Port of Entry for Schengen Visa
 

I recently got Schengen Visa for my Business trip to Amsterdam. Now the plans have changed and I need to go to Geneva in stead. Can I do that? I mean I had gotten the Visa from the Consulate of Netherlands in Chicago and had to specify Amsterdam as my port of entry while I filled the application.

Questions I have:
1. Can I fly directly to Geneva from the US though I got the Schengen Visa from the Consulate of Netherlands and said my port of entry was going to be Amsterdam?!
2. If thats not possible, can I fly to Amsterdam and take the next flight to Geneva?!

You SHOULD be OK, as meeting the requirements for one Schengen country should be good enough for the immigration officer. Why not call the Swiss Consulate in the US to make sure before you go?

http://www.immihelp.com/visas/schengenvisa/

Switzerland is in the process of becoming a full member of Schengen, but when I flew through in January, the airports and trains to France were not yet incorporated, though the roadways were (in other words, no passport checks at the motorway ports of entry, although there is still a checkpoint to make sure you have the autobahn sticker). The airports should shortly be integrated into the Schengen immigration zone.

Or, fly into Holland and then catch a flight to Switzerland. What passport do you hold?

In theory, you should have absolutely no problem. My partner is from a country whose passport requires that he get a Schengen visa to visit the territory, and he has routinely entered in a country other than the one who issued the visa. We have traveled to the Schengen Zone multiple times and he has never had a problem.

In practice, Switzerland is very new to the Schengen Zone and thus the border crossing practices might be different. I would follow the advice of etch5895 and check with a Swiss Consulate before traveling.

Thank you etch5895 and ajax. I will call the Swiss Consulate to be sure. I hold an Indian passport so am required to have a Visa to be able to enter Switzerland.

Thanks again for your reply.

Switzerland is now officially part of Schengen, so you should have no problem entering it if you possess a Schengen visa. That they haven't implemented the treaty at the airports does not influence that fact that they no longer issue 'their own' visas. What it also means is that some US green card holders who didn't use to need a visa for Switzerland now do.

Also, you can exit GVA to France, as the airport in essence straddles the border. You have a valid Schengen visa, so you could take a French cab into France, then across a land border into downtown Geneva.

As long as the visa states "SCHENGEN COUNTRIES" and not only "Nederland" or "BENELUX", you will have no problem.

Switzerland is now a member country of Schengen - but not a EU member. This means, that passport controls will no longer exist between Switzerland and surrounding schengen countries, but customs controls are possible. I got this info a while ago from a friend of mine, working for swiss immigration.

The Swiss passport stamp now looks just like those from other Schengen countries as well.

Last May, my Zurich entry stamp looked quite different. Fast forward to this January, the CH stamp is the same as all of Schengen (that I've seen).

There can be a major problem if the original explanation when asking the visa does not apply anymore.
This could mean you wil be denied entry.
In such a case I suggest if possible still to enter "Schengen" at the originally indicated port of entry. Or at least confirm you will still be going there if you enter anywhere else.
And do keep a copy of all documents at hand you presented at the embassy or consulate when applying for the visa.

(Answer given by an experienced Dutch immigration lawyer)