travelguy2014

I am a South African citizen with Permanent Residence status in Canada. I will be flying from Canada to South Africa for a visit. I will be flying from Montreal to Paris (CDG), and Paris (CDG) to Amsterdam, and finally from Amsterdam to Johannesburg through Air France. In Paris, I will be transferring from terminal 2E to 2F.

The layovers in Paris and Amsterdam are very short, both less than 2 hours. Do I require a visa for these transfers? I am getting conflicting answers.

nytraveler

As long as you stay airside you do not need visas - since you are not actually entering the country. This will depend on if you are on a single ticket - with baggage checked all the way through and receiving boarding passes at your first flight.

If they are separate tickets and you need to collect and recheck baggage you will need to go landside and then may need visas (you would have to check this with the appropriate embassays.

In any case - you will have to go through security again before each flight - so be sure you have enough time between flights.

travelguy2014

Thanks for your reply - much appreciated! It's a single ticket, so luggage will be checked all the way through. I have a very short layover so I will be wearing running shoes for sure!

danon

You will go through a passport control when entering EU from a non Schengen zone.

Southam

The official airport website http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/e...assagers/Home/
contains maps and useful transfer advice, which you can print out and take with yoiu to help navigation. As soon as you step off the plane, check a monitor to be sure that your next departure gate has not been changed.

travelguy2014

Thank you for the info. Danon, you mention passport control. Does that mean they need to see a visa of some sort?

flanneruk

"As long as you stay airside you do not need visas - since you are not actually entering the country. "

...is simply untrue.

Where on earth does the person giving this dreadful advice think those terminals are?

To transfer terminals (or even walk to the gate), you have to go through French territory. By doing so, even if you don't go through passport control, international treaties give a traveller considerable claims on France (like asylum, protection and the right to medical treatment). To avoid being taken advantage of, most Western countries (such as the one the offerer of this awful advice is a citizen of) require most travellers from developing countries to have transit visas, even if they are not leaving an airport's airside.

There are a wide range of exceptions to this, and South Africans travelling to other rich countries MIGHT be among them. However at least one site (http://visados.com/en/visa-for-France )implies South African tourists are NOT an exception, and DO need a visa even for airside transfer. If that site is accurate, you won't even be allowed on the flight out of South Africa.

You need to consult your nearest French consulate URGENTLY for clarification, unless someone can demonstrate between now and tomorrow morning that the visados site is wrong. And don't rely on general websites like this for information on something so complicated and important.

kerouac

Flying between Paris and Amsterdam will require a Schengen visa because it is a "domestic" European flight. The only case where you would not require a visa is if your plane from Canada just stops in Paris and then continues to Amsterdam without you leaving the aircraft. In such a case, TWOV rules may apply.

kerouac

In any case, you will not be allowed to board the flight in Canada if your documentation is inadequate because the airlines are fined 20,000 euros in such cases.

hkto

I took the opposite route (2F to 2E) when I transited in CDG (Prague to Toronto) & went through passport control (because I was leaving EU). Normally a person will pass passport control in the first airport if going to another Schengen country (Holland) but I would ask AF if they can provide transit pass in your case as you'll continue outside Schengen. 2E & 2F are in the same building.

Here is the map
http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/R...massecdg_g.jpg

nytraveler

Have flown numerous time to switz with a transfer of planes at LHR. Stayed airside (yes, even changed terminal via "airside" buses" and never went through immigration until I got to Switz.

Have also done the same through CDG to Switz. Not sure why it was not considered a "domestic" flight - but we did go through Immigration in Switz.

Since this is a 2 stop itinerary - why not check with the embassays - I don;t know rules for South africans.

sofarsogood

As Kerouac says you need a Schenegen visa as you're travelling from Paris to Amsterdam

details here http://www.consulfrance-montreal.org...-for-a-Simple-

If you were simply transiting CDG then you could have got away with a Transit visa

ParisAmsterdam

Your safest bet is to contact either the French Embassy in Ottawa or a consulate closest to where you live.

Patty

You will go through passport control when transferring from 2E to 2F to enter Schengen. There's no way to remain "outside" Schengen.

nytraveler,
Were your experiences prior to Switzerland joining Schengen?

Patty

nytraveler,
I meant when you flew through CDG. The UK isn't part of Schengen.

danon

Canadian citizens do not need a visa to enter Schengen
if you have Permanent Resident status in Canada ( even if you are not a citizen ), you might be ok,
...for such a serious questions, you might wish to contact authorities - not Fodorites.

janisj

>>Have flown numerous time to switz with a transfer of planes at LHR. Stayed airside (yes, even changed terminal via "airside" buses" and never went through immigration until I got to Switz<<

But - nyt -- first, this question has nothing to do w/ either the UK or CH and . . you don't need a visa to visit any of the countries involved. This is a wholly different situation.

I sure hope the OP doesn't take the first response as the be all/end all and doesn't come back to the thread.

janisj

I meant to say >>you personally don't need a visa to visit any of the countries involved<<

danon

Sometimes one forgets that although "we" don't need visas to enter most countries ,some travelers
do.
We were checking in for the flight to Sydney when the employee of the airline pointed out we did not have Australian visas. I just assumed , being Canadian , it was not necessary.
I was mortified, but luckily,
we were issued visas on the spot and continued the trip.
A lesson learned.

travelguy2014

I am a Permanent Resident of Canada so I am hoping that counts in my favor. The French Consulate in Montreal only answers Visa-related queries by email and the Embassy in Moncton advised that they no longer process visas so are unable to comment. No response from Montreal yet ... getting pretty nervous. I have contacted Air France and CIBT. Both say no visa is required but from what I have read on the CDG website, I am confused. Will likely end up delaying or cancelling trip altogether