India welcomes Germany's visa-free transit for Indian travellers
New Delhi, June 2
India on Tuesday welcomed Germany's decision to operationalise visa-free transit for Indian nationals passing through German airports, saying this new arrangement would further enhance people-to-people ties.
"We welcome the operationalisation by Germany of the annoucement waiving requirement of transit visa for Indian nationals transiting through Germany, exclusively by air, with effect from June 3," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) wrote on X.
"The announcement was made after discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chancellor Friedrich Merz during the latter's visit to India in January 2026," the MEA added.
According to MEA, this new arrangement would further enhance people-to-people ties between India and Germany.
Earlier on Tuesday, the German Embassy in New Delhi announced that Indian nationals will no longer require a transit visa when travelling 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, and takes effect on June 3, 2026," the German Embassy in New Delhi said.
"This implements a result of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz's trip to India in January of this year. It underlines the Federal government's commitment to deepening German Indian relations, facilitating the movement of people, and further strengthening economic ties," it added.
During the visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Federal Chancellor Merz welcomed the sustained growth in bilateral trade and investment and noted that bilateral trade reached a record high in 2024, with the positive trend continuing through 2025.
India and Germany had signed a slew of agreements across sectors such as trade, technology, health and renewable energy.
According to the MEA, the two sides concluded 19 agreements and made several policy announcements aimed at deepening cooperation across strategic, economic and people-to-people domains.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As an Indian living in the UK, I've had friends miss connecting flights because of the transit visa confusion. This is a smart policy from Germany—it's good for business travel and tourism. But I hope other EU countries follow suit. Why should Indians need a transit visa for a few hours in an airport when citizens of many other countries don't?
Good news indeed! But let's be honest, this is a small step. Germany still has one of the most stringent visa processes for Indians wanting to actually visit or work there. The transit waiver is welcome, but the real challenge remains the lengthy and expensive Schengen visa process. 🤔
Finally some common sense! As someone who travels frequently between India and the US via Frankfurt, this was a nightmare. You'd have to apply for a separate visa just to change terminals, even though you never leave the airport. This is a win for both convenience and bilateral relations. Now bring on more direct flights! ✈️
While this is great, let's also acknowledge that Germany is doing this because they need Indian talent. With their aging population and labor shortages, they've been tightening immigration rules for others but loosening for Indians. It's mutually beneficial, so good diplomacy all around. But I hope India also pushes for faster visa processing for Germans coming here for tourism.
This is huge for students! I know so many Indians who had to plan their European trips around which airports had transit visa exemptions. Now we can just book the cheapest flight without worrying about extra
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