Travel through Frankfurt on AP - German Consul General Clarifies

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poongunranar

Registered Users (C)
Thanks to the panic expressed in this forum regarding whether one has to get a transit visa while transiting at Frankfurt, I wrote to the Consul General of Germany in Atlanta.

Ingrid Jarvis of the Passport / Visa Department has clarified that one doesn't need any transit visa even if one is traveling on Advance Parole under Adjustment of Status. His one-liner response is given below: Thanks to the German Consulate for its prompt response. I hope this clarifies the issue and have a safe trip to your home-countries:
Question-Poongunranar: As I have an Advance Parole as traveling document and have my green-card pending at the United States, should I get a transit visa for travel through Frankfurt, Germany?

Consul's Response:
Ingrid Jarvis
Passport/Visa Department

Good morning, you do not need a airport transit visa if you are
traveling thru Frankfurt.

German Consulate General
285 Peachtree Center Avenue
Suite 901
Atlanta, GA 30303-1221
Tel.: (404) 979-6420
Fax: (404) 577-2719\
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Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks

Thank You very much for this very valuable information. It will be helpful to lot of people. Your intitiative was very much appreciable.

RS100

"We can get everything in life we want, if we help enough other people get what they want" - Zig Ziglar
 
EuCitizen, rao_smith_100, ihack1

Thanks ihack1 and rao_smith_100. It is my pleasure.

Sorry EuCitizen, for the mistake. Mea culpa. I have removed the "Mr." in my posting. Thanks for correcting me.
 
Yesterday One of my friend wrote a similar E-Mail asking whether he need a transit visa since he is using the advance parole the answer was completely opposite.


yes, you should, otherwise the airline may not take you on board.
sincerely,
german consulate houston
Click to expand...
 
OK :confused:

According to the website, for India:

"If you hold a valid visa or residence permit for a member country of the European Union, Canada, Switzerland or the United States of America you do not need an airport transit visa." :confused:

So... :confused:
 
One more thing...

NOT requiring a transit visa and boarding the plane might be two separate issues; especially if the airline was NOT the German Lufthansa.

A non-German airline might NOT be familiar with the details...and refuse boarding...while Lufthansa might allow boarding... :confused:

So, I guess it is tricky...I'm sure many have gone thru this...any first-hand experience out there :confused:
 
My wife is travelling to India through Frankfurt. She is on Advance Parole. I spoke my travel agent and Air India and this is what they have to say.
If you are on Advance Parole and travelling to India through Frankfurt by Air India, you do not need transit visa. But if you are travelling through another Airline, you might need a Transit Visa. The reason is, Air India does not allow its passengers to disembark at Frankfurt but for other airlines you might have to disembark and change flights.
 
Transit Visa in Frankfurt

ND0902

Your comment regarding Air-India not allowing passengers to deplane in Frankfurt is incorrect

As recently as May 24th, I was on Mumbai-Frankfurt-Chicago flight and they did allow us to get down in Frankfurt.

I understand it is purely an operational decision about letting passengers out in Frankfurt.

Please do not count on it. Brace yourself for sitting in the airplane when they clean the aircraft and refuel . You are lucky if they would let you out.

I did travel on AP twice through Frankfurt.

Back in January 2004, there was a lot of confusion. Lufthansa Airlines Bangalore->Frankfurt->Dulles, clarified I did not need transit visa even though I was travelling on AP

In May 2004 AirIndia through Frankfurt no transit visa was asked for

hope this helps

thanks

hsubbu
 
Interpretation differs by consulates

Couple of month's ago, I (am Indian National with AP) was living in FL and I planned to take Lufthansa from Atlanta. When I contacted German Consulate, Miami - they said I NEED to take Transit Visa. But when I contacted German Consulate, Atlanta - they said I DON'T NEED transit visa. When I asked them to fax them the same, they said that they clearly informed the Lufthansa counter at Atlanta in writing and if I have any problem, they asked to call me back. I sent a Fax to Lufthansa counter in Atlanta and they called me back & said that I DON'T NEED transit visa. She also gave her name, and said that she will be in the counter on that day, if I have any problems. I didn't have any problem while travelling and it happens to be a working day (in case I had problem in the counter, we can always call the Consulate).

If you are going from Atlanta, then there is NO problem. From other places, check for the nearest Consulate and they may have different interpretation.
 
Pongunarar is seldom wrong

Gentlemen,

Last week end i travelled back from India to the US on AP. Was via Frankfurt, i did not have transit or valid visa of any other country No problems oher than the routine harrasment at security points.

A safe trip to all those travelling
 
Yes. No problems

Last weekend, one of my team mate came from India Via Frankfurt to Chicago on Air-India with expired Visa and no Transit Visa. He said, no problems at all.

RS100
"We can get everything in life we want, if we help enough other people get what they want" - Zig Ziglar
 
German Transit Visa for Advance Parole:
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My I-485 is pending and I have a valid Advance Parole. According to the new Transit Visa rules from the German web Site since Feb 05 - they will issue a transit visa on landing in Germany. Please let me know whether they will issue transit visa for advance Parole cases on landing in Germany?

Please let me know if anybody has travelled through Frankfurt in Feb 05 / Mar 05 WITHOUT transit visa and got them once they landed in Germany.

Thankyou.
 
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