Transit Visa: When is it Needed?
In what situations is a transit visa needed, and when can you do without it? How to apply for a short-term visa and what documents are required for it? In what cases is a transit visa required?
We explain.
A transit visa is a type of visa issued for a short-term transit stay in a country.
If you don't want to risk your plans and violate the laws of the country where you are making a stop, it's important to find out before your trip whether a transit visa is needed, what type, and how to obtain it.
Here are the cases when Russians need a transit document.
— You are transferring to another plane and need to change airports or terminals.
— For some reason, you need to leave the airport and, specifically, the transit area for a certain period – the time you can stay outside the transit area depends on the country of stay. This can be a few hours or even days.
— You are planning at least two transfers within the Schengen area.
In this case, a transit visa will be needed if your route, for example, looks like this: Moscow — Madrid — Düsseldorf — New York. One of the flights on your journey, Madrid — Düsseldorf, will take place within the Schengen area, meaning you will have to leave the transit territory. In this situation, you must apply for a transit document through the consulate of the first country of arrival — in this case, Austria.
— You are transferring to another plane in the UK — the transit duration is between 24 and 48 hours.
In this case, a Visitor in transit visa is simply obtained in advance. If the transit period exceeds 48 hours, you need to obtain a standard Visitor visa.
— When transferring in France, even if you are a Russian citizen, but arrived in France from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Turkey, or Egypt. In this case, the citizen will have to obtain a Category A or C visa anyway.
— When transferring in the United States of America, Australia, Canada — even if you do not intend to leave the airport's transit area.
What types of transit visas are there?
Visas are divided into categories that differ in terms of application process, purpose, and validity period. Currently, there are two types of transit visas that a Russian citizen can obtain.
— Category A Transit Visa
This is a simplified transit visa, which in some countries is issued upon arrival and does not require prior document collection. It is also called an airport transit visa. Category A applies if the passenger crosses the border by air. With a Category A transit visa, it is forbidden to leave the transit area, and the duration of the layover must not exceed 24 hours. Whether it needs to be obtained or not depends on the specific country and situation.
— Category C Transit Visa
Obtaining a Category C transit visa is inevitable if the passenger needs to leave the transit area or simply wants to go out into the city for a walk. Additionally, Category C is relevant for travelers who cross the border by train or car. This type of visa is valid for 1 to 5 days and is divided into subcategories:
— single-entry — allows crossing the border once;
— double-entry — allows crossing the border twice, for example, for a round trip;
— multiple-entry — issued for a long period (up to 5 years) and allows transit through certain states an unlimited number of times, but staying within the Schengen area with it is permitted for no more than 90 days every 6 months.
Category B transit documents, which were required if a traveler crossed the border by means other than air, are no longer issued — Category B has been replaced by Category C.
Transit Visa Application Process
So, you've clarified the information and learned that a transit document will be needed. The question arises: how to get a transit visa? To ensure everything goes smoothly, you need to prepare before heading to the consulate to apply for the document. No matter which country you will be transiting through, the steps are as follows:
— finalize your trip plans and gather essential information about departure dates and times, route, and travel purposes — the consulate will likely be interested in this;
— check the list of required documents and prepare them. Verify the validity periods of all documents, especially your international passport;
— fill out the visa application form — download it from the consulate's website yourself or seek assistance from a visa center;
— schedule an interview — if you happen to be planning a flight with transfers in two non-Schengen countries, and a visa is required in each, you will have to be interviewed at several consulates;
— determine the date when you will return to collect your visa;
— pay the consular fee and be sure to keep the receipt.
After preparing and submitting the documents, you just have to wait a little — you can track the application status on the consulate's website during this time — and on the appointed day, come to pick up your international passport with the ready transit visa.
Required Documents
You can always clarify the list on the specific consulate's website, but typically, for obtaining a transit visa, Russians submit:
— original and copy of the international passport. The passport must have been issued no more than 10 years ago and be valid throughout the trip and for several more months after the requested visa's expiration date. For example, for the European Union, it's three months, and for the USA, it's six;
— visa for the country that is the final destination;
— completed and signed visa application form. For minors, a parent or guardian signs. The application form is in Russian, but a translation into another language may be required;
— 1-2 visa-format photos — color, on a white background, taken within the last 6 months;
— original and copy of the insurance policy — the insurance amount depends on the country but must be specified in the policy. Additionally, it must include the full name of the insured person and the number of insured days;
— flight tickets;
— internal Russian passport with copies of pages containing registration stamps, information about marital status and children. And if you are applying for a child's visa, you will also bring a birth certificate.
In addition to the above documents, consulates request financial guarantees: you can confirm your solvency with a bank statement for the last three months or an income certificate (Form 2-NDFL). If the trip is sponsored by a close relative, you will need to confirm the relationship and collect documents for them as well: passport, sponsorship letter, bank statement for the last three months are required.
Besides financial solvency, you will need to demonstrate your employment and willingness to return to the Russian Federation. Proof will include certificates: from the place of employment on company letterhead; from the tax office, regarding income or individual entrepreneur registration for self-employed individuals; for students and schoolchildren — from the place of study; and for pensioners — a pension certificate or another document confirming pension assignment.
The main thing is to fill out the documents perfectly: without errors, typos, or corrections. If the consulate finds discrepancies in the application, the traveler from Russia risks being denied.
How to apply?
Once all documents are ready, it's time to schedule an interview. You can apply for and obtain a transit visa through the consulate, embassy, or visa center of the country where you will have a stopover.
For a Schengen transit visa, a Russian citizen must apply no less than 15 days before the trip. Usually, two weeks is the period for the consulate to review the application, but sometimes the process can extend up to a month or even two if the consulate decides to request additional information and documents. We do not recommend doing everything at the last minute, but there's no need to rush either — you can submit your application no earlier than six months before your trip.
Which countries are part of the transit zone
For a stopover in several countries, you will definitely need to arrange transit — there's no other way.
— USA
Russian citizens will be forced to obtain a Category C1 transit visa, even if they intend to stay in the United States for a very short time while traveling to a third country and do not plan to leave the airport building. The advantages of C1 are that rejections are rare, and a US transit visa obtained in the passport guarantees simplified processing of a full tourist visa for the USA in the future.
— United Kingdom
In UK airports, you will need to present a transit visa if there is more than 24 hours between flights or if you need to leave the transit area.
— Australia
Airport transit visas for Russians are not available in the country, so even for a short layover, a transit visa valid for 72 hours will be required.
— Schengen Area countries
When flying with two or more transfers, you will need to have a visa for the first country you arrive in.
— Japan
A transit visa is issued for three days and even allows you to go out for a walk while waiting for transfers. This rule applies with some exceptions, such as Tokyo and Osaka airports, where you can stay without a visa for 24 hours.
When is a transit visa not required?
Is a transit visa required in all countries? No, there are several routes where you can do without the document.
— If you are transferring to another plane within the Schengen area and remain in the airport's transit zone. The layover duration is no more than 24 hours, and you already have tickets to the final country and a visa, if required.
Important to remember: a transit zone is not present everywhere. In Germany, for example, only the airports of Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, and Düsseldorf are equipped with a special area. Moreover, the transit zones of these international airports are mostly closed at night.
If your arrival is scheduled for late in the day, your next flight is only early in the morning, and the airport does not operate at night, and you are not prepared to spend 24 hours without sleep, you will have to arrange a Schengen transit visa in advance and book a hotel room, as you will not be allowed to stay overnight directly at the airport.
If you purchased two separate airline tickets, for example, traveling to Paris via Rome: Moscow — Rome and Rome — Paris, you will have to obtain a transit document, as you will need to collect your luggage, leave the transit area, and check in for the next flight.
If the airlines are part of the same alliance, you might receive boarding passes only for the first part of the flight, and your luggage might be checked straight through to the final destination — this way you don't have to bother with collecting and re-checking it. You get boarding passes for the second half of the journey at the transfer desk in the transit airport. In such a case, there is no need for a transit visa, as you do not leave the transit zone. The main thing is to find out in advance if there is a transit area at the airport where the transfer is planned.
You can clarify visa information on the following websites:
— When transferring in London, if you change terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, which are designed so that you can change terminals without going through passport control again. The time difference between the two flights must be no more than 24 hours.
— If you are transferring to another plane in Japan at Tokyo and Osaka international airports. As with London airport, a difference of more than 24 hours between flights is not allowed.
— In Singapore, passengers are allowed to stay in the transit zone without a visa for up to 96 hours.
— In China, travelers can stay without a transit visa for up to 72 hours at the international airports of Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai.
