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Initial Plan:

My friend, who's a Ukrainian citizen, initially applied for a short-stay visa Type C, from the Norwegian embassy, with the intention of attending a conference in Norway. The validity is from March 7 - March 15, 2017 with 22 number of days. The conference is just from March 7 - 17, 2017 (10 days), so she has more days with that visa.

She decided to visit her relatives in Stockholm, Sweden after the conference from March 20 to 26 (7 days), and then go to Paris for 5 days satisfying the 22-day validity of the visa. (She did not declare the Sweden and France trip in the visa application, will that be okay?)

The New Plan:

Her thesis defense at her university will be between the dates of the conference. Thus, if she won't be able to reschedule it, then she will have to skip the conference, but she still wants to use the visa.

Now, she will enter the Schengen area on 21st of March, instead of 7th and through Sweden. She will visit her family in Stockholm first on March 21, 2017 until March 28, 2017 (8 days). Go to Oslo, Norway as a tourist and not as a delegate for the conference anymore, for 9 days (March 28 - April 5). And then go to Paris for 4 days(April 5 - 8), and Amsterdam for 3 days (April 8-10).

  1. Will the immigration officers find out that she changed her purpose as a tourist? (even if she shows proof of accommodation as a tourist, letter of invitation from her family in Sweden, and plane tickets following the new plan?)

  2. Will she be allowed to go to Sweden first and stay there for a week before spending more days in Norway?

  3. Does she really have to spend more days in Norway because the Norwegian embassy issued it?

  4. How will authorities know how many days you spent per Schengen country if there are no border control within the Schengen area?

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    If she is not going to attend the conference at all and will actually travel a few weeks after the conference is over, this does not seem to be changing the purpose during the travel so much as taking an entirely different trip.
    – Zach Lipton
    Feb 4, 2017 at 23:26
  • so it that a proble, Sir @Zach Liption?
    – David J.
    Feb 5, 2017 at 0:52

1 Answer 1

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I have traveled multiple times on Schengen visa so I speak from experience. I confess I have sometimes obtained visas from one country and never even visited that particular country. It's still unethical anyway.

Answers to your questions:

She did not declare the Sweden and France trip in the visa application, will that be okay?

At the time she applied for the visa, it was unethical not to reveal the Sweden and France trip however that is already done. If you are asking if it is okay in case it is found out, I will say it depends on which immigration officer apprehends her. As it stands with her new plans, the purpose of her visit has completely changed and an immigration officer is within his reasonable rights to refuse her entry IF he finds out.

Will the immigration officers find out that she changed her purpose as a tourist? (even if she shows proof of accommodation as a tourist, letter of invitation from her family in Sweden, and plane tickets following the new plan?)

It is unlikely unless it is annotated on the visa or she tells him. Of course he CAN find out easily if he is so suspicious he decides to check with the issuing embassy. The chances he will check are slim, unless something serious spooks him about the lady.

Will she be allowed to go to Sweden first and stay there for a week before spending more days in Norway?

Once again it depends if they find out. It is acceptable to spend time in a different country from the one of your main event. If there is an annotation on her visa showing the dates and reason for which she applied, she can be denied entry at the border. Of course some lenient officer might let her through.

Does she really have to spend more days in Norway because the Norwegian embassy issued it?

Technically YES she is supposed to, however nobody will be checking unless she tells them herself

How will authorities know how many days you spent per Schengen country if there are no border control within the Schengen area?

They will NOT, unless she tells them.

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  • Thank you for answering, Sir! @Paul the Sheik. How did you did you get away each time? any tips for my friend?
    – David J.
    Feb 5, 2017 at 0:57
  • And will she be questioned about her visa is starting from February 7 but she's only entering the Schengen Area on the 21st. Is that suspicious or not?
    – David J.
    Feb 5, 2017 at 1:03
  • David J I told them what I wrote on my application. They don't have that information in front of them. Typically they only usually care about your flight IN and OUT of the Schengen area. Like I said unless you're suspicious, they don't typically care much. I once took a French SCHENGEN and only went to Iceland. I would have been in trouble if they asked a lot of questions that time.
    – Augustine of Hippo
    Feb 5, 2017 at 1:30

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