Airports
2.8
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Amsterdam · AMS · 2.8 out of 5
Abroad
Checked 5 November 2026Partly official
What we could not confirm
- Exact current NS train fare (sources give 5.90 to 6.50 EUR)
- Whether security waits have returned to normal since August 2026 (schiphol.nl blocked our checks)
- Meditation centre location and hours
- The Dutch exemption list for the airport transit visa (taken from the EU-wide rules, not a Dutch page)
Scores
- Getting there
- Iranians need a Schengen visa before travel. The train station is directly under Schiphol Plaza: trains to Amsterdam Centraal every 5 to 10 minutes, 15 to 20 minutes, about 6.20 EUR, and you can tap a foreign bank card at the gates (OVpay). Bus 397 to Leidseplein costs about 6.50 EUR and a taxi 50 to 60 EUR. Iranian cards do not work and the bus driver takes no cash, so bring a foreign card or buy train tickets with cash at the machines.
- Terminal and queues
- One terminal, so no terminal changes, but 2026 has been a bad year for queues: when new security contractors took over on 18 May 2026, 279 of 679 departures were delayed and waits passed an hour, and security staff staged stoppages on 25 and 26 August. Schiphol's own advice is to arrive 2 hours before a Schengen flight and 3 hours before a non-Schengen one. Non-EU passengers also register fingerprints at the new Entry/Exit System kiosks. Ranked 17th in the 2026 Skytrax survey.
- Connections and transit
- Iranian passport holders need a Schengen airport transit visa to change planes at Schiphol, applied for at VFS Global in Tehran, unless they hold a valid Schengen or EU visa or residence permit or a valid US, Canadian or Japanese visa (the same EU-wide exemptions as Germany). KLM does not fly to Tehran, so Iranians connect here via Istanbul, Doha or another hub. Everything is in one building, but non-Schengen arrivals pass passport control before a Schengen flight.
- Food, rest, SIM, prayer room
- Schiphol has a meditation centre used for prayer after passport control, plus lounges, showers and shops; the airport's own pages could not be loaded, so hours are unconfirmed. Food is pricey. Supermarket and phone shops are in Schiphol Plaza before security, so buy a SIM there if you leave the airport.
- Delays and cancellations
- Eurocontrol counted Schiphol as the worst airport in Europe for air traffic arrival delay in 2025, about 1.19 million delay minutes, and it was fourth in SkyRefund's summer 2025 claims list. The 2026 security changeover and stoppages added ground delays. Build a generous connection and do not book a late train onward.
What is good
- Train station right under the terminal, 15 minutes to the centre
- One terminal, no terminal changes
- Tap a foreign bank card on the train gates
What is not
- Security queues of an hour or more during the 2026 changeover
- Worst in Europe for air traffic delay in 2025
- Airport transit visa needed for Iranian passports
Tips
- Arrive 3 hours before a non-Schengen flight and check the Schiphol app for security waits
- Buy train tickets at the yellow machines or tap a foreign card; paper tickets cost about 1.60 EUR more than online
- If you want a shorter line, ask your airline whether it offers a security time slot