Airport Transit Visa for Indians in Europe 2026: Germany, France and Spain Drop It - Where You Still Need One

What Changed for Indian Travellers (2026 Quick Answer)

Spain, France and Germany dropped the airport transit visa for Indian passport holders in 2026. If you stay airside and fly on outside Schengen, you no longer need one there.

• Spain: not required since 4 March 2026 (ordinary passports).
• France: not required since 10 April 2026 (ordinary passports).
• Germany: not required since 3 June 2026.
• Czechia and Romania: India is still on their national lists.
• UK: a Direct Airside Transit Visa is still required unless you are exempt.

India is not on the EU-wide airport transit visa list (Annex IV of the Visa Code). The European Commission's list of national requirements, dated 30 June 2026, marks India only for Czechia and Romania.

Under the EU Visa Code Handbook, leaving the transit area means entering Schengen, which needs a Schengen visa. Rules are as of September 2026; we recommend rechecking official sources before you fly.

Germany - No Airport Transit Visa Since 3 June 2026

Germany announced the move during Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to India on 12-13 January 2026. The German Missions in India said a visa would remain necessary until formal implementation.

An ordinance dated 26 May 2026 removed India from Annex C of Germany's Residence Ordinance, the national airport transit visa list. It was published in the Federal Law Gazette on 2 June and took effect on 3 June 2026, as the Missions announced.

What the exemption covers

According to a June 2026 airport transit sheet from the German Missions in the USA, visa-free transit does not apply, and a Schengen visitor visa is needed, if you:

• collect your baggage or check in again;
• transit through two or more Schengen airports;
• hold an open ticket.

The sheet lists only five German airports with an international transit area: Berlin Brandenburg, Düsseldorf (6:00 am to 9:00 pm, if arranged by the airline with airport security), Frankfurt/Main, Hamburg (4:30 am to 11:30 pm) and Munich.

France - No Airport Transit Visa Since 10 April 2026

According to the Embassy of France in India, Indian nationals with an ordinary passport no longer need an airport transit visa in the international zone of French airports from 10 April 2026. The change came through a decree published in the Journal Officiel on 9 April 2026.

It covers passengers who stay in the international zone while travelling on to a third country, and France-Visas no longer lists India. France-Visas still requires a short-stay Schengen visa for a connection between two Schengen airports or a transit through a French airport that is closed overnight during the layover.

Spain - No Airport Transit Visa Since 4 March 2026

Spain moved first. In a notice dated 19 February 2026, the Embassy of Spain in New Delhi announced that ordinary Indian passport holders no longer need an airport transit visa for the international zones of Spanish airports from 4 March 2026. The Commission's June 2026 list also shows no Spanish requirement for Indians.

Spain's consular guidance adds that a terminal change requiring border control needs a Schengen visa, so we recommend asking your airline how your Madrid connection works.

When You Still Need a Visa During a Layover

The 2026 changes remove the airport transit visa, not the border. Official sources name these cases as entering Schengen or passing passport control, which calls for a Schengen visa:

• Changing airports: the Visa Code Handbook's example is arriving at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and leaving from Paris-Orly.
• An onward flight within Schengen: the Handbook treats a Brussels-Paris leg as entering Schengen in Brussels.
• Collecting bags and checking in again, according to the German sheet and NetherlandsWorldwide.
• A terminal change that requires border control (Spanish consular guidance; the German sheet says a visa may be needed).
• Leaving the airport, per NetherlandsWorldwide.

Other European Hubs - Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Czechia, Romania and More

The Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland had nothing to change: a copy of the Commission's April 2021 list, a third-party mirror cited here only as history, shows no requirement for Indians then either. As of September 2026:

• Netherlands: the government's visa check, run on 16 September 2026 for an Indian changing planes for the USA inside the transit zone, returns "No visa required" (not legally binding). Schiphol is the only Dutch airport with a transit zone.
• Italy: the Foreign Ministry's undated list does not include India, and the Commission's June 2026 list shows no Italian requirement; we recommend confirming with your airline.
• Switzerland: India is absent from both the State Secretariat for Migration's list (version of 28 June 2024) and the Commission's June 2026 list.
• Austria: the Interior Ministry's visa table (15 July 2026) shows no airport transit visa requirement for Indians.
• Belgium: no official Belgian page could be checked; the Commission's June 2026 list shows no requirement.
• Czechia and Romania: India is still listed, according to the Czech Foreign Ministry (page last updated November 2022), the Romanian Foreign Ministry (undated page) and the Commission's June 2026 list.

Other Schengen states show no requirement on the Commission's list; their national pages were not reviewed here.

The UK and Ireland - Transit Rules for Indians

United Kingdom

Indians are UK visa nationals, and Home Office guidance of 25 March 2026 lists India among nationalities needing a Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) even without passing border control, for example from Heathrow Terminal 3 to Terminal 5.

• Direct Airside Transit visa: £41.50 from 8 April 2026 (previously £39).
• Landside transit visit visa, for entering the UK and leaving within 48 hours: £74.50 (previously £70).

The UK ETA is not an option for Indian passport holders. GOV.UK says travellers going to or from Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man apply for another type of visitor visa instead of a DATV.

For landside transit, the Transit Without Visa concession requires arrival and departure by air, a confirmed departure before 23:59 on the day after arrival, and a qualifying document such as a valid US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand visa; electronic visas are not accepted.

Ireland

India is not on Ireland's transit visa list (Irish Immigration Service Delivery, updated 24 July 2026). The same source says transit at Dublin without entering Ireland works only when both flights use Terminal 2 between 04:00 and 20:00 on the same day. Official Irish pages differ on the cut-off time, so we recommend confirming with your airline.

Otherwise you pass border control and need permission to enter, including an Irish entry visa if you are visa-required. Re-checking bags or transiting overnight also means border control, as all Irish airports close at night.

Exemptions for Holders of US, Canadian, UK or Schengen Visas and Residence Permits

Among the countries covered here, exemptions matter only where a transit visa still applies to Indians: Czechia, Romania and the UK.

Czechia and Romania

The EU Visa Code Handbook exempts holders of:

• a valid Schengen visa, national long-stay visa or residence permit of a Schengen state;
• a valid visa of Cyprus, Ireland, Canada, Japan or the USA, including when returning after using it;
• a valid residence permit of Ireland, or of Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino, the USA or the UK guaranteeing unconditional readmission.

A UK visa alone does not exempt you, but a UK residence permit guaranteeing readmission does. The Czech Foreign Ministry's exemption list (page updated November 2022) does not mention UK documents, and we found no official word on whether a UK eVisa counts, so we recommend that UK residents routing via Prague or Bucharest confirm with the airline or embassy.

United Kingdom

Under GOV.UK guidance and the Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) Order 2014, DATV exemptions include:

• a valid UK Standard Visitor or Marriage Visitor visa;
• a valid visa for Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA, or an expired one if you last entered that country with a valid visa less than six months ago;
• a valid US green card (I-551) issued on or after 21 April 1998;
• a valid common-format EEA or Swiss residence permit, or an EEA or Swiss Category D visa;
• a valid Irish biometric visa.

Electronic documents, or printouts of them, do not count unless the airline can verify them.

Checking Your Route Before You Fly

As of September 2026, we recommend checking before booking whether:

• any stop is in Czechia, Romania, the UK or Ireland;
• your bags are checked through to the final destination;
• the route touches two Schengen airports or ends in a Schengen country;
• a terminal change involves passport control, or the airport limits transit hours or closes at night.

We found no official source saying which terminal changes at Frankfurt, Munich, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Madrid-Barajas or Schiphol involve passport control, so the airline is the best source.

The final decision rests with the airline and border officers. Visarun helps check your route and, if a transit or Schengen visa is needed, prepare the application.

FAQ

Do Indians need an airport transit visa for Germany in 2026?

No, not since 3 June 2026, as long as you stay airside, do not re-check bags and have no second Schengen stop or open ticket.

Can I transit through Frankfurt or Munich to the USA without a visa?

Yes, both have an international transit area, according to the German Missions in the USA, so an airside connection there needs no airport transit visa.

Do I need a transit visa for Paris-Charles de Gaulle?

Not since 10 April 2026 in the international zone. Changing to Paris-Orly counts as entering Schengen and needs a Schengen visa.

Is transit through Madrid or Amsterdam visa-free for Indians?

Spain dropped the requirement from 4 March 2026. At Schiphol, the Dutch government's visa check returns "No visa required" if you stay in the transit zone; the result is not legally binding.

Which European countries still require an airport transit visa from Indians?

In Schengen, Czechia and Romania, per the Commission's June 2026 list and their ministry pages (the Czech one dates from 2022, the Romanian one is undated). Among non-Schengen countries covered here, the UK requires a DATV.

Does a US visa exempt me from the UK DATV?

Yes, a valid US visa or green card does; electronic versions count only if the airline can verify them. Otherwise the DATV costs £41.50 (from 8 April 2026).

Does a UK visa exempt me at Prague or Bucharest?

Under EU rules a UK visa alone does not, but a UK residence permit guaranteeing readmission does. We recommend confirming with the airline.

Can I transit through Dublin without a visa?

India is not on Ireland's transit visa list, but airside transit at Dublin works only Terminal 2 to Terminal 2, between 04:00 and 20:00 on the same day, per Irish immigration. We recommend confirming this with your airline.