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I am very new to this so please forgive me if I make any errors in stating my case.

I recently received my Schengen type C Visa from Denmark. My wife and I along with some friends will be staying there for 8 days. I am the only one with a visa, as all the others are US citizens, not requiring a visa of any sort. Yesterday they mentioned they would like to go to Sweden via train for a day. I would love to go but I am wondering if I would be allowed back into Denmark, since my visa says "single entry." Of course, the visa says "SCHENGEN STATES" at the top but the thing is, I didn't mentioned Sweden in my letter so that's the cause for concern. What are you thoughts on this matter?

Updated: I've read all your comments. This really clarifies matters. I was of the impression that single entry meant you are allowed to enter a country in the Schengen area only once (in my case, once I leave Denmark to go to Sweden then I can't re-enter/ go back to Denmark) but as was mentioned, I would not be leaving and re-entering as I am still in the Schengen area. Please feel free to correct me if my understanding is wrong. Again, thank you all so very much! I appreciate it!

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    It's totally fine. Enjoy your trip.
    – phoog
    Jul 13, 2019 at 3:40
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    The train from Copenhagen to Malmo does indeed stop for a potential passport check, but I've never seen an actual officer coming through. They just sit for a few minutes and than keep going again. Of course, that's never guaranteed.
    – Hilmar
    Jul 13, 2019 at 14:15

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Both Denmark and Sweden are in the Schengen area, so crossing the border is not leaving and re-entering Schengen. There will be no problem at all going back to Denmark. There may be a problem going to Sweden.

  • If you have a visa for the Schengen states, you can make minor adjustments to your travel plans after the visa is granted. This includes crossing internal borders. Example: You had planned to bicycle from Berlin via Amsterdam to Paris. You cycle faster than you thought and add a detour to Luxembourg. No problem.
  • You must not misrepresent your itinerary to get your visa, and you should not give the impression that you lied. Example: You got a Schengen visa from Latvia, but you actually spend most of the time in Sweden. There will be problems if that is found out.

A day trip across a nearby border is normally just a minor adjustment to the travel plans. Make sure to bring your documents for the border crossing, and to bring only enough luggage for a day trip.

The way Schengen is supposed to work, there would be only random spot checks at the border, no systematic checks. Since the 2015 refugee situation, border checks have become more frequent again, with an element of racial profiling and a geographical bias. Going southwards is less likely to be checked than going northwards. But those would not be immigration checks where visa are stamped, they would check that you already have an entry stamp.

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    It might be worth noting that adding a Sweden day trip to an 8-day Denmark visit is not likely to arouse suspicion of misrepresentation, not least because this change in itinerary does not imply consulate shopping.
    – phoog
    Jul 13, 2019 at 3:43
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    @phoog, yes, hence my suggestion not to bring all the luggage. Make it plain that the day trip is a day trip.
    – o.m.
    Jul 13, 2019 at 4:10
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    @Alex, apparently sometimes they have way to track that. We had questions from people who had problems in this regard. But not if you did not run into a border check.
    – o.m.
    Jul 13, 2019 at 10:26
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    @Alex a day trip into Sweden is not going to cause problems for a future visa application. If you were required to stick to your submitted itinerary without changes then they wouldn't be issuing visas valid for "Schengen states"; instead, they'd be limiting the visas to the countries mentioned in the visa application. Problems arise when people change plans so drastically that they should have applied to a different country, which is not the case here.
    – phoog
    Jul 13, 2019 at 15:19
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    @Alex I really can't say. It seems unlikely, but it's possible. The only way to find out for certain is to submit another application and see what happens.
    – phoog
    Jul 13, 2019 at 19:04
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Technically, by going to Denmark to Sweden, you will not be crossing any border of the Schengen Area. There should not even be a border check. By travelling back to Denmark you would not be entering Schengen again, since you never left it.

If I was you, I would do that, but as a citizen of a Schengen country, I speak as someone from the other side of the fence. Let us know.

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