Transit visa-going for CP

S

Su_Gupta

Registered Users (C)
Going through a few messages I am confused about the transit visa required for going to Mumbai via Frankfurt. I am hoping to get CP interview date some time in October at Mumbai Consulate. All our family passports are stamped with valid H visas (valid upto 2006).
While travelling by Luftansa or British Airways to Mumbai in the past I have never required transit visas either at Frankfurt or London. Is this a new rule which requires transit visa for Germany/UK , while you are changing planes at these airports. Any expert advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
 
In your case, you and your family will not need a airport transit visa. Airport transit visa is required for those folks who have an expired visa stamp in the passport and have a visa extension approval (I-94 approval papers from BCIS) but no valid visa stamp in the passport.

Like in my case my original h-1b visa stamp expired in april 2002, since then i have h-1b extension approval / valid I-94 but i have not got it stamped on my passport/ neither i got it revalidated hence i will need a transit visa if i fly thru france/ germany/ switzerland.
 
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Not to question you, but may I know where you got this info? I just want to call and confirm. Do you have a lufthansa customer service number? I tried their website, but i couldnt find a telephone number.......


I too have an expired visa but a valid i-94

-singar
 
Airlines web sites / 800 numbers do not provide this information. The information is available on consulate web sites for the country you are flying through.

For Example: if you are flying through france, germany or switzerland, search for their consulates web sites and you will find the information.

French consulate web site:
http://www.consulfrance-washington.org/visas/formulaires.htm

In my case i had sent an email to the french consulate in washington dc and got a response back confirming that since both my wife and I have H-4 and H-1B approval papers and no valid visa stamp in the passport we will need to apply for airport transit visas.

singarb just an advice instead of calling, send an email to the consulate so that it is in writing for future reference.
 
Any Idea if a one way ticket is bought. Say somebody is going for good. Is a transit visa still reqd. in France/Germany/Switzerland.

Thanks,

alren
 
yes if one does not have a valid visa stamp but instead has a visa approval paper then to fly thru the france/ germany/ switzerland one definitely needs a transit visa whether on a single/ return ticket.
 
Folks,

Any experiences traveling through the Pacific route ?? I have travelled a few times through Seoul, Tokyo and HK by Cathay and Singapore Airlines but all these times I had travelled, I had a valid visa stamping. Now at this moment I have a valid I-94 but my visa had expired last month. Everytime I travelled nobody bothered to ask for a valid visa and the transit time at HK, Tokyo or Seoul were always about 2 hrs or less. So will I need a transit visa for any of these places if I take thye Pacific route ??

Appreciate your comments.

Thanks,

RK
 
RK_0629:

The best bet is to search for the consulates of the countries you will be transiting through on way to india and see what they recommend. These rules have been changing especially at 9/11.
I will also try to check and find the answers for you!
 
I called the german cosulate. When you are travelling from US, as long as you have a valid US visa or a approved h1b or h4 visa (even if your stamped visa is expired), u need not get a transit visa.

-singarb
 
singarb:

Just an advice...you might want to send them an email and carry a print out as a proof. If they reply that transit visa is not required that's great news but in june 03 i know someone from immigration forum who was asked to apply for german airport transit visa since his visa stamp had expired and had h-1b approval paper.
 
Hi,
Has anybody recently travelled to India for their visa stamping thro' Air France.Is it required to have a transit visa for France.How difficult is it going to be if the old visa stamping in the passport has expired.
Please share your experiences.
Thanks.
 
Since your h-1b visa stamp in the passport has expired and if you are travelling thru paris then you will need to apply for a airport transit visa.
Check this site for details on application for the visa....
http://www.consulfrance-washington.org/visas/visasen.htm
Find out which french embassy you should be sending the passport to and then it takes less than a week to get the visa.

I mailed my wife's passport for french airport transit visa last Monday and she got passport back on Thursday itself. I have sent mine today and hope to get it before end of the week.
 
Thanks for the reply.Did you get your transit visa even though your visa stamping on the passport had expired.

Thanks
 
Yes my visa stamp in the passport has expired last year. And I have a H-1B approval notice with the new I-94 attachment at the bottom. SO I mailed in my passport, completed short visa application with passport photo, payment information with mastercard info and photocopies of tickets plus h-1b approval notice.

In my wife's case she went from f-1 to h-4 and had f-1 stamped in passport and now has h-4 approval papers. Hence for her included same as above except a photocopy of h-4 approval paper. We mailed her packet and received it back in 3 working days!
 
Hi kdivekar,
As I mentioned in my first post - we do have new H visas stamped on our passports valid upto May 06. The I-94 attached to our passports are still the ones from our original H visas(expired in May 03)
We also got new I-94s at the bottom of our H approval notices valid upto May 06.

My question is- at the time of departure from US, the airlines take away your I-94s. Do we need to attach the new I-94 to our passports and give them both the old and the new I-94 for the departure records?

Thanks for your help.
 
You should give both old and new but generally the officers end up taking only the new. And if that happens dont worry about it..when you immigrate back with your gc turn it in to the immig officer. Taking correct I-94 is the responsibility of the officer.

In short, turn in both old and new i-94 but dont get hassled if the officer takes only 1.
 
Transit Visa

Hello Friends

Just thought i will add a few comments.

Have travelled to India 4 times in the last 1 1/2 years.

Firstly - Germany/France/Switzerland/UK - There is no requirement for a transit visa.

Second - If there is such a requirement, the airline that is taking you from the US to a country in Europe - is required to inform you and check if you have a visa.

There is no immigration check at any of the European airports - as long as you do not cross the secure airport area. For makinga connection - there is no reason for you to cross passport control.

Hope this helps

Jkaipa
 
Wrong...

I travelled to India on Lufthansa last time. The passport control especially travelling from Bangalore to Frankfurt was at the flight door step. YES! THATS RIGHT!! The passport was checked before we stepped out of the plane into the mobile walkway.
 
Lets not get into an argument about this...

jkaipa:
I am sure all the 4 times you travelled to india you probably had a valid usa visa stamped in the passport. The transit visa rule if ONLY for those folks who have an expired usa visa stamp in the passport but have visa approval with new i-94.

Let us know if you travelled on an expired h-1b visa stamp wth only h-1b extension papers?

All:
Please remember all these consulate web site say valid visa stamp in passport and valid visa stamp is not the same as visa approval paper!
 
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Re: Wrong...

Originally posted by brokenarrow
I travelled to India on Lufthansa last time. The passport control especially travelling from Bangalore to Frankfurt was at the flight door step. YES! THATS RIGHT!! The passport was checked before we stepped out of the plane into the mobile walkway.
Click to expand...

That's just an officer checking for the passport, and does not mean the passport control which the earlier poster referred to.

This was 6 yrs. back, but I still remember, The airline/embassy asked me to get a dutch visa and they checked a squat while deboarding at AMS.
 
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