Valid F1 visa (in passport): Transit visa through Frankfurt? [duplicate]

Valid F1 visa (in passport): Transit visa through Frankfurt? [duplicate] - Passport on Top of a Planner

I have a valid student F1 visa in my passport (till June 2016) and am currently working on OPT cap gap. My H1 visa begins on 1st October. I will be traveling through Frankfurt to India (Indian passport holder) on October 4th.

Will I be exempt from a transit visa since my F1 visa in passport is still valid and that I'll be traveling within 4 days of expiry of my opt cap gap.



Best Answer

If you have a valid US visa in your passport (so either the F1 or H1B could be OK), you can transit in Frankfurt as long as you can stay airside (in particular: the layover must be under 12 hours and your luggage must be checked through, at least to the next non-Schengen destination). See also Do I need a visa to transit (or layover) in the Schengen area? for a full explanation of the relevant rules.

Importantly, if the visa is still valid, your point of origin and your destination do not matter. There is nothing that says your H1B visa can only be used to transit on the way to the US. It would also exempt you from a Schengen airport transit visa on the way back to the US or, say, for a flight from India to somewhere in Africa.

I don't have any first-hand experience with this situation but I don't think the niceties of your status in the US (“OPT cap gap”, I-20, etc.) matter at all, as far as the German authorities are concerned.

If you are in doubt, you could ask your airline as they will be the one to check your visa status first, even before boarding the plane in the US.




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Do I need a transit visa to transit via Frankfurt?

Do I need a visa? The vast majority of foreign travellers benefit from the \u201ctransit privilege\u201d - if during a stopover at a German airport, you do not leave the International Airport Area and if the destination is not in a Schengen country, you do not need a transit visa.

Is F-1 visa a transit visa?

They do not do transit visas.

What is transit visa Frankfurt?

A German Transit Visa enables its holder to switch their flight in Germany, to a non-Schengen country. A holder of a German transit visa can stay in the airport international transit area up to 24 hours. Leaving the international transit area of the airport with this visa is strictly prohibited and illegal.

Is transit visa required for Frankfurt for Indian passport holders?

Yes, in general Indian citizens need a tranist visa to pass through the international area of airports in Germany, but there is a list of exceptions, one of which is: "Nationals of the above named countries Do NOT require an airport transit visa if: . . .



Does Frankfurt require transit visa?




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