Staying airside vs. changing terminals
The general idea is that if you don’t cross border control in the country where you’re making a stopover, because you stay in the airport’s international zone, the same entry conditions that apply to someone actually entering the country don’t apply to you. That idea has some important exceptions worth knowing before you assume a layover “doesn’t count.”
What an Airport Transit Visa (ATV) is and who requires it
An Airport Transit Visa (ATV, or “Type A visa”) is an exception to that general rule: some Schengen countries require it for certain nationalities even when the traveler never leaves the airport’s international zone and is only connecting toward a third country.
Based on the information available at the time of writing this guide, the nationalities that need an ATV to transit through any Schengen airport are those of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, and Sri Lanka. But that’s just the shared baseline: individual Schengen countries can add their own nationalities on top, based on their own agreements and migration patterns. France, for instance, has historically required an ATV from more nationalities than average, though it has been removing the requirement for several of them during 2026. Germany has announced it will drop its own additional list, though implementation was still pending as of this guide.
Given how much this list changes, don’t treat it as final: if your nationality isn’t on the baseline list above, check with the consulate of your transit country anyway, since it may have its own additional list.
There are general exemptions from the ATV that are more stable: you don’t need one if you already hold a valid Schengen visa or a national long-stay visa from a Schengen country, a Schengen residence permit, or a valid visa or residence permit from the United States, Canada, Japan, or the United Kingdom.
Cases where you do have to clear border control even in transit
Beyond the ATV, there are very common situations where you do have to clear border control even if your only intention is to connect:
- Changing airports: if your connecting flight departs from a different airport than the one you arrived at, you have to leave the international zone to get there, which means clearing control.
- Baggage claim and re-check: many itineraries require collecting your bag after the first flight and re-checking it for the second, which also forces you out of the transit zone.
- The United States is a case of its own: at most US airports, baggage claim and a new security screening are mandatory even on connections within the same airport, unlike many European or Asian airports. If your layover is in the US, don’t assume you’re simply “passing through” in the same sense as elsewhere.
How to check for your specific route
There’s no single answer: it depends on the exact combination of connecting airport, airline, and ticket type. Before a trip with a tight connection, check directly with the airline whether your itinerary involves a terminal change, baggage reclaim or a new security screening, and whether your nationality might need an ATV for that specific airport.
The risk of short connections
An ATV you didn’t sort out in time, or an unexpected terminal change, can turn a tight connection into a real risk of missing your flight. And unlike a normal entry denial, here you don’t even get to attempt entering the country: you simply end up without the paperwork needed to complete the transit itself.
Guide verified 10/08/2026. Sources: Schengen area airport transit visa regulations and specialized coverage of the baseline nationality list and 2026 country-level updates. The list of nationalities and countries requiring an ATV changes fairly often, so always confirm with the transit country’s consulate before you travel.