Indian nationals will no longer require transit visas when traveling to other countries via layovers at Germany's airports, according to a press release from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in New Delhi on Tuesday. The mandate will take effect on June 3, 2026, as announced in the Federal Law Gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt) on June 2, 2026. Under the new rules, Indian travellers transiting through German airports such as Frankfurt and Munich will no longer be required to obtain a separate airport transit visa, provided they remain within the international transit area while travelling onward to a third country. This eliminates the requirement that Indian nationals were among the few travellers required to obtain a Type A Schengen airport transit visa in certain cases, even if they were only changing flights in Germany and not entering the country. As per the German embassy, every year, a large number of Indians, including students, professionals and tourists, travel through German airports, on way to other destinations, making this policy change particularly significant for the Indian diaspora. The move is expected to benefit thousands of Indian travelers who use Germany's major aviation hubs as transit points when flying to destinations across Europe, North America and Latin America.
The Germany Embassy credited this development as a result of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz's trip to India in January 2026. According to the embassy release, this policy change underlines the Federal Government's commitment to deepening German-Indian relations, facilitating the movement of people, and further strengthening economic ties between the two nations. The embassy stated that the decision reflects Berlin's broader effort to make travel easier for Indian citizens, noting that Merz's January visit was his first official trip to India and his first visit to Asia as Chancellor. During the trip, both countries discussed ways to deepen cooperation across trade, mobility and economic partnerships, with mobility and people-to-people exchanges featuring prominently alongside discussions on trade, defence, and technology. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the decision and thanked the German leader for announcing visa-free transit for Indian citizens during the visit.
During Chancellor Merz's visit on January 13, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz oversaw the signing of two key agreements covering critical minerals, semiconductors and defence industrial cooperation. The agreements included a Critical Minerals and Semiconductor Intent Agreement and a Declaration of Intent on Defence Industrial Cooperation, as reported by the embassy. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the two sides concluded 19 agreements and made several policy announcements aimed at deepening cooperation across strategic, economic and people-to-people domains. The leaders welcomed the signing of a Joint Declaration of Intent to develop a Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap to promote long-term industry-level collaboration, including technology partnerships, co-development and co-production of defence platforms and equipment. India welcomed Germany's efforts to facilitate expeditious export clearances of defence equipment.
During the visit, Prime Minister 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. The two countries signed agreements across sectors including trade, technology, health and renewable energy. The leaders reaffirmed their strong support for the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and emphasised its transformational potential in reshaping and promoting global commerce, connectivity and prosperity. The two leaders looked forward to the first IMEC ministerial meeting to take concrete steps for advancing this initiative, demonstrating the tangible results of diplomatic engagement between the two nations.
This visa facilitation for Indian nationals extends beyond Germany, as the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said that the visa-free transit for Indian nationals transiting through the European territory of France has been operationalised by the French government in April 2026. As per MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, Indian nationals transiting through mainland France exclusively by air will no longer need a transit visa, with effect from 10th April, 2026. This development reflects the enduring partnership between India and France, elevated to the level of a 'Special Global Strategic Partnership' during President Emmanuel Macron's recent visit to India, as also further facilitation of smoother movement of people and enhancing of people-to-people ties.
