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Transit rules · Schengen area

Layover in the Schengen area: do you need a visa?

A connection in Paris, Amsterdam or Frankfurt can mean no border at all, or a full Schengen entry check at the airport. It depends on where you come from, where you go next, and your passport.

The short answer

  • Outside → Schengen hub → outside: you stay in the international transit area, no border check, no visa for most passports.
  • Outside → Schengen hub → another Schengen city: you enter Schengen at the hub, so passport control and the entry rules apply there.
  • Leaving the airport: visa-free passports enter for up to 90 days in 180 and are registered in the EES; others need a Schengen visa.
  • ETIAS is not required yet.

Three kinds of Schengen connection

1. From outside to outside: the international transit area

Flying, say, from New York to Johannesburg via Amsterdam, you stay in the airport’s non-Schengen part. The EU’s border guard handbook says: Access to the international transit area must be controlled; checks will normally not be carried out in the transit area Most passports need nothing here. The exception is the airport transit visa (ATV): Nationals of certain countries must have a visa - called an airport transit visa - even to simply transit through the international (non-Schengen) part of an EU airport.

The common list has 12 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka. Some countries add their own: France, for example, lists the Philippines, so a Filipino passport needs an ATV at Paris-Charles de Gaulle but not at Amsterdam or Frankfurt. Germany dropped its ATV for Indian citizens in 2026; the German missions in India say that Indian nationals will no longer require a transit visa when traveling to another country.

A valid visa from certain countries exempts you from the ATV. The Commission’s visa handbook names holders of a valid visa issued by Cyprus, Ireland, Canada, Japan or the United States, among others. Not a UK visa: holders of valid visas issued by the United Kingdom are not exempt from the airport transit visa requirement.

2. From outside into Schengen: passport control at the connection

This surprises many travellers. On New York → Frankfurt → Budapest, the Schengen border is Frankfurt, not Budapest. The border guard handbook: Passengers on a flight from an airport located outside the area without internal border controls to a Schengen State must be subject to an entry check at the airport of arrival of this flight. So you need Schengen entry rights at the connection, and the queue at passport control eats into your connection time. The same works in reverse: on Budapest → Frankfurt → New York you leave Schengen at Frankfurt.

3. Changing airports or self-transfer

Separate tickets with a bag recheck, or a change of airport (Paris-Orly to Charles de Gaulle, for example), always mean entering the Schengen area. Also note that not every airport has a transit area: the German Foreign Office says Only five airports in Germany have an International Transit Area. They are Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Berlin-Brandenburg, and Hamburg and Düsseldorf only during set hours.

Leaving the airport: your passport

PassportChange planes airsideLeave the airport
United States No document needed to stay airside Yes, no visa needed
Canada No document needed to stay airside Yes, no visa needed
United Kingdom No document needed to stay airside Yes, no visa needed
Australia No document needed to stay airside Yes, no visa needed
New Zealand No document needed to stay airside Yes, no visa needed
EU / EEA / Switzerland – Yes, you are at home here
India No document needed to stay airside Not without a visa
China (mainland) No document needed to stay airside Not without a visa
Brazil No document needed to stay airside Yes, no visa needed
Mexico No document needed to stay airside Yes, no visa needed
South Africa No document needed to stay airside Not without a visa
Philippines Airport transit visa needed, unless an exemption applies · Paris CDG only Not without a visa
Japan No document needed to stay airside Yes, no visa needed
South Korea No document needed to stay airside Yes, no visa needed

Visa-free travellers (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and South Korea) may stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and a few hours in Paris on a layover count towards those 90 days. If you travel in Europe a lot, check your days with our sister site 90180.app. India, China (mainland), South Africa and Philippines passports need a Schengen short-stay visa; a US, UK or Canadian visa does not replace it.

EES and ETIAS

EES, the Entry/Exit System, registers your face and fingerprints at the first Schengen entry in place of a passport stamp. It went live on 12 October 2025, and the Commission says EES became fully operational on 10 April 2026. It applies when you pass passport control, so plan extra time for the first registration; it does not apply if you stay airside.

ETIAS, the online travel authorisation for visa-free travellers, is not running yet. The Commission: ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorisations are collected at this point. It is scheduled for the last quarter of 2026, and The European Union will inform about the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch. It will cost EUR 20. We will add it to the planner the day an official date appears.

Plan a layover at a Schengen hub

Questions

Do I need a Schengen visa for a layover in Europe?

Not if you fly from outside the Schengen area to outside it and stay in the international transit area: only nationals on the common airport transit visa list (12 countries, such as Afghanistan, Ghana, Nigeria and Pakistan) or on one country’s national list need an airport transit visa there. To leave the airport you enter Schengen, so India, China (mainland), South Africa and Philippines passports need a Schengen visa, while United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and South Korea passports do not.

I fly from New York to Budapest via Frankfurt. Where do I pass passport control?

In Frankfurt. The Schengen entry check happens at the airport where the flight from outside Schengen lands, so you clear immigration at your connection, not at your destination. Plan the connection time with that in mind.

Do I need ETIAS for a layover?

Not yet. The European Commission says ETIAS is not in operation and collects no applications; it is scheduled for the last quarter of 2026, with the exact date announced several months ahead. It will cost EUR 20 and apply to visa-free travellers who enter the Schengen area.

Does a US or UK visa let me leave the airport in Europe?

No. Travellers who need a Schengen visa to enter still need one to leave the airport. A valid US, Canadian or Japanese visa can only exempt you from an airport transit visa, for staying airside; a UK visa does not even do that.

Can I change airports in Europe on a layover without a visa?

No. A change of airport, or a self-transfer where you collect and re-check your bags, means entering the Schengen area, so the normal entry rule for your passport applies.

Official sources

Published 2026-11-03, sources checked 2026-11-01. The airline and the border officer have the final word. Found something out of date? Tell us.