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I have an Indian passport and will be travelling to the US. I have two stops on Germany, first at Frankfurt and then at Munich. Lufthansa suggests that I need a transit visa which I will be getting. Both my tickets come under the same journey and are booked as one trip. I would be flying to Charlotte from Munich.

My layover time is just 55 minutes in Frankfurt. Will there be any immigration procedure for transit visa holders? Would it be possible for me to board my flight? Especially because this answer claims that it is really difficult.

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  • Is it all one ticket? And since you're changing planes twice, which airport is the one you've got the 55 minutes in?
    – Gagravarr
    Jun 20, 2014 at 7:56
  • I have updated the question details regarding this.
    – sriramkswamy
    Jun 20, 2014 at 7:58
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    AFAIK you will entry the schengen area (for the flight between Frankfurt and Munich) and therefore a transit visa is not enough, you will need a schengen visa
    – Dirty-flow
    Jun 20, 2014 at 8:01
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    To be more specific, an “airport transit visa” is not enough, you will need a regular Schengen visa (which can be issued for transit purposes). You will need to go through the regular immigration lines, get a stamp, etc.
    – Relaxed
    Jun 20, 2014 at 8:03
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    @kesari It's a passport check, you will talk with a police officer who should look up your name in some databases and stamp your passport. They can ask more if they want but if everything looks fine, there is no reason they would. I don't know about Frankfurt but in Schiphol, they have separate booths for people going to and from the Schengen part of the airport airside but not to the luggage collection area. I have never waited very long but I hold an EU passport.
    – Relaxed
    Jun 20, 2014 at 8:18

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In all probability, you should be able to board the flight. I use the expression because this is not a matter of rules, but depends on various factors that cannot be predetermined, such as the punctuality of the flight that lands you into Frankfurt, the rush on the two flights, and the number of people doing the transition from this to that.

I had a similar experience once while flying Lufthansa from Bangalore to San Francisco. I had a little more time than you--90 minutes instead of 55, but guess what, my Bangalore-Frankfurt flight was late by around an hour. 30 minutes would have been impossible to make the connect but the airlines staff knew that, and they boarded all passengers of the incoming flight that had to connect to the next flight to San Francisco in a separate coach, took them to a special window where they got their passports stamped, and then back onto the coach and the plane for the connecting flight. I think the connecting flight was even delayed by a few minutes as 30 minutes would not have been sufficient to transfer 50+ passengers. It was smooth for passengers, though a little tiring of flying 20 straight hours.

One of my two check in bags didn't make it though. I got only one bag in SFO, and the other came to my hotel the next evening.

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