Do I need ETIAS if I'm just connecting through a Schengen airport?
Connecting flights through the Schengen area can be confusing. Whether you need ETIAS depends on one question: do you clear immigration?
The short answer
If your connection requires you to pass through Schengen border control — even briefly — you need ETIAS. If you stay airside (within the international transit area without clearing immigration), you do not.
The catch is that most connections within the Schengen area do require clearing immigration, because the Schengen area has no internal borders. Once you enter any Schengen country, you have entered all of them.
When you definitely need ETIAS for a connection
If your first flight lands in a Schengen country and your connecting flight departs from a different terminal that requires passing through border control, you need ETIAS. This is the most common scenario.
If you are connecting between two Schengen airports — for example, flying from New York to Athens via Frankfurt — you will clear immigration in Frankfurt. That means you need ETIAS.
If your layover requires you to collect and recheck your luggage, you almost certainly need to leave the transit area and clear immigration.
When you might not need ETIAS
A small number of airports offer sterile transit — international-to-international connections that do not require clearing Schengen border control. This is most common for long-haul to long-haul connections at major hub airports.
However, sterile transit options vary by airport, airline, and route. Do not assume that a transit connection keeps you airside unless you have confirmed it with the airline.
The safe approach
If your itinerary passes through any Schengen country and you are not certain that you will remain airside, apply for ETIAS. At €20 and a few minutes, the cost of having it unnecessarily is small compared to the disruption of being denied boarding.
This is especially important for itineraries with tight connections. If a delay forces you to rebook through a route that does require immigration, you will need a valid ETIAS to proceed.
What about non-Schengen EU countries?
Ireland is not part of the Schengen area and does not require ETIAS. If you are connecting through Dublin, ETIAS does not apply. Cyprus and Romania joined the Schengen area for air and sea borders in 2024, so ETIAS will apply to connections through those countries once it launches.
Bulgaria also joined Schengen for air and sea borders alongside Romania. Land border checks between these countries and other Schengen states remain in place for now.