New transit visa requirements

The airside and landside transit visa requirements will be changing on 1 December 2014.

Transit visas are required by some travellers passing through the UK en-route to another country within 24 or 48 hours. Some nationals require a visa to transit both airside and landside, these are know as Direct Airside Transit Visas nationals (DATV), whilst others only need a visa to transit landside, known as non- Direct Airside Transit Visas nationals (non-DATV).

Airside transit refers to passengers catching an onward flight on the same day and from the same UK airport at which they arrived. Airside transit passengers do not pass through the UK’s border controls.

Landside transit refers to passengers who arrive at one UK airport but are catching an onward flight from another UK airport or who may have to re-check-in baggage and therefore need to pass through border controls and enter the UK.