JAKARTA - Germany lifted the airport transit visa requirement for Indian nationals from June 3, allowing Indian passport holders to transit through German airports without applying for a separate transit visa, the German missions in India said in a June 2 notice.
The change applies to Indian nationals travelling to another country with a layover at a German airport. The German missions said the lifting of the airport transit visa requirement was announced in the Federal Law Gazette on June 2 and took effect on June 3.
The measure concerns airport transit only. It does not grant Indian nationals visa-free entry into Germany or the wider Schengen area. Germany’s updated airport transit guidance says Indian nationals no longer require an airport transit visa to enter the transit area of a German airport during a stopover or connecting flight.
“Indian nationals will no longer require a transit visa when traveling to another country with a layover at a German airport,” the German missions in India said.
The decision implements a pledge made during Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to India from January 12 to 13. At the time, Germany said it intended to lift the airport transit visa requirement for Indian nationals once the Federal Ministry of the Interior had formally implemented the decision.
Germany’s June 2026 airport transit visa list says the transit privilege applies only when travellers do not leave the international airport area and their destination is not in a Schengen country. A passenger may still need a visitor visa if the itinerary requires entry into the Schengen area.
The same guidance says only five German airports have an international transit area: Berlin Brandenburg, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Main, Hamburg and Munich. Düsseldorf transit is limited to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and must be arranged by the airline with airport security. Hamburg transit is available only during a limited time frame from 4:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
The transit privilege also does not apply if passengers must collect baggage or check in again, transit through two or more Schengen airports, or travel on an open ticket. The change therefore eases simple international connections through Germany, but travellers still need to check the exact route, airline arrangements and baggage handling before departure.
