Indian nationals will no longer require an airport transit visa when travelling to a third country through German airports, the German Embassy in India announced on Tuesday.
“Indian nationals will no longer require a transit visa when traveling to another country with a layover at a German airport. The lifting of the so-called airport transit visa requirement for Indian citizens was announced in the Federal Law Gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt) on June 2, 2026, and takes effect on June 3, 2026,” the German embassy said in a statement.
It added: “It underlines the Federal Government’s commitment to deepening German Indian relations, facilitating the movement of people, and further strengthening economic ties”.
In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “We welcome the operationalisation by Germany of the announcement waiving the requirement of transit visa for Indian nationals transiting through Germany, exclusively by air, with effect from June 3, 2026. The announcement was made after discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chancellor Merz during the latter’s visit to India in January 2026.”
He added: “This new arrangement would further enhance people-to-people ties between India and Germany.”
Germany is not the only country to announce such a move. Earlier in February, France announced that Indians transiting through the country exclusively by air would no longer require an airport transit visa after the French government operationalised an agreement to remove the requirement.
The move is expected to benefit thousands of Indian travellers who use German airports as transit hubs while travelling to destinations across Europe, North America and other parts of the world.
(with ANI input)
