Warsaw Chopin transit for Indian passport holders

Before you book a connection through Warsaw

1. 1Check LOT’s current schedule for any India flight before choosing Warsaw.
2. 2Confirm your onward flight leaves Schengen; a Warsaw to Vilnius or Warsaw to Kraków flight does not.
3. 3Book both flights together so your bags go through.
4. 4If someone suggests a cheaper connection through Prague instead, check the Czech transit visa rule first.
5. 5Carry the visa needed at your final destination.

Poland on the EU’s transit visa map

Twelve nationalities need an airport transit visa at every Schengen airport, and India is not one of them. On top of that common list, individual states can add nationalities, and the European Commission records these in Annex 7B. In its current version India is marked for two states only, Czechia and Romania. Poland is not marked.

For travel through Central Europe that creates a patchwork worth knowing. Germany dropped its requirement for Indians in June 2026, Austria and Poland do not appear in the current list for India, and Czechia and Romania still require an airport transit visa unless you hold a qualifying visa or permit.

LOT and flights from India

LOT Polish Airlines is the main carrier at Warsaw Chopin. Its route listings are reported to show Delhi without a clear status and Mumbai as a terminated route, and whether LOT operates any India flights in 2026 could not be confirmed. Without a nonstop, Indians reach Warsaw through another hub, and a first stop at Frankfurt, Munich or another Schengen airport means entering Schengen before Warsaw.

Warsaw is therefore more often an arrival airport for a Polish trip than a transit point. Where it is a transit point, the same rule applies as at any Schengen airport without a national requirement: stay airside, fly on outside Schengen, and Poland asks for no visa.

Leaving the airport or connecting within Schengen

Passing Polish passport control is an entry into Schengen, and an Indian passport holder needs a C visa for it. Poland’s applications in India go through VFS Global. Apply to Poland if most of your nights are there; otherwise apply to your main destination and use that visa to enter at Warsaw.

Self-transfer is where travellers most often trip over the rule. Two tickets on two airlines, with bags to collect at Chopin, means leaving the transit area, whatever the final destination.

How to show a Warsaw connection on a flight reservation

A flight reservation is an airline booking held without payment. A held reservation can only be made on flights the airline actually sells, so with LOT’s India service uncertain, a routing through Warsaw has to use whatever flights exist on your dates. Keep the itinerary on one booking with a realistic connection, and make the entry airport match your visa form.

Each airline decides how long it holds a reservation, so it varies. Order it for the day you submit.

Airport transit visas for Indians in Central Europe

Warsaw Chopin (WAW) questions, answered