The layover is where visas ambush people.

  • The United States has no sterile transit. Every connecting passenger clears US immigration, which means you need a US visa or ESTA even if you never leave the airport.
  • The UK often requires a Direct Airside Transit Visa for certain nationalities changing planes at Heathrow.
  • Schengen airport transit visas apply to a specific list of nationalities; everyone else can transit without leaving the international zone.
  • China offers 144-hour transit without a visa in major cities, but only if you arrive and depart by air to different countries.

The overflight problem: booking a cheap ticket with a connection in a country whose transit rules you never checked. The airline will deny boarding at origin, and travel insurance will not cover "didn't check the transit visa."

Transit Visa Rules That Ruin Layovers: the Overflight Problem
Image via Wikimedia Commons

Check transit rules for every stop, not just the destination. The layover is a border crossing too.

Sources: U.S. State Department, IATA Travel Centre

For connecting flights, check whether your layover country needs a transit visa before you book the ticket.

PassportPower checks the full route, layovers included, for $9.99 one-time per destination.