Schipol Airport transfer times

[ICriedAllTheWayToTheChipShop]

I'm flying to Lima via Amsterdam later this year and I have a really tight transfer time at Schipol - 1hr 40mins. I've heard horror stories about how vast the airport is and how it can take half an hour to walk between the various gates, but I've also heard that there are fast track passes available that let you skip some of the queues. I haven't been able to find much about these online or how you go about getting one. Has anyone used this and if so, is it easy/obvious to find at Schipol? Both legs of the flight are with KLM so I won't need to claim and recheck baggage. Thanks in advance to anyone in the know!

I can't wait! It's my dream trip for years and I'm trying not to wish the intervening time away, but I can't help it...

I was in that airport in December and it was the quickest I have ever walked through an airport. We had far too much time to spare and going from the main food court area towards gates was no problem at all and we flew ryanair. Have a great time.

1 hour 40 mins is not really tight. I've done it in less than an hour, although there was running involved. If it's a KLM flight, they announce the gate numbers on the incoming flights and let the transferees off first.

A few years ago I had a regular work commitment that involved a transfer at a European hub airport (Paris CDG, Brussels as well as Schipol) and I was well versed at sprinting off the plane and through the airport and never missed a connection in about half the amount of time you've got. I was sad to run past all the chocolate shops in Brussels and even had time to have an argument with a French toilet in CDG. 1 hr 40 mins is an easy relaxed stroll.

Well, it's the shortest transfer time I've encountered and I haven't been through this airport before, so I just wanted to know what to expect. I'm not that well-travelled and I nearly missed my onward flight last year with a much longer transfer time so forgive my nervousness!

We flew UK (regional) -> Schipol -> Berlin 4 days ago, KLM. On board luggage only, for us.

What was odd is that in Schipol, we were directed off the UK -> AMS flight to passport control, which we did in total, 20 mins, then sought out our onward flight, 4 hours 🙄 hence, found the gate (‘18 minute walk’) D80 something, took 15 mins total, but just a walk/travelator, no new customs or passport check whatsoever. Sat and waited ( with two nearby gate changes) thence onto the plane and onto Berlin.

We have a 1 hour window on our return in 3 days; it’ll be fine.

However, KLM did ‘suggest’ we could stow our onboard luggage in the hold for free as it was a full flight, AMS-> BER but we had no idea where we might do that, so we didn’t. I’d imagine your luggage will carry on through? To Lima?

That's my understanding, yes. I've always managed with just cabin baggage before but I'm going for three weeks and I'll need proper walking boots and things, so I'll have to bite the bullet and have a checked bag.

Heathrow should check luggage through to Lima. I think you should be ok as long as your flight isn’t delayed. We always allow 3 hours. There are so many flights to Amsterdam I don’t know why the transfer is fairly tight when delays are frequent and earlier flights were probably available.

You shouldn't have to go through passport control or security (see "Tip" here: www.schiphol.nl/en/blog/all-about-your-transfer-at-schiphol/ — you are coming from the UK, so no second security check, and you are not crossing the Schengen border, so no passport control). So you literally just have to find your gate. KLM transfers are a huge part of Schiphol's business and I'm sure it will all work very smoothly.

That's what I thought @samarrange but I absolutely did have to in November. Travelled from Birmingham UK to Schiphol, onwards to Austria and I was surprised there was passport control again as I wouldn't have thought that necessary for Austria?

@MilesOfMotivation You went from Non-Schengen to Schengen. That is one of the times you have to do passport control (to enter Schengen). In the other direction, you'd do passport control to leave Schengen.

So yes, you had to go through passport control (and this is what the link that @samarrange posted (and I did earlier) says).

The OP, on the other hand, is going Non-Schengen to Non-Schengen and will not have to go through passport control.

So confusing!

It all seems unnecessary either way as you don't leave the airport and then you go through passport control when you arrive in the next country again anyway! Also not helpful having a UK passport at all - I am mid-way applying for my Irish one to help speed travel up!

You are entering the Schengen zone, so you go through passport control. You always go through passport control when you first enter the country or zone (in this regard, the Schengen zone essentially acts as one country). You'll remember that you didn't go through passport control in Austria. The fact that you didn't leave the airport in Amsterdam is irrelevant if you are staying in the Schengen area (but it is the reason that the OP will not go through passport control unless she leaves the airport).

It all seems unnecessary either way as you don't leave the airport and then you go through passport control when you arrive in the next country again anyway!

OP will not go through passport control. So there ought to be no confusion.

You always go through passport control when you enter a country (or, in the case of Schengen, one of its member countries). OP is leaving the UK and entering Peru. She will remain airside at Amsterdam and not have to show her passport.

Also not helpful having a UK passport at all - I am mid-way applying for my Irish one to help speed travel up!

Having an Irish passport would not change anything in the OP's situation. If OP had an EU passport and was to go landside (through immigration) in Amsterdam - which, again, she is not doing - she would still have to go to through passport control. The only difference would be that she could use the EU lane (and, from late 2026, she would not need an ETIAS). EU citizens always have to show a passport (or an ID card) when they cross the Schengen external border, because they have to prove that they are indeed EU citizens.

I absolutely did have to in November. Travelled from Birmingham UK to Schiphol, onwards to Austria and I was surprised there was passport control again

Some Schengen countries are currently making a big show of checking passports even for internal Schengen flights, to show their voters how big and manly and tough on brown people they are. France did this for over three years after the Bataclan attacks of November 2015, even though the terrorists drove across the open border with Belgium where there are no checks (a lot of the crossings are country lanes). So what probably happened is that after you entered Schengen at Amsterdam and got on an internal Schengen flight, which should not have led to passport control in Austria, you encountered this extra level of check because someone in the Austrian government was scared of the far-right (or perhaps was an actual member of the far-right).

Hey Op, I've just done a transfer from Heathrow and I am now transferring at Schiphol airport and it took 15 mins fast walking. We had a 1 hour transfer time. All good 😊

Lots of people don’t get off a plane in 15 mins. Total time from landing to arriving in new departure gate area is virtually impossible in 15 mins unless you are first class and the next gate is very near. I’ve been to Schiphol and it was efficient but not that quick.