How does it work when flying through a Schengen country to make a connection?
Can someone explain how this works for a journey from Lviv via Warsaw to New York?
If I have a flight originating outside the Schengen area, with a separately-ticketed connection in a Schengen country to take a flight to the US, do you need to go through a passport control in Warsaw if you have no baggage? For the sake of scenario let's take WizzAir Lviv to Warsaw and LOT from Warsaw to New York.
Does each airport in the EU allow you to stay in a non-Schengen area and web check in to proceed further (if no baggage)?
For some reason I thought that not all airports would have [airside] transit and, in some cases, one would have to go through passport control first and then go back through security?
P.S. Sorry, I edited my question with more accurate examples.
Best Answer
Most (but not all; one notable exception is Berlin's TXL) major airports in the Schengen area are set up such that passengers arriving on a non-Schengen flight can proceed directly to the non-Schengen departure lounge without passing immigration (but passing a transfer security check depending on where they flew in from).
This route will not give the passenger a possibility to pick up and re-check baggage.
Often, but not always, there will be transfer desks where transiting passenger can check in for their next flight. With the spread of online/mobile checkin this is becoming less important, though.
What remains important is that for separately ticketed flights, a passenger will probably not be allowed to board the flight towards the Schengen airport unless they have a passport or visa that would allow them to pass through immigration. In case of a missed or cancelled connection, the inbound airline would be on the hook to the host country's authorities for transporting a passenger without sufficient documentation, and there's no good reason why they would accept that risk.
Smaller non-hub airports will not necessarily have a non-Schengen waiting area. They sometimes do immigration checks right at the gate.
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Can you transit through Schengen?
If your flight involves changing planes in an airport within the Schengen zone, and you are forced to exit the international transit area in order to change terminals, you will technically be entering the Schengen zone, and you will therefore need to apply for an Airport Transfer Schengen Visa.Can you transit through two Schengen countries?
Yes. According to the Schengen rules, the Schengen visa is generally valid for all the countries in the Schengen area.Do I need a transit visa for a connecting flight in Europe?
A transit visa is a travel document allowing you to pass through another country until you reach your destination. For example, if you are traveling from India to the US, but you need to stop in the Schengen Zone to continue your flight for the US, you require a transit visa for the Schengen Area.Can you transit through Schengen without visa?
No, you cannot. If you have to leave the international transit area at the airport where you have landed in order to make your transfer, you cannot transit without a visa and you need a full short-stay Schengen visa.THE SCHENGEN ZONE TRAVEL EXPLAINED - DIGITAL NOMAD TV
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