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Here's the situation, I have two separate tickets to get from Mumbai to Charlotte:

  • Ticket 1: Mumbai to Munich on Etihad
  • ---Six hour layover in Munich---
  • Ticket 2: Munich to Charlotte on Lufthansa

Do I need a transit visa in Munich to get out and re-check my luggage in Lufthansa? If so, can I get the visa at the airport? I am an Indian citizen with a valid US visa.

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  • Welcome to travel.SE. These have been bought as separate tickets or as a single one?
    – Karlson
    May 6, 2014 at 14:00
  • Seperate tickets unfortunately
    – veebee
    May 6, 2014 at 14:01
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    @veebee What I meant is that if you need a visa then you need to have it in advance. It can't be obtained on arrival and the airline will want to know you can enter the country even before departure. Whether or not you need a visa at all is another question but in any case, you cannot get one at the airport.
    – Relaxed
    May 6, 2014 at 14:10
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    It would probably be best to contact Lufthansa to check whether they provide a re-check on the international transit area. More then likely they do not, which means you will have to get a tourist visa to make this connection.
    – Karlson
    May 6, 2014 at 14:22
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    @veebee: no, it's not possible for a practical reason: in Munich, Etihad and Lufthansa operate on different terminals, so you 'll have to leave the transit area anyway.
    – Michael Borgwardt
    May 8, 2014 at 11:25

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According to the site from the German Missions in the United States you do need a visa if you have to get your luggage and check-in again in Germany. Also, the website suggests that you wouldn't need an airport transit visa (the US visa exempts you from that particular requirement) but a full Schengen visa, presumably because you need to leave the transit area (i.e. the journey does not fall under the rules for transit at all, so whether you need a transit visa or qualify for a transit-related visa exemption is not relevant anymore).

Generally speaking, you cannot get a Schengen visa at the airport (there are a few exceptions for EU citizens' family and emergencies but it's certainly not standard procedure) and airlines will want to see a proof that you have a right to enter the destination country (or have all the required documentation to transit) as they can be fined and forced to take you back if they did not check before allowing you to board the plane.

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