Airport Transit Visa for Indians in Europe: 2026 Rules

Published 2026-10-28 · 8 min read · By the Travlys visa team

Indians no longer need an airport transit visa to change planes airside in Germany, France or Spain. The UK still asks for one unless you hold an exempt document. Here is how each hub works and when a layover forces you through immigration.

For most Indians flying through Europe in 2026, the answer is no. You no longer need an airport transit visa to change planes airside in Germany (since 3 June 2026), France (since 10 April 2026) or Spain (since 4 March 2026). India is also not on the EU-wide or Dutch lists for Amsterdam. The UK is different. Indians still need a Direct Airside Transit Visa at UK airports unless they hold an exempt document such as a valid US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand visa.

At a glance: Germany: no airport transit visa for Indians from 3 June 2026 (Federal Law Gazette, 2 June 2026). France: no airport transit visa from 10 April 2026. Spain: no airport transit visa from 4 March 2026. Netherlands: India not on the EU-wide or Dutch lists, as reported. UK: Direct Airside Transit Visa needed, £41.50, unless you hold a valid US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand visa, or another listed document. Leaving the transit area: you need a full Schengen or UK visa. Common trap: separate tickets, bag collection and airport changes all take you through immigration.

How the Schengen airport transit visa works

An airport transit visa (type A) lets you wait in the international transit area of a Schengen airport between two flights. It does not let you enter the country. Under the EU Visa Code, nationals of 12 countries need it at every Schengen airport. India is not one of them. Each Schengen state can also add nationalities for its own airports, and this national list is where India used to appear for hubs such as Frankfurt, Paris and Madrid.

Even when a country lists your nationality, the Visa Code exempts several groups. The main ones for Indian travellers:

• Holders of a valid Schengen visa, national long-stay visa or residence permit from a Schengen state
• Holders of a valid visa from Canada, Japan or the US, or from Ireland or Cyprus, when flying to the issuing country or another non-Schengen country, or returning after using that visa
• Holders of listed residence permits from Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino or the US (such as a green card)
• Family members of EU citizens, diplomatic passport holders and flight crew

A UK visa is not on this EU-wide list, because the UK is no longer an EU member. Some states may accept it under their own rules, but don't assume so.

Germany: removed from 3 June 2026

The German Federal Foreign Office says the airport transit visa requirement for Indian citizens was lifted by a notice in the Federal Law Gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt) on 2 June 2026, taking effect on 3 June 2026. It followed Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to India in January 2026. India's Ministry of External Affairs welcomed it as covering transit through Germany exclusively by air.

In practice, Frankfurt and Munich connections to the US, Canada, the UK or elsewhere outside Schengen no longer need a transit visa if you stay airside. The exemption does not let you enter Germany. If your onward flight goes to another Schengen country, for example Delhi–Frankfurt–Lisbon, you clear Schengen entry in Frankfurt and need a Schengen visa.

France: removed from 10 April 2026

France had required the airport transit visa from Indians since April 2021. The French Embassy in India announced that, from 10 April 2026, Indian ordinary passport holders no longer need one in the international zone of French airports. This followed an order published in the Journal officiel on 9 April. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed the move on 23 April 2026.

Two details are worth knowing. First, the wording differs between sources: MEA describes transit through mainland France, while other reports quote the Embassy as saying airports on French territory. If you are routing through an overseas French territory, check with the Embassy. Second, the February 2026 India–France joint statement spoke of a review after a six-month pilot. We could not find an official update on that review, so check the French Embassy site close to your travel date.

Spain: removed from 4 March 2026

The Spanish Embassy in New Delhi announced on 19 February 2026 that Indian ordinary passport holders would not need the airport transit visa (TAP) in the international zones of Spanish airports from 4 March 2026. This matters most if you fly to Latin America via Madrid or Barcelona.

Netherlands: Amsterdam Schiphol

India is not on the EU-wide list. According to the European Commission's national-list table as summarised by VisaVerge in October 2026, it is not on the Dutch list either. In other words, an Indian passport holder changing planes airside at Schiphol between two non-Schengen flights should not need a transit visa. Some travel sites still say otherwise. The Dutch government's NetherlandsWorldwide and Royal Netherlands Marechaussee pages point you to an official checker, so run your exact route through it before flying.

Schiphol has one point of caution. If you arrive from India and fly on to another Schengen city, or you must collect bags, you go through Dutch passport control and need a Schengen visa.

Other Schengen hubs: check each one

National lists change, and not every state has dropped India. Travel guides citing the Commission's table report that Czechia (Prague) and Romania still list India. We could not confirm this on an official page. The rule is simple: check every Schengen airport on your itinerary, including the return.

UK airside transit: the Direct Airside Transit Visa

India is on the UK's list of nationalities that need a Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV), under the Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) Order 2014. You need it to change planes at a UK airport without passing UK border control. GOV.UK lists the fee as £41.50. Home Office guidance says a DATV is valid for one month to two years, and first-time travellers get three months.

Who does not need a DATV

• Holders of a valid visa for Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA, even if you are not flying to that country
• Holders of an expired visa for those four countries, if you last entered that country on it less than six months ago
• Holders of a US green card (issued on or after 21 April 1998), a Canadian PR card (issued on or after 28 June 2002), or Australian or New Zealand permanent residence
• Holders of a valid Schengen-area long-stay (type D) visa or an EEA or Swiss residence permit, or a valid Irish biometric visa
• Indian diplomatic or official passport holders
• Holders of a UK Standard Visitor visa

Carry the original document. Home Office guidance says electronic copies, or printouts of electronic documents, are not accepted unless the airline can verify them.

What counts as airside in the UK

You must arrive and leave from the same airport with a confirmed onward booking, and you must not need to collect bags. Home Office guidance gives Heathrow Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 as an airside example. Heathrow to Gatwick, or any flight to Ireland, is not. For those, or if you will pass border control, you need a Visitor in Transit visa (leave within 48 hours) or a Standard Visitor visa.

When a connection forces you through immigration

The transit visa exemptions only help if you stay airside. These situations take you through passport control, where you need a full visa:

• Separate tickets: if your flights are on two bookings, you usually collect bags and check in again. That means entering the country.
• Bags not checked through: some airline pairs cannot transfer bags. Ask at check-in in India and look for the final destination on the bag tag.
• Changing airports: Paris CDG to Orly, London Heathrow to Gatwick, or Milan Malpensa to Linate all need a visa.
• Onward flight inside Schengen: your first Schengen airport is where you enter, so you need a Schengen visa.
• Overnight layovers: you can stay airside only if the airport allows it. Many airport hotels are landside. Home Office guidance notes that passengers cannot remain airside at some airports.
• Missed connections and cancellations: if the airline rebooks you for the next day, you may be offered a hotel you cannot reach without a visa.

Common mistakes

• Relying on an old blog. France, Spain and Germany all changed in 2026, so pre-2026 advice is out of date.
• Assuming a UK visa covers Schengen transit. It is not on the EU-wide exemption list.
• Assuming a Schengen tourist visa covers UK airside transit. For the DATV exemption, only a long-stay (type D) visa or a residence permit counts.
• Booking a cheap two-ticket route via Europe without a Schengen visa. If anything goes wrong, you may be refused boarding.
• Forgetting the return journey. The visa rule applies on both legs.

Who should get a Schengen visa anyway? Anyone on separate tickets, anyone with a long or overnight layover, and anyone who travels often enough to want the option of stepping out. If you are staying airside on one ticket at Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid or Amsterdam, you can usually skip it.

How Travlys helps

Travlys, a visa consultancy in Ahmedabad, has filed 5,000+ visas with a 98% approval rate. If your route needs a full visa, we file Schengen visas via the Netherlands from ₹2,950 and UK visas from ₹12,950, plus USA and Canada visas that also exempt you from the UK transit visa. These are service fees; government fees are extra. WhatsApp +91 82009 18967 with your ticket and we will check what your connection needs. Our Schengen EES post explains the new border checks at entry.

Last checked: Transit visa rules in this article were checked on 28 October 2026 against the sources listed below. National transit lists change, so confirm with the embassy of each transit country and your airline before you fly.