Leaving the international transit zone at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
The international transit zone at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is the area you stay in if you are changing planes during a transfer. If you are in the transit zone, you have not yet officially entered the Netherlands. Passport control is the border of the international transit zone. You leave the international transit zone and enter the Netherlands when you go through passport control.
When you leave the international transit zone
When you go through passport control and leave the international transit zone, you enter the Schengen area. The Netherlands is a member of the Schengen area.
See what countries are in the Schengen area
You must always leave the international transit zone:
- to transfer from an intercontinental flight to a European flight. This means: you have flown to the Netherlands from a country outside the Schengen area and are transferring to an onward flight within the Schengen area
- if you need to collect your own luggage in the Schiphol baggage hall and then check it in again for your next flight. If you are not sure whether you need to do this, ask the airline you are travelling with or read 'What will happen to my luggage if I transit at a Dutch airport?'
- to leave the airport
- to visit Amsterdam or the rest of the Netherlands.
Check whether you may leave the international transit zone
The type of visa you have determines whether or not you can leave the international transit zone at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
If you are allowed to travel to the Netherlands without a visa, you can go through passport control. This means you can leave he international transit zone. You can visit Amsterdam or other places in the Netherlands during your transit period. You can also visit other counties in the Schengen area.
If you have a Schengen visa, you can go through passport control. This means you can leave the international transit zone. You can visit Amsterdam or other places in the Netherlands during your transit period. You can also visit other countries in the Schengen area.
If you have an airport transit visa, you cannot go through passport control. This means you cannot leave the international transit zone. If you want to do so, for example to visit Amsterdam or other places in the Netherlands, you will need a Schengen visa.
Whether you need a visa during your transit period depends on your nationality.