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I am planning to travel from India to Europe sometime in the summer. There's a flight from Delhi, India (DEL) to Paris (CDG) with a layover in Munich (MUC)

I am perfectly happy to start my Europe tour from Munich instead of Paris but I am concerned if -

  1. German immigration would have an issue with this kind of a ticket (Why did you get off at Munich instead of Paris? - even if I have a schengen visa from German embassy)

  2. Lufthansa, the carrier in question, might not let me board from DEL if I have a schengen visa issued by the German consulate instead of the French one.

Would using hidden city ticketing be a good idea to not raise red flags with foreign immigration?

P.S - I'll be travelling with my family

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    The problem with hidden city tickets on the outbound flight is that they cancel the return flight part of the ticket. You will enter into the Schengen zone in Munich, even when you fly on to Paris, airline in DEL and immigration in MUC should know that.
    – Willeke ♦
    Apr 18, 2017 at 14:58
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    I'd be using separate onward and return tickets. I'm pretty sure they can't cancel my return tickets on the same airline if they are booked separately or under different PNRs. Or can they?
    – curiousparrot
    Apr 18, 2017 at 15:03
  • They can cancel the one way return and ban you however typically that doesn't happen for a while(after all you may be legitimately stranded in Munich on a medical issue) and usually after a pattern of abuse. Concerning immigration and quetion 2, you're fine.
    – Augustine of Hippo
    Apr 18, 2017 at 15:20
  • That only works if you have carry-on luggage only. Any checked luggage will go through to Paris.
    – Hilmar
    Apr 19, 2017 at 13:44

1 Answer 1

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No, in this case you will not have a problem:

  1. As stated by Willeke, you clear immigration in Schengen at your first point of entry, which is MUC. This happens no matter if you continue to Paris or not, and no matter whether it is the same ticket or not. German authorities will just clear you through after asking standard questions.

  2. Since your first point of entry is in Germany, it is unlikely they'd ask any questions, as they don't know how much time you'd spend in each country - and if this country is Germany, you got the proper visa for that.

So immigration problems are unlikely, but of course other possible hidden city ticketing problems remain.

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  • So you are saying that after clearing immigration at Munich, I am free to leave the airport irrespective of my remaining onward ticket and the schengen visa being issued by the French consulate with France being my main destination?
    – curiousparrot
    Apr 18, 2017 at 20:51
  • @curiousparrot If the German immigration officer lets you in, you are free to leave the airport. Depending on the scrutiny of the immigration check, he may also deny you entry and cancel your visa if you are trying to use the visa for a different purpose than stated in your visa application (and that includes a major change in your itinerary).
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    Apr 18, 2017 at 21:08

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