At Brussels airport, passengers connecting between two international flights can usually stay in the transit area without going through immigration.
The airport has 2 terminals or concourses (Pier A (Schengen), Pier B (non-Schengen)).
How connections work at BRU
Connection time calculator
Is your layover at BRU long enough? Pick your connection and get an estimate with the times of this airport.
Terminals / concourses: Pier A (Schengen), Pier B (non-Schengen)
Getting between them: Walking: each pier is about 1 km long; security to a far gate can take 15 to 20 minutes
Check-in and central security are in the Connector, which feeds both piers. Pier A handles Schengen flights (some non-Schengen use the T gates on its lower level); Pier B non-Schengen flights. Schengen to Schengen needs no checks; non-Schengen to non-Schengen has a security screening but stays airside; crossing the Schengen border means passport control.
Passport control is required only when a connection crosses the Schengen border.
- Schengen to Schengen on one ticket: about 50 minutes is workable.
- Crossing the Schengen border: 90 minutes minimum, 2 hours comfortable; passport queues run from 5 to 40 minutes, slowest in the morning long-haul wave.
Estimate based on typical times at this airport, not your airline's official minimum connection time. Immigration and security lines change with the time of day and season. On a single ticket, the airline must rebook you if you miss the connection; on separate tickets, it does not.
Sources: layoverindex.com.
Times are estimates: always check with your airline.