Travellers on stopover flights through German airports need transit visa – German Embassy

Some travellers using the German airline Lufthansa from Accra to any destination in or outside the EU are required to obtain transit visas, the German Embassy in Accra has said.

At the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Lufthansa has contracted a private business entity to screen the travel documents of all its passengers – and passengers travelling to other destinations  through German airports but  do not have transit visas are prevented from boarding the aircraft.

In an email response from the Embassy in Accra, the Deputy Head of Mission , Mr. Thomas Wimmer, who is also Head of the Economic Section told ghanabusinessnews.com, ” There is no policy that distinguishes stopover flights by Lufthansa – or stopovers at German airports in general – from those to any other of the 28 Schengen member states.”

“Ghanaian passport holders need an airport transit visa if they make a stopover at an airport in a Schengen member state, if their final destination lies outside the Schengen community and unless they hold a valid visa or residence permit for Andorra, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Japan, Romania, San Marino, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland or the United States of America. In those case, they are exempt from the obligation to apply for an airport transit visa,” he said.

There is further information on the Embassy’s website.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi