Transit Visa Requirement

[sachin1978]

Hi,

I am an Indian resident with an expired H1B stamp on my old passport.I got my passport renewed in USA and have a valid H1B extension (Until Sep. 2015).I am flying in couple of months to India and will get appointment to get my visa stamped.My question is regarding transit visa.There is no direct flight and all the flights i am looking at have a stopover in Frankfurt/Zurich.

Will i need to apply for a transit visa even if i don't leave the airport in Frankfurt/Zurich?

Thanks in advance

[sbalasu3]

Can't you fly thru Brussels (Jet Airways) or Dubai (Emirates,etc)?

[giri26]

I don't think you need transit visa for Frankfurt. Not sure about Zurich. I know you need transit visa for UK, Paris etc..

[sachin1978]

Thanks for the replies.Unfortunately i only find reasonable fares if flying Lufthansa/Swiss air via Frankfurt/Zurich.

I mailed both consulates.German consulate replied back saying that i would need a transit visa as my visa stamp is expired.Swiss consulate replied that i wouldn't need one.But i want to confirm that with someone who has been thru Zurich.

I have heard of people who received contradicting instructions from German Embassy and i hope not to be stuck at some airport.

[dele]

As at 2 years ago, you didn't need a transit visa (don't know if things have changed now). Best thing is to call Lufthansa airlines and ask them.

[raj08247]

I also have the same situation , but slightly different .

Iam travelling from India to Canada ( hyd-dubai-frankfurt-canada) as I have a canadian vistors visa . And i have a connecting flight in frankfurt to canda , lay over time is around 4hrs . Do i need to have a transit visa . I checked with airlines they said I don't need it .But just in case, they asked me to check with German Embassy.

Please suggest..

[sachin1978]

In case someone is looking for the answer in future,

For German Airports,

If the visa is expired on the passport you do need a German transit visa unless you are travelling within 4 days of the visa expiry.I-797 is not a valid document for travel.

For more details check German Embassy.

I think this is true for most european countries(definitely UK,France,Germany)

For Swiss Airports,

You do not need a transit visa unless you have to leave the airport.This is per Swiss Embassy and i also found a reference to this on SwissAir website.

Thanks for the help.