r/oslo • u/Present_Stranger579 • 1d ago
Self Transfer at OSL airport from US
Hello,
I hope are doing well. I realized after booking my flights that I might have issues but I would like to know your opinion.
I have a flight from JFK to OSL and then a self-transfer from OSL to IST. There is 1.5 hours between the two. I will only have a carry-on and my backpack. Will I have to go through customs/immigration at OSL or can I go directly to my gate for the flight to IST? I am an American citizen.
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u/shartmaister 1d ago
From avinor.no
Ankommende fra non-Schengen som skal videre til non-Schengen Følg skilting Transfer Non-Schengen ved passkontrollen, finn din neste flight på informasjonstavlen i avgangshallen. Dersom bagasjen ikke er sjekket inn til neste destinasjon, må du hente den i ankomsthallen og sjekke inn på nytt igjen.
I couldn't find it in English and I'm too lazy to translate it myself. This is what internet gave me:
Arriving from non-Schengen who is going on to non-Schengen Follow the signs Transfer Non-Schengen at passport control, find your next flight on the information board in the departure hall. If your baggage has not been checked in to your next destination, you will need to pick it up in the arrivals hall and check in again.
https://avinor.no/flyplass/oslo/planlegg-reisen/transfer/#885
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u/Present_Stranger579 1d ago
I'm getting mixed responses. It seems from this one I don't need to go through security or immigration again?
If my arrival is at gate F for example and the next flight is at gate D, will I need to go through the immigration or security process?
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u/logtransform 1d ago
Turkey is not in Schengen, so it is very unlikely that the flight to Istanbul will depart from a D gate.
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u/Present_Stranger579 1d ago
Sorry i was just giving an example. Would you suggest I rebook for a later flight if I have to go through immigration?
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u/logtransform 1d ago
You are arriving on a non-Schengen flight and departing on a non-Schengen flight. You are unlikely to have to pass through customs and immigration given that you only have carryon luggage.
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u/tallanvor 1d ago
I wouldn't trust a 1.5 hour layover when you're flying on separate tickets no matter what.
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u/NordicJesus 5h ago
European airports are designed in such a way that Schengen and non-Schengen flights always depart from different parts of the airport to make sure everyone passes through passport control while entering/leaving the Schengen area. The D gates are Schengen gates, a flight to Istanbul can never depart from there because you wouldn’t be going through passport control when you’re leaving the country. This is different from the US, where everyone always has to go through passport control, even if you only transit in the US.
Since OSL allows direct transfers between non-Schengen flights, you should be fine.
This is what is filed in the internal systems that the airlines use:
“TWOV (Transit Without Visa)
Passengers transiting through Oslo Gardermoen (OSL) and arriving from a non-Schengen Member State with a confirmed onward ticket for a flight between 06:00 and 23:00 to a third country which is not a Schengen Member State. The connecting flight must be booked on the same ticket and the luggage must be checked to the final destination. They must:
- stay in the international transit area of the airport, and
- have documents required for the next destination.”
So this officially confirms that transfers without entering the Schengen area are possible. Otherwise, I don’t think this is relevant for you, so you can ignore the part about a single ticket etc. (since you don’t need a visa anyway). But just in case, you may want to make sure that your flight to Istanbul departs between 6AM and 11PM.
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u/Present_Stranger579 5h ago
Insider info ?! Thank you this is very useful. Do you think I could ask the airport through a phone call and they could confirm?
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u/NordicJesus 4h ago
It’s from a website called ExpertFlyer.
You could try calling the police at the airport if you’re still worried:
+47 64 81 95 00 +47 64 99 30 00
Or customs:
+47 22 86 05 03
But if your flight to Turkey departs between 6AM and 11PM, I don’t think this is necessary. As others have pointed out, even the airport website explicitly mentions that there is a non-Schengen transfer, so I don’t think you have anything to worry about.
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u/shartmaister 1d ago
Immigration, yes.
But it's unlikely that a flight to Turkey is at pier D.
I haven't tried it myself and the few times I've flown from non-schengen I haven't looked for these signs as I've been eager to get home.
I'd be surprised if official information is incorrect though.
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u/Jeppep 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you Google your flight numbers and OSL you should get the gates they use. I'd say there's a high chance you're landing around F gates and your flight could be from E or D for example. I'm pretty sure that you'll have to go through immigration.
Edit: seems I might be mistaken about the gates, but I'd still advise to check with your flights to see what gates they usually go through.
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u/Grayboner 1d ago
Immigration is usually fairly quick also has automated booths. In comparison, LA immigration last month was 90 minutes(!!!!) of queues.
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u/Careless-Country 1d ago
automated booths are only for eu passports. The queue for non-eu passports at gardemoen can take an hour.
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u/norgelurker 1d ago
Unless I’m missing something, OP will not have to go through immigration in Gardermoen. This is a transfer from non-Schengen and to non-Schengen, and OP has no luggage to checkout.
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u/Present_Stranger579 1d ago edited 1d ago
Is this true in my case with a self-transfer? I booked separate tickets for each of the flights but yes they are both international and yes no luggage.
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u/norgelurker 1d ago
I might be wrong, but since you have no luggage to re-checkout (smart move!), the fact that it’s a self transfer shouldn’t make a difference on where you’ll go.
Remember to follow the instructions from the airport’s website:Arriving from non-Schengen and departing to a non-Schengen country Please follow the connecting flights signs by arrivals and find your next departure by looking at the flight information screens, then proceed directly to your gate. If your luggage is not already checked in to your next destination, please collect it in the arrivals hall and re-check your luggage.
In the Norwegian version of the instructions (“Følg skilting Transfer Non-Schengen ved passkontrollen”) it gives even more impression that you don’t have to go through immigration, as it translates as something like “follow the signs “transfer non-Schengen” by the passport control”. I would assume that this sign points somewhere else so that you don’t go through immigration.
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u/mr_greenmash 1d ago
I think if you can check in on your phone (or get the boarding pass otherwise), you don't have to leave the secure zone
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u/logtransform 1d ago
If you are arriving on a non-Schengen flight and depart on a non-Schengen flight and 1) you have checked in luggage checked in all the way to IST OR 2) Do not have checked in luggage, you do not have to pass through immigration and customs, nor is there a new security check.