Transit visa

Paul Zarb writes:
If a non-EU citizen is flying to Malta with a Maltese valid visa in hand and needing to stop in another EU member state, does the person in question also need that country's visa to get out of the airport?

Yes, the non-EU traveller may still require that country's transit visa to get out of the airport even if s/he already holds a valid visa to enter Malta.

A visa issued by Malta today is only valid on Maltese territory. This means that the non-EU person holding a Maltese visa would still need to satisfy the visa requirements of the other country, even if s/he is passing through just by way of transit for a short period of time.

In practice, however, the decision on whether a transit visa is required may vary from one country to another and it would therefore be useful to check things out prior to departure. For instance, if the length of stop over is short, some EU countries may close an eye and not request a transit visa. The nationality of the non-EU traveller also comes into play and transit visas are waived more easily for some nationalities than others. In such cases, the discretion lies with the national authorities of the transit country.

The situation will change completely once Malta becomes a member of the so-called Schengen area and things will become much more clear and simple.

The Schengen area includes a number of EU countries plus some non-EU states within which freedom of movement is complete and visa-free even for non-EU citizens. Therefore, for non-EU travellers, one visa would be sufficient for the entire Schengen area.

Currently, 13 EU countries are members of the Schengen area plus Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. Ireland and the UK are not members, whereas, in principle, all 10 new EU member countries, including Malta, are expected to join by the end of next year. It was already foreseen prior to membership that new EU countries would require more than two years after membership to be able to join Schengen. Currently, they are in a transitional period preparing to join. In order to join the Schengen area, a country is required to align its external border policy, including security issues, with Schengen requirements. It is only at that point when external security is sufficiently guaranteed that internal borders can be lifted.

Although Malta is not yet part of the Schengen area, it has already aligned its visa format with Schengen requirements. However, so far, this visa remains only valid on Maltese territory. Once we join Schengen it will be valid throughout the Schengen area and, therefore, no transit visa will be required if a non-EU citizen makes a stopover in another Schengen country.

So the answer to the correspondent's question depends on two things:

The first is whether Malta is a member of the Schengen area. Until we become part of Schengen, a transit visa may be required. Once we join, it would no longer be required.

The second is whether the non-EU traveller has made a stop in another Schengen area state or not. So the question is not whether the stopover was in another EU country but whether it was in another Schengen country. This appears to be a slight difference. But until and unless all EU countries join Schengen, it remains an important difference which is useful for all travellers to be aware of.

Thus, for example, non-EU travellers who stop in the UK to proceed to Germany may require a transit visa but not if they stop first in France and then proceed to Germany. This is because both France and Germany are in the Schengen area, whereas the UK is not. Inversely, if the traveller first stops in Italy, a Schengen country, to come over to Malta, a transit visa may still be required in Italy because Malta is not yet part of Schengen.

It is very important to sort out these issues prior to departure.

Incidentally, all airlines possess information on the visa requirements of each country, including transit visas. Therefore, it would be good to contact the airline directly to check out whether or not a transit visa is necessary for entering the transit country.

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