do you need a transit visa for the Netherlands?
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 14 more on the Netherlands' national list need an airport transit visa even to change planes at a Dutch 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. The Netherlands prints no list of its own: ours is its column in the European Commission's table.62 To pass border control, you need a Schengen visa if your passport requires one.7
Checked 6 Nov 2026Source: EU Visa Code and the European Commission's tableReport 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 the Netherlands' list 14 | Airport transit visaunless exempt (see Exemptions) | Schengen visa | European Commission's table |
| Other passports that need a Schengen visa 79 | No airport transit visa | Schengen visa | Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex I |
| Visa-free passports | Nothing | No visaup to 90 days in any 180 | Netherlands 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 the Netherlands' national list 14 more, at Dutch airports
Central African Republic
Chad
Cuba
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Mauritania
Nepal
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Türkiye
Yemen
According to the table's notes, the Dutch requirement does not apply to service or special passports, nor, for Turkey, to seafarers with a valid seafarer's identity document.2 The Netherlands does not print a nationality list for its airport transit visa: the Marechaussee sends travellers to a questionnaire.6 The European Commission publishes a table of the extra airport transit visa requirements of each Schengen state, by nationality. The version read covers 43 nationalities plus Palestinians; one footnote refers to 1 August 2026.2 Most Turkish passport holders need an airport transit visa to change planes at Amsterdam Schiphol since 1 December 2022.6
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
List of third countries whose nationals are required to be in possession of an airport transit visa when passing through the international transit area of airports situated on the territory of one/some Member States
European Commission, national airport transit visa requirements · checked
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.17 See the Netherlands 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 · every Schengen state's lists: Schengen airport transit visa.
Recent changes
- Most Turkish passport holders need an airport transit visa to change planes at Amsterdam Schiphol since 1 December 2022. Royal Netherlands Marechaussee · checked
FAQ
Do I need a transit visa for Amsterdam Schiphol?
Only if your passport is on the EU list or the Netherlands' list and you hold no exemption document. To leave the international transit zone, you need a Schengen visa if your passport requires one.
Do Indians need a transit visa for the Netherlands?
No, not to change planes in the international transit zone: India is on neither the EU list nor the Netherlands' list in the European Commission's table. To leave the airport, Indian citizens need a Schengen visa.
Do Turkish citizens need a transit visa for Schiphol?
Most Turkish passport holders need an airport transit visa to change planes at Amsterdam Schiphol since 1 December 2022. The requirement does not apply to service or special passports, nor to Turkish seafarers with a valid seafarer's identity document.
Can I leave the airport during a layover in the Netherlands?
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 Dutch 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
- European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME): airport transit visa lists and national list
- European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME): airport transit
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands (NetherlandsWorldwide): airport transit
- Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Koninklijke Marechaussee, border police): airport transit
- Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Koninklijke Marechaussee, border police): national list
- European Union, Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 (EUR-Lex consolidated text of 30.12.2025): Schengen visa
More: Netherlands 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
- 7