Indian nationals passing through a German airport on their way to a destination in another country are no longer required to obtain an airport transit visa, as of Wednesday, June 3rd.
The law change was published in Germany's Federal Law Gazette on Tuesday, and announced by the German Embassy in New Delhi.
Crucially, the exemption for transit visas applies to those travelling through a German airport, like Frankfurt or Munich, while travelling to a non-Schengen destination.
It does not change the visa requirement for people coming to Germany or the Schengen zone, but will make travel easier for a large number of travellers flying from India to the UK or North America via Germany's major airports.
The decision was originally announced during Chancellor Friedrich Merz's first official visit to India in January.
It comes as Germany and India appear to be leaning into a strategic partnership that also consists of trade agreements and defence partnerships.
Affected travellers are now spared the cost of a €90 transit visa, and can expect reduced waiting times and a smoother journey on routes passing through German airports.
France similarly removed the airport transit visa requirement for Indian nationals in April. Under those revised rules, Indians holding ordinary passports no longer need transit visas in French international airport zones.
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'Transit privilege'
Transit rules for travel into or out of Europe are generally governed by the Schengen framework, but individual countries can decide which nationalities require an airport transit visa.
Germany currently requires transit visas for nationals from 19 countries, including; Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, and Sri Lanka.
India had been on that list until Wednesday.
Nationals of others countries benefit from 'transit privilege', and don't require an additional visa to transfer at German airports.
The transit visa is also known as a Type A Schengen Visa. It costs €90, and is valid only within a transfer airports international terminal for just 24 hours.
What travellers need to know
With the transit visa requirement gone, Indian travellers can now take advantage of flights operated by airlines like Lufthansa and Air India without worrying about documentation issues. This also opens up more competitive fares for travellers who would have previously wanted to avoid German stopovers.
That said, there are limits to visa-free transit that Indian nationals who don't have a residence permit for Germany or another Schengen country will want to keep in mind:
- Visa-free transit only applies to air travel via a German airport to a non-Schengen destination.
- Flights to German destinations – as well as popular European destinations like Paris, Rome, or Amsterdam – still require a full Schengen visa.
- Layovers must be under 24 hours, and passengers must remain within designated international transit zones.
- Germany has just five airports with international transit areas: Berlin-Brandenburg, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Main, Hamburg and Munich.
- Additionally at Düsseldorf and Hamburg airports international transit is limited (generally between 6 am and 9 pm in Düsseldorf and from 4:30 am to 11:30 pm in Hamburg) If transferring at these airports, travellers are advised to double-check with their airline that they have arrange for transit with airport security.
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