ExploEntry rules
Do you need a visa for a layover? Airport transit rules explained
Changing planes can need a visa even if you never leave the airport. Airside versus landside transit, transit visas and what separate tickets change.
A connection feels like it does not count. You land, walk to the next gate and board. You never saw the country, so surely you did not enter it. Sometimes that is exactly right, and sometimes the airline will refuse to let you board the first flight because you are missing a document for the airport in the middle.
This guide explains how transit works, which rules catch people out, and what to check before you book a cheap connection.
Airside and landside
Every international airport has two zones:
- Airside is the secure area beyond passport control. If you stay here and your bags are checked through to the final destination, you have not formally entered the country.
- Landside is the public area, including arrivals halls, shops and the outside world. To get there you pass border control, which counts as entering the country.
Most layover rules come down to one question: will you cross that line? If you stay airside, many countries ask for nothing. If you cross it, you need whatever a normal visitor needs, which could be a visa, an e-visa or a travel authorisation.
When you must cross the line
- Your bags are not checked through, so you have to collect and re-check them. This is common on two separate tickets.
- Your connection leaves from a different terminal or airport that cannot be reached airside.
- Your connection is the next day, and the airline does not provide an airside hotel.
- You want to leave the airport on a long layover.
- Your flight is cancelled and you are rebooked to the next morning with an airport hotel outside the secure area.
Airport transit visas
Some countries require an airport transit visa, sometimes shortened to ATV, from travellers of certain nationalities even when they stay airside. The Schengen states keep a list of nationalities that need one, and each country can add its own. The United Kingdom has its own transit rules and list as well. If your passport is on a list, you need to apply before you travel, and the airline will check.
The reason is not about you personally. It is about the risk the country attaches to a nationality arriving and not continuing. If you hold a passport that is often on these lists, check every connection, not just the destination.
Strict countries
| Country | What to expect |
|---|---|
| United States | There is no real airside transit for international arrivals. You enter, collect your bags and check in again, so you need a visa or an ESTA like any visitor. |
| Canada | Visa-exempt travellers who change planes at a Canadian airport still need an eTA. Others need a visa or a transit visa. |
| United Kingdom | Staying airside does not need an ETA, but crossing the border does. Some nationalities need a transit visa. |
| Schengen area | Airside transit is usually fine, but certain nationalities need an airport transit visa. Moving between non-connected terminals can mean entering. |
Rules differ by nationality and change over time. Use this table as a reason to look, not as the answer. Confirm each connection with the airline and the official government page.
Long layovers can be an opportunity
Some countries allow short visa-free stays for people in transit with an onward ticket. China, for example, runs a visa-free transit scheme that lets travellers of many nationalities spend several days in certain regions, as long as they continue to a third country. Other countries let you leave the airport on a layover of a day or two without a full visa. The conditions are strict: an onward ticket to a different country, a time limit, and sometimes a named list of entry points.
If you plan a stopover, check three things: the maximum time, the list of entry points and whether your passport qualifies.
Separate tickets
If you book two tickets yourself, the airlines have no link between them. If the first flight is late, you miss the second and nobody has to rebook you. You also have to collect your bags, which means going through border control and meeting the entry rules of the transit country. A cheap self-transfer is often only cheap until a missed flight or a visa fee.
If you do it anyway, leave enough time, ideally many hours, and check the visa, the airport changes and the baggage rules for the transit country as carefully as for your destination.
A quick check before you book
- List every country you pass through, not just the destination.
- For each one, ask: will I stay airside, and does my passport need a transit visa?
- Check whether your passport validity meets the rule for the transit country too.
- Check any onward ticket requirements.
- Keep the answers with your pre-trip checklist.
In Explo
Explo shows the entry rule for your passport for each country, which is the rule that applies if you cross the border on a layover. Add the country you connect through as a stop in a trip to see its rule next to your destination. For the rest of the paperwork, read how to check visa requirements before you book.
