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I have scheduled visit to at first Hungary and then Germany. I am Indian student and I will participate workshop/conferences. Mostly 15 days visit. However, due to connecting flights I have to go through the following transition:

India--> Oman (transit) --> UAE (transit) --> Hungary (5 days stay)--> Sweden (transit) --> Poland (transit) --> Germany(5 days stay) --> Romania (transit) --> UAE(transit) --> India.

I think there is no problem with Oman and UAE. Then Romania is not included in schengen area.

It is clear that I don't have to enter a Schengen country more than once.

So I think "single entry schengen student visa" is enough for me.

The only concern is about Romania. But from here, I see Schengen visa holders are free to transit through Romania. I don't need any transit visa. The Schengen visa is sufficient.

Is my thinking right?

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    “It is clear that I don't have to enter a Schengen country more than once.” What counts is how many times you enter the Schengen zone.
    – Traveller
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 15:53
  • @Traveller, do you mean schengen visa holders can enter any schenger area more than once with "single visa entry category" ?
    – MAS
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 16:09
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    No. I mean there is one Schengen zone, comprised of 26 countries. Once you’ve entered the Schengen area you could go to all 26 if you liked, but you would still have only entered Schengen once.
    – Traveller
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 23:33
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    @Traveller provided that you are careful not to leave the Schengen area when traveling within it. Don't fly to Iceland via the UK or Ireland. Don't travel by land to Greece. Don't take a bus that goes through Andorra. This may seem obvious, but we've certainly had a few questions here from people to whom it was not obvious.
    – phoog
    Commented Jul 1, 2022 at 8:06
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    When, based on your plan, you enter Romania you have used your Schengen Visa (i.e. cannot return). If Romania (for whatever reason) refuses you entry they would want to send you back to the Schengen Area - which is not possible.
    – Mark Johnson
    Commented Jul 2, 2022 at 7:35

3 Answers 3

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So I think "single entry schengen student visa" is enough for me.

In your case, this doesn't exist, you will apply for a short-stay visa (C), there are no real specifics in this case (the consulate/VFS may have such categories, but this is mainly to tell what documentation is needed)

If you want to enter Romania (like, for example you have 2 separate flight tickets, or bag rechecking is required), you will need a double entry or a multiple entry Schengen visa, or a Romanian visa (from TIMATIC, database for documentation requirements)

Passengers with a double or multiple entry "C" visa, valid for all Schengen Member States . The visa must be valid for the period of intended stay. They are visa exempt for a maximum stay of 90 days.

But, if you have a straight connection, you can do a Transit Without Visa

Passengers with a confirmed onward ticket for a flight to a third country within 24 hours. They must stay in the international transit area of the airport and have documents required for the next destination.

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  • Thanks. I didn't clearly understood the last part of your anser. What is $straight$ connection ? I will enter Romania by Blue Air from Germany and then after 12 hours layover (i.e., within 24 hours) I will depart from Romania to UAE by Wizz Air. I will not go out of the Romania airport. So do I need transit visa provided I have single entry short-stay visa ?
    – MAS
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 3:24
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    @MAS Nicolas means a connection on a single booking. That's probably not the case of your flights as both are low-cost carriers. You may not want to leave the airport but with tickets like that, you may be forced to leave the sterile transit area. The gist of the answer though is that the single-entry short stay visa is not relevant, the only exemption is for visas with two entries or more. So anything you read about people who do not have a Schengen visa also applies to you.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 7:22
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    @MAS Blue Air does not partner with Wizz Air for transfers, you will need to leave the airport transit area, go to passport control and enter Romania with a valid visa (multiple-entry Schengen or Romanian visa), then collect your checked bag (if any), as if your destination was Romania. Since you only have a single-entry visa you'd need to avoid Romania entirely or book your flights on a single ticket with an airline that does transfers in Bucharest OTP (at the moment I think only TAROM & their partners, Air France, KLM and Turkish, offer such flights).
    – CMircea
    Commented Jul 12, 2022 at 15:51
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Is my thinking right?

No, it is incorrect. I see nothing in the website about transit through Romania. Romania has similar rules but it is not part of the Schengen area. This means that if you need a visa for the Schengen area, you would usually need a separate visa for Romania.

There is a special exemption regime for Schengen visa holders but it only covers visas with two or more entries. If you only have a single-entry Schengen visa then the normal rules apply to you. Depending on your citizenship and the details of your trip, you may very well need a visa for this layover. Nicolas detailed some of these rules but the first thing to understand is that your Schengen visa is completely irrelevant because it is a single-entry visa.

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    I might add at the end "because it is a single-entry visa." The answer makes this point clearly, but it might be worthwhile to recall it in the closing.
    – phoog
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 13:06
  • Just one further question to make it clear. Suppose I have an alternative option as follows: India---->Hungary(5 days stay)---->Germany(5 days stay)---->Hungary(transit)---->India. That is I will enter Hungary for the 2nd time for transit. Is single entry visa sufficient ?
    – MAS
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 14:03
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    @MAS Yes, it is fine. Single entry means single entry in the Schengen area as a whole and you are not leaving it by going to Germany. In fact, "transit" doesn't really mean much here, you will find yourself in the Schengen part of the airport with nothing stopping you from leaving, much in the same way as you will when landing in Germany (which is OK too). It's only after presenting yourself to the Schengen exit check that you will enter the international “transit area“ of the airport.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 18:08
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You are using confusing terms and incomplete information in the question, hence you are getting confusing answers. I only understood your question after I read you comments. Getting into and traveling within the Schengen area is not a problem. The problem is that you are using the word "transit" without explaining the kind of booking you have. You have mentioned that you have a booking from Germany to Romania with Blue Air, then a ticket from Romania to UAE with Wizz Air. These are not "transit flights" in the context it is used in the EU. These are all separate bookings on low cost carriers with different PNRs.

To be allowed to board your flight from Germany to Romania, you need to have a visa for Romania or eligible for visafree entry. As your Schengen visa is single entry, being an Indian citizen, you don't have visa free entry to Romania (which is allowed for holders of multiple entry Schengen visa holders). So you will be denied boarding in Germany.

Similarly, you also need a visa for UAE, as your destination for the flight from Romania is UAE and Indian citizens need a visa (transit or tourist) to enter UAE.

Remember this remains true even if you don't have checked luggage amd really want to stay airside. The airlines will simply deny you boarding without valid visas.

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  • Thanks for all informations. surely this will help me for future. In my answer I didn't exactly said, I booked but mentioned the itinary only. However, I just changed my plan looking all those dificulties as you mentioned and booked direct flights (FlyDubai) from India to Budapest via Dubai and same way back to India. And in between Hungary to Germany (both way) I have booked flixbus.
    – MAS
    Commented Jul 3, 2022 at 2:15
  • @ThomasCruise Indian citizens don't need a visa to transit airside at DXB, even if this is 2 tickets (then they would need to book the baggage transfer option from the airport)
    – Nicolas Formichella
    Commented Jul 3, 2022 at 6:40
  • Personal choice to stay airside is not accepted by airlines. Airlines only allow boarding without a visa if the ticket is on single PNR till the final destination. I already mentioned that in the answer. Boarding is denied without a visa. Western citizens don't have such experiences because they are allowed visafree entry so are considered documented. Those requiring a visa in advance to enter must have a visa to be allowed boarding if the ticket itself doesn't reflect an airside transit.
    – Thomas Cruise
    Commented Jul 3, 2022 at 8:43
  • @ThomasCruise It is clearly stated as possible on TIMATIC, which is the authoritative source that is followed by every ground handler on the planet. Even if you have two tickets, you can transit airsixe through DXB without a visa
    – Nicolas Formichella
    Commented Jul 3, 2022 at 11:12
  • It seems you are not understanding what I wrote. You can transit without visa IF you reach UAE. You can only do that if you fly using a private jet. Commercial airlines do not allow boarding without a visa for the destinatiom of the flight. You are conflating two separate issues. If I book a ticket on a single PNR, Delhi-Dubai-Paris with a Schengen visa, I will be allowed boarding. If I have 2 separate tickets, I need to have a UAE visa as the desrination of the first ticket is UAE. Me claiming to the airline that I will not enter Dubai is not sufficient. It is standard practice.
    – Thomas Cruise
    Commented Jul 3, 2022 at 11:30

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