Flying To UK? Indians Can Transit Through Netherlands Without Schengen Visa

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the carrier airline of the Netherlands said that passengers flying from India to the United Kingdom can transit through the Netherlands without obtaining a Transit Schengen Visa.

The statement comes after a week of confusion for Indian travellers after several of them were denied boarding on flights from India to the UK that had a stopover in an EU nation, including the Czech Republic, France, Germany, or Spain.

KLM’s statement on transit through Amsterdam

The airline in a statement issued earlier this week said, travellers flying with KLM from India with a stop in Amsterdam did not need to produce valid Transit Schengen Visas, but simply their valid UK visas.

“Indian nationals travelling to the United Kingdom do not require a transit/Schengen visa while transiting Amsterdam Schiphol, provided they hold a valid visa for the United Kingdom and comply with all applicable conditions in transit and entry conditions at destination. Passengers are personally responsible to ascertain eligibility”

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Passengers flying with Lufthansa or Air France with a layover in Frankfurt, Munich, or Paris, however, will still need to obtain a transit Schengen visa.

Last week we reported that passengers travelling from India to the UK on European Union (EU) carriers such as Lufthansa, Air France, and KLM via their hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, and Amsterdam, respectively, are being denied boarding at the origin in India if they do not have a transit/regular Schengen visa.

This follows the European Union’s decision (Brexit Impact) to require non-EU citizens to have a valid visa in order to fly to the UK on transit flights.

What Is Brexit?

Brexit was the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union on January 31, 2020, at 23:00 GMT. The United Kingdom is the only sovereign country that has quit the EU. Notably, since 1 January 1973, the United Kingdom has been a member of the union and its precursor, the European Communities.

As the Brexit became effective on February 1, 2020, international flights were generally suspended across Europe and, later, in India due to the COVID-19 epidemic.