Schengen first point of entry.
Jul 28, 2022 | 4:32 am
#1
Original Poster
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: DL Diamond, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, ALL Platinum, IHG Platinum
Posts: 30,690
Schengen first point of entry.
Looking for some info on entering the Schengen area through a different country as opposed to the country that issued the visa.
My sister is an Indian citizen with a Schengen visa issued from France. She got her visa last month & has not used it yet. Her friends were getting together for a reunion in Paris next week so she planned to squeeze in a trip to France in between her work trip to the US. Her original itinerary was supposed to be DEL-CDG-JFK (with a 4 day stopover in Paris) & then JFK-AMS-DEL (with a short 2 hour transit in AMS).
Unfortunately, one of her friends just tested positive for Covid yesterday so they have now decided to postpone the trip by a week. This changes her plans completely & the price to change her tickets is astronomically high at the last minute. I was looking at viable options & have found one that is reasonable however it requires her to land in ATH as her first point of entry to the Schengen area. The new ticket would be for her to fly DEL-AMS-JFK (short layover in AMS without leaving the international transit area), complete her work in the US & then fly EWR-ATH on EK & then connect on a separate ticket to CDG on the same day. Then she flies back to DEL after 4 days in Paris.
So basically she would need to cross immigration in ATH in order to collect her bags & check in for her flight to CDG later that day.
Just wanted to get an idea if this scenario would be permissible. I have also sent an email to Hellenic Police Passport Control Duty Officer at ATH asking the same question so am waiting for them to get back to me. In the meanwhile it may help to get some info on anyone who has connected on a separate ticket via a Schengen country that has not issued the visa.
My sister is an Indian citizen with a Schengen visa issued from France. She got her visa last month & has not used it yet. Her friends were getting together for a reunion in Paris next week so she planned to squeeze in a trip to France in between her work trip to the US. Her original itinerary was supposed to be DEL-CDG-JFK (with a 4 day stopover in Paris) & then JFK-AMS-DEL (with a short 2 hour transit in AMS).
Unfortunately, one of her friends just tested positive for Covid yesterday so they have now decided to postpone the trip by a week. This changes her plans completely & the price to change her tickets is astronomically high at the last minute. I was looking at viable options & have found one that is reasonable however it requires her to land in ATH as her first point of entry to the Schengen area. The new ticket would be for her to fly DEL-AMS-JFK (short layover in AMS without leaving the international transit area), complete her work in the US & then fly EWR-ATH on EK & then connect on a separate ticket to CDG on the same day. Then she flies back to DEL after 4 days in Paris.
So basically she would need to cross immigration in ATH in order to collect her bags & check in for her flight to CDG later that day.
Just wanted to get an idea if this scenario would be permissible. I have also sent an email to Hellenic Police Passport Control Duty Officer at ATH asking the same question so am waiting for them to get back to me. In the meanwhile it may help to get some info on anyone who has connected on a separate ticket via a Schengen country that has not issued the visa.
Jul 28, 2022 | 9:44 am
#2
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NW London and NW Sydney
Programs: BA Diamond, Hilton Bronze, A3 Diamond, IHG *G
Posts: 7,145
If the new itinerary was her original plan (i.e. 0 days in Greece and 4 days in France), she should still have applied for a visa from France, so I don't see the problem, however see this thread Athens: Several denied boarding, no protest (at least she's a woman and has an Indian passport with a real visa so should be ok...)
