Originally Posted by
B747-437B
My personal experience at Incheon was that this is absolutely seamless - you go up to the immigration counter, the guy asks if you are in transit, checks your ticket for eligibility and stamps you into the country for 30 days. I have personally found most of the world very easy to deal with on an Indian passport in recent years (in sharp contrast to about 10 years ago).
So after confirming that I can transit without a visa on the phone, I wrote to the Korean consulate in SF to get the same in writing. They respond saying I need a visa despite me telling them I am an Indian citizen living in the US on a F-1 visa and will be in transit on my way to India. But of course, the visa application form they attach also says:
Originally Posted by Korean Consulate
"Tourists could stay in Korea for less than 30 days without visa with proof of onward transportation and expenses of stay with a valid passport if you have valid USA visa or valid USA alien card (except Cuba, Macedonia, Pakistan, Afghanistan)."
Anyway, so I respond to them (still awaiting reply) and decided to go to the visa section on staralliance.com and it says that I need a visa even for (airside) transit.
Originally Posted by *A.com
Korea (Democratic People's Republic of) (KP)
Visa required.
Additional Information:
- Visitors must hold tickets and documents required for their
next destination and sufficient funds to cover their stay.
Originally Posted by B747-437B
Similarly with the Netherlands who will permit you (at their discretion) to obtain a visa on arrival at AMS Schiphol.
BTW, I am curious how did you get Visa On Arrival at AMS? Irrops while in transit?
I wish they'd offer 5 yr Schengen visas - believe they best they do is 1yr. I had a 2yr German residence permit expire recently and so have avoided Europe since then. I would hate to get stuck airside at FRA because of irrops. Happened to me last year but fortunately I had a residence permit (which they had previously denied me entry on, FWIW. Gave me a police escort and everything to left luggage. Damn Germans.
). Some other Indians on the flight tried to get transit visas so they could stay at the LH provided hotel. No luck, obviously. "Fuer die Indischen ist ein Transitvisum ueberhaupt nicht moeglich!"
BTW, I forget which country exactly, Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand, used to grant a VoA to Indians and stopped because of all the f****** fraud.