If you are traveling to United States in an airline such as Lufthansa, Delta Airlines etc, there will be a stop in Frankfurt, Germany (Sometimes also for Air India).

Please note that an airport transit visa only allows a short stay in the international transit area, neither leaving the airport's international transit area nor overnight stays are possible.

Airport transit visa are only good for short stopovers while you are waiting a few hours for your onward flight in the airport's international transit area. However, hotel accommodation is only available outside the transit area. Please apply for a regular tourist visa if you want to stay at the airport overnight.

The vast majority of travelers do not need a visa when airtransitting through Germany. However, citizens of some countries do need an airport transit visa.

List of countries whose citizens do need a airport transit visa

* Angola, Gambia, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria,.
Exception 1: If you hold

• a visa or other residence permit for a member country of the European Union or the European Economic Area or
  
  
• one of the follwing US residence permits:
  • I-551 Permanent Resident Card (2 or 10 years validity)
  • I551 Alien Registration Receipt Card (2 or 10 years or unlimited validity)
  • I-327 Reentry Document (2 years validity, issued to I-551 holders)
  • Resident Alien Card (2 or 10 years validity, only sufficient if the stay abroad does not exceed 1 year)
  • Permit to Reenter (2 years validity, only sufficient if the stay abroad does not exceed 2 years)
  • Valid Temporary Residence Stamp (1 year validity)
• a specific residence permit allowing unrestricted return for Andorra, Japan, Monaco, Canada, San Marino, Switzerland

you do not need an airport transit visa.

* Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Congo Democratic Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka.
Exception 2: If you hold

• one of the follwing US residence permits:
  • I-551 Permanent Resident Card (2 or 10 years validity)
  • I-551 Alien Registration Receipt Card (2 or 10 years or unlimited validity)
  • I-327 Reentry Document (2 years validity, issued to I-551 holders)
  • Resident Alien Card (2 or 10 years or unlimited validity, only sufficient if the stay abroad does not exceed 1 year)
  • Permit to Reenter (2 years validity, only sufficient if the stay abroad does not exceed 2 years)
  • Valid Temporary Residence Stamp (1 year validity)
• a Schengen Visa valid for all Schengen countries or
• a residence permit for any Schengen country or
• a Schengen Visa restricted to the issuing country if you are on your way to this country or
• a specific residence permit allowing unrestricted return for Andorra, Japan, Monaco, Canada, San Marino, Switzerland or for one of the new EU-countries Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Malta, Cyprus and Slovenia (please call for details)

you do not need an airport transit visa.

* Jordan
Exception 3: the exemptions under no. 1.) apply. In addition, please note:

1. If you hold a valid visa for Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand or the United States of America as well as a confirmed airline ticket or a valid boarding pass for a flight destinated to one of the listed countries you do not need an airport transit visa
2. if you hold a confirmed flight ticket or a valid boarding pass for a flight to Jordan after terminating a legal stay in one of the countries mentioned under a) you do not need an airport transit visa.

These exceptions applie only to transit stays for a duration not longer than 12 hours.

* India, Turkey
Exception 4: the exemptions under no. 1.) apply. In addition, please note: Indian and Turkish airport transit travelers who

• are holding a valid visa or other residence permit for the USA (an approval notice is not sufficient), Canada or Switzerland and travel to the country which issued that visa or residence permit or
• after a legal stay in the USA, Canada or Switzerland- return to the country whose citizenship they hold

do not need an airport transit visa.

If you are still in doubt whether you need an airport transit visa, do not hesitate to call the German mission which serves your place of residence.

Although this information has been prepared with utmost care, the we can not accept any responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein.

Special regulations for official passport holders may apply, please call the consulate.

If your country is not mentioned, you do not need a transit visa.

Please refer to the Schengen visa section for complete details.