UK TRANSIT VISA
My husband and I have booked to go to Stockholm in March next year. We are flying with Virgin Airlines to Heathrow and then with Scandinavian Airlines to Stockholm three hours later. We return to SA the same way 10 days later. We both hold South African passports that are not yet a year old in which we have Schengen visas valid until 2020, and US visas — in our old passports — valid until 2023. Do we need transit visas for the UK? — Robyn Cameron
The short answer to your question is no. Because you already have valid Schengen visas for your destination country, you do not require transit visas. Usually, South African-passport holders who change planes in the UK require a Direct Airside Transit visa, even if they do not pass through border control.
However, there are clear exceptions to the rule: travellers who have valid visas for Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the US, as well as for the Schengen area, do not need transit visas.