Transit visa for my non-EU husband

Question

I am British and my husband is from DRC Congo. We are travelling on holiday. However we may transit through Schengen. Does my husband need a transit visa as he is my husband? I understand if you are an EU National and your spouse is not, he does not a transit visa if travelling with me through the Schengen area. I have not changed my name in my passport to his yet.

What documents do we need to transit?

We are flying from Istanbul to Martinique with a 14 hr layover in Amsterdam Schiphol. As he is married to a British Passport holder would he still Need a transit visa? We will remain in the international area of the airport while awaiting our onward flight.

What is your husband's nationality? "Africa" is not a country. And are you merely changing flights at a Schengen airport, or do you need to enter the Schengen area? — hmakholm left over Monica, Apr 13 '18 at 09:13
@HenningMakholm for citizens of some African countries, it's also necessary to know in which country the transit is to take place. Still, it's possible to answer the central question which is whether EU freedom of movement relieves one of the ATV requirement. As far as I can tell, it does not. — phoog, Apr 13 '18 at 11:10
Possible duplicate of Do I need a visa to transit (or layover) in the Schengen area? — gparyani, Apr 13 '18 at 12:32
@gparyani the proposed duplicate says nothing about spousal freedom of movement. — phoog, Apr 13 '18 at 22:36

phoog · Answer 1 · 2018-04-13T21:09:29.730

Traveling with an EU citizen spouse does not relieve someone of the need to have an airport transit visa, but it should mean that the application is considered quickly and without charge.

However, the list of countries whose citizens must have an airport transit visa is small, so without knowing you're husband's nationality, it is impossible to say whether he needs one. For some African nationalities, it would also be necessary to know where the transit will take place, because the airport transit visa list varies depending on the country where the transit takes place. For example, citizens of Cameroon require one for France or Spain, but not for any other Schengen country.

For more information, see

Transit visa for my non-EU husband

1 Answers1