Germany announced that The new rule for Indians come into effect on June 3

Indian nationals will no longer require a transit visa when traveling to another country with a layover at a German airport. 

Germany announced that The new rule come into effect on June 3. "This implements a result if Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz's trip to India in January of this year. 

It underlines the Federal Government's commitment to deepending German Indian relations, facilitating the movement of people, and further strengthening economic ties," the German embassy said in a statement.

What is a transit visa? What does this mean for Indian travelers?

When you travel from country A to country B and have a layover at country C in between, you may need a visa only for touching down at country C for the layover. This is called a transit visa. If one has a valid US, Canada, Schengen, EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Andorra, Japan, or San Marino visa, they were exempt earlier also.

What is a transit visa? What does it mean for Indian travelers?

When you are traveling from country A to country B and have a layover in country C in between, you may only need a visa to touchdown in country C for the layover. This is called a transit visa.

The removal of the transit visa does not mean that travelers can enter the country. They are only allowed to remain in the transit zone. They cannot go outside the airport..

Before Germany, France removed the transit visa requirement for India. This came into effect on April 10, 2026. France became the first Schengen country to completely abolish transit visas for Indian citizens, although Germany was the first to announce it in January.