Can someone change his/her original purpose in the Schengen area during the travel?
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).
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?)
Will she be allowed to go to Sweden first and stay there for a week before spending more days in Norway?
Does she really have to spend more days in Norway because the Norwegian embassy issued it?
How will authorities know how many days you spent per Schengen country if there are no border control within the Schengen area?
Best Answer
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.
Pictures about "Can someone change his/her original purpose in the Schengen area during the travel?"
Can I change my travel plan after getting Schengen visa?
You cannot change your itinerary so completely that the information you gave in the visa application is no longer true. If you planned a trip lasting 10 days, and you now have 15 days "duration of stay", you can extend your trip by up to 5 days (including a visit to another country if you want).Can I edit my Schengen visa application?
What if I make a mistake on my Schengen Visa form - can I correct it? If you made a mistake on your visa application form - you will need to fill out a new one before your appointment at the consulate or visa application center.What are the Schengen area rules?
The Schengen area relies on common rules covering in particular the following areas:- crossing the EU external borders, including the types of visa needed,
- harmonisation of the conditions of entry and of the rules on short stay visas (up to 90 days),
Can I leave the Schengen Zone and come back?
If you leave the Schengen Zone, your time doesn't reset so it is really important that you keep track of how long you're in the Schengen Zone. If you're in the Schengen Zone for 90 days consecutively, you must leave after 90 days and can't return for another 90 days!How the Schengen area was created - BBC News
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Pixabay, Marcin Jozwiak, Andrea Piacquadio, Maria Orlova