Bengaluru Airport (BLR) Layover Guide — T2 Transfers, India Visa Rules, Connection Times

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Connections at BLR: the honest numbers

The indicative minimum international-to-international connection at Bengaluru Kempegowda is 75 minutes on a single booking with bags checked through. On separate tickets, add roughly 90 minutes: you'll collect bags, recheck them, and re-clear security — and no airline is obliged to help if the first leg runs late.

Transfer specifics

Terminal 2 handles all international operations at Bengaluru and has done since 2022 — Emirates, Qatar, British Airways, Lufthansa and Air India all use it, and Air India runs its domestic flights from there too. Terminal 1 is domestic only, for IndiGo, Akasa, SpiceJet, Star Air and Fly91. A free shuttle connects the two in about five minutes.
International-to-international is genuinely easy. Follow the International Transfer signage from arrivals through to security and straight to the departure gates — there is no immigration check and you never leave the transit area. T2's immigration hall has over 30 counters plus e-gates when you do need it.
International-to-domestic always crosses the border. The airport's own guidance is clear: arriving international passengers connecting to domestic flights must clear their baggage through customs before checking in for the next leg. The useful part is what comes next — there is a bag-drop facility immediately after the customs zone where you hand your checked bag to the onward airline, then continue to your connecting flight either within T2 or via the shuttle to T1. That saves dragging luggage across the airport, but it does not save you the immigration and customs time.
India requires a visa or e-Visa for nearly all foreign passports — there is no general visa-free entry. Airside on a single through-ticket, you need nothing. The moment your itinerary puts you through immigration, whether for a domestic connection or a bag recheck on separate tickets, the e-Visa must already be granted. It is applied for online days in advance and cannot be arranged on arrival.

Leaving BLR during a layover

India requires a visa or e-Visa for nearly all foreign nationalities, applied for online days ahead of travel — so leaving on a whim is not possible. With one in hand, the constraint becomes distance: Kempegowda sits well north of the city and the run into central Bengaluru takes around an hour in normal traffic and considerably longer in peak. Treat eight hours as the floor for a trip into town. The city is about 60 minutes away one-way; as a rule of thumb you want 8+ hours before exiting is worth the queues, and you should be back through security 90 minutes before boarding.

Worth your hours in Bengaluru

Cubbon Park and the surrounding civic district give you the greenest part of central Bengaluru in a walkable cluster, which suits a layover better than trying to cover distance.
The Bangalore Palace and Lalbagh Botanical Garden are the two set-piece sights, though they sit far enough apart that a layover realistically allows one, not both.
Be honest about the road time. At roughly an hour each way outside peak, an eight-hour connection gives you perhaps four hours on the ground. Under that, stay in Terminal 2 — it is a better place to wait than most cities' airports.

Staying airside instead

Terminal 2 is called the Terminal in a Garden and earns it — indoor planting, natural light and a genuinely calm feel that is unusual for a major Indian airport. It is one of the more pleasant places on this site to spend a long connection.
Facilities include free wifi, charging stations, baby care rooms and multi-faith prayer rooms, with a good spread of food and retail.
Terminal 1 is a functional domestic terminal by comparison. If your connection strands you there, expectations should be lower.

Sleeping, showers and lounges at BLR

Sleep: There is no airside transit hotel inside T2, though hotels sit close to the airport landside. Because India's visa rules prevent most transit passengers from leaving, an overnight international connection here generally means the terminal — which T2 handles better than most, but plan for it rather than assuming a room is available. Airport hotels & sleep pods

Showers: Shower access runs through the lounges rather than as a walk-up facility, so it depends on airline status or a lounge pass.

Lounges: Terminal 2 carries lounges for the major carriers plus pay-per-use options accepting Priority Pass. Given that most transit passengers cannot leave the airport, a lounge is often the practical answer to a long wait here. Book an airport lounge for your layover

Dietary needs: Vegetarian is effortless in India and clearly marked with the green dot. Vegan is the hard one, thanks to ghee and dairy. Halal options are available.

Overnight reality: Bengaluru's international departures cluster in the small hours, so overnight connections are common. With an e-Visa you can reach an airport-area hotel; without one you are in Terminal 2 until your flight, so factor lounge access or a comfortable spot into the plan.

BLR layover FAQ

Do I need a visa to transit through Bengaluru?

Not if you stay airside on a single through-ticket — international-to-international transfers at Terminal 2 involve no immigration check at all. If your connection is to a domestic flight, or your bags need rechecking on separate tickets, you cross immigration and need an Indian visa or e-Visa granted before you travel.

How do I connect from an international to a domestic flight at BLR?

You must clear immigration and take your baggage through customs first — that is unavoidable. Immediately after the customs zone there is a bag-drop facility where you hand your checked bag to your onward airline, then continue to your connecting flight within Terminal 2 or take the free shuttle to Terminal 1. Allow well over two hours.

Which terminal is international at Bengaluru Airport?

Terminal 2 handles all international operations and has done since 2022. Terminal 1 is domestic only, for IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Star Air and Fly91. Air India runs both its domestic and international flights from Terminal 2, so check your boarding pass rather than assuming domestic means T1.

Is a Bengaluru layover long enough to see the city?

Only with eight hours or more, and only with an e-Visa arranged in advance. The airport is well north of the city and the drive takes around an hour each way outside peak traffic. Terminal 2 is comfortable enough that waiting is a reasonable alternative.