Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
GUIDE
How to check if you need a Schengen airport transit visa
A Schengen airport transit visa is a visa valid only for transit through the international transit areas of one or more airports in the Member States, and the EU Visa Code requires it from nationals of the third countries named in its Annex IV. [2] The requirement is an exception to the free-transit principle in Annex 9 to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, and the Code sets the procedure and conditions for issuing the visa. [2]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- You need the visa only if you hold a passport from a country on the common list in Annex IV and you pass through the international transit area of an airport in a Member State. [2]
- It is an airside document: it is valid for the international transit areas of airports, not for entering the territory of the Member States. [2]
- Holders of a valid uniform visa, national long-stay visa or residence permit issued by a Member State do not need one, and the Code lists five further exempt groups. [2]
- In urgent cases of mass influx of illegal immigrants, a Member State may impose the requirement on other nationalities at airports on its own territory. [2]
Who needs a Schengen airport transit visa?
Article 3(1) of the Visa Code requires nationals of the third countries listed in Annex IV to hold an airport transit visa when they pass through the international transit areas of airports situated in the territory of the Member States. [2] The nationalities on that common list are set out in Annex IV to the Regulation, and the visa itself is defined as valid for transit through the international transit areas of one or more airports of the Member States. [2] The Code's preamble explains the rule as a measure against illegal immigration, applied through a common list of third countries rather than through airport-by-airport decisions. [2]
For readers coming from other kinds of transit paperwork, the wider airport transit visa guide sets out how transit visas work outside this scheme, and the airside vs landside transit entry explains the airport geography the rule depends on.
Who is exempt from the airport transit visa?
Article 3(5) exempts six categories of traveller from the requirement: [2]
- Holders of a valid uniform visa, national long-stay visa or residence permit issued by a Member State. [2]
- Third-country nationals holding the valid residence permits listed in Annex V issued by Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino or the United States of America that guarantee unconditional readmission. [2]
- Third-country nationals holding a valid visa for a Member State or for a state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area of 2 May 1992, Canada, Japan or the United States of America, or returning from those countries after having used the visa. [2]
- Family members of citizens of the Union covered by Article 1(2)(a). [2]
- Holders of diplomatic passports. [2]
- Flight crew members who are nationals of a contracting party to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. [2]
Those exemptions apply both to the common Annex IV requirement and to any additional requirement a Member State imposes on other nationalities. [2]
Does an airport transit visa let you enter the Schengen area?
No. The visa is defined by reference to the international transit areas of airports, so it covers the airside part of a journey and not entry into the territory of the Member States. [2] That limit is built into the application: an airport transit visa applicant must present documents for the onward journey to the final destination after the intended airport transit, plus information that lets the consulate assess the applicant's intention not to enter the territory. [2]
| Point | Airport transit visa | Uniform short-stay visa |
|---|---|---|
| What it authorises | Transit through the international transit areas of one or more airports of the Member States [2] | Transit through, or an intended stay in, the territory of the Member States of no more than three months in any six-month period [2] |
| Territorial reach | International transit areas of one or more airports of the Member States [2] | The entire territory of the Member States [2] |
| Documents at application | Onward journey documents and information on the intention not to enter [2] | Purpose of the journey, accommodation, means of subsistence and intention to leave before the visa expires [2] |
| Who applies | Nationals listed in Annex IV, subject to the exemptions [2] | Third-country nationals who must hold a visa to cross the external borders [2] |
How do you apply for a Schengen airport transit visa?
Which consulate. For a single airport transit, the competent Member State is the one on whose territory the transit airport is situated; for a double or multiple airport transit, it is the Member State where the first transit airport is situated. [2]
When. An application may be lodged no more than three months before the start of the intended visit. [2]
What to bring. The applicant presents documents on the onward journey to the final destination after the airport transit and information allowing an assessment of the intention not to enter the territory; the Code also sets out a non-exhaustive list of supporting documents a consulate may request. [2]
Cost. The visa fee set by the Code is EUR 60, reduced to EUR 35 for children from six years of age and below 12, and waived for children under six. [2]
If you are unsure whether another document already removes the need for this visa, the Schengen short-stay visa application guide covers the uniform visa route, and ETIAS EU travel authorisation covers the EU's separate travel-authorisation scheme.
Exceptions and limits
- National additions. In urgent cases of mass influx of illegal immigrants, an individual Member State may require nationals of other third countries to hold an airport transit visa when passing through the international transit areas of airports on its territory, and must notify the Commission before the decision takes effect and when it withdraws the requirement. [2]
- How long a national addition lasts. Those notifications are reviewed every year with a view to moving the country concerned into the Annex IV list; if the country is not moved, the Member State may keep the requirement, provided the conditions above still hold, or withdraw it. [2]
- Airside only. Because the visa is defined by reference to international transit areas, it does not authorise entry to the territory of the Member States, and the applicant must show an intention not to enter. [2]
- One visa can remove the need for the other. A traveller who already holds a valid uniform visa, national long-stay visa or residence permit issued by a Member State falls within the Article 3(5) exemption and does not need an airport transit visa for the same trip. [2]
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need an airport transit visa if I already hold a Schengen visa?
No. Holders of a valid uniform visa, national long-stay visa or residence permit issued by a Member State are exempt from the airport transit visa requirement. [2]
Can I leave the airport on a Schengen airport transit visa?
No. The visa is valid for the international transit areas of the airports concerned, and applicants must provide information on their intention not to enter the territory of the Member States. [2]
Which country's consulate handles the application?
The Member State where the transit airport is situated, or, for a double or multiple airport transit, the Member State where the first transit airport is situated. [2]
How far ahead can I apply?
No more than three months before the start of the intended visit. [2]
Can a Member State ask for the visa from nationalities that are not on the Annex IV list?
Yes, in urgent cases of mass influx of illegal immigrants, for airports on its own territory, with notification to the Commission and an annual review. [2]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. National transit visas issued by countries outside the Schengen area, and the rules for entering a Schengen state after a flight, are not covered here.
- Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code), EUR-Lex, checked 18 October 2026