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I am currently studying in Germany. My friend wants to apply for a Schengen visit visa to visit me in Germany. But with an increasing number of refugees in Germany, visitors from Pakistan are also facing similar visa rejections (that the concerned person will never return).

Now to avoid this issue we are considering applying through another European member state with lower visa rejection ratio (eg Iceland) as entry port and then travel to Germany (staying there 1 month or so). and then going back from the same port used for entry. What issue could we face?

user77175
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  • When you acquire a Uniform Schengen Visa (USV) , you are welcome to travel to any other Schengen country – Baksteen May 01 '18 at 11:46
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    @Baksteen While accurate, this is misleading. Applicants for a Schengen visa are supposed to present their itinerary truthfully. If you applied to the Belgian embassy for a visa with a proposed itinerary of one day stay in Belgium, 1 month in Germany and then another day in Belgian, it would be rightfully refused. Presenting an itinerary which will be accepted under the rules with the intention of deviating from it is deception, and could result in deportation, if found out. – MJeffryes May 01 '18 at 12:45
  • My bad, consider my comment not posted. – Baksteen May 01 '18 at 12:55
  • Related: https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/91698/can-i-apply-for-a-schengen-visa-at-a-consulate-of-a-country-i-dont-really-inten – MJeffryes May 01 '18 at 12:58
  • Depending on your financial situation, you might sign a Verpflichtungserklärung, a promise to reimburse the German state for any costs if your friend overstays. As a student, you probably don't have much income, but it may be possible to post a bond. (Quite a lot of money, but you'd get it back if your friend leaves again.) – o.m. May 01 '18 at 13:07
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    Possible duplicate of Can I apply for a Schengen visa at a consulate of a country I don't really intend to visit? Is such visa shopping acceptable? – David Richerby May 01 '18 at 16:20
  • @DavidRicherby I don't think this is an exact duplicate because in that case the question was about applying to one country and then never visiting it. – MJeffryes May 01 '18 at 17:26
  • @MJeffryes OK, but it still explains that you need to apply to the country which is your main destination. Perhaps there's a better duplicate; we have plenty of questions that are basically, "I'm trying to game the Schengen visa system by applying to a different country from the one that I should; will that be OK?" and hte answer is always "no". – David Richerby May 01 '18 at 17:34
  • Thanks. ok so what are the chances of getting a german visit visa after Verpflichtungserklarung? – user77175 May 02 '18 at 15:17
  • ok so what i got in here is i should not game the schengen visa. if a person is to come germany then applying to Germany is the only safest game. But i am still worried because Germany is rejecting alot of visit visas and stand second to france in this regard. – user77175 May 02 '18 at 15:21

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The issue you will face is that, with the itinerary you've presented, your visa application will be refused. Under the Schengen rules, you must apply to the embassy of the country which is the main destination for your trip. In this case, it's unambiguously Germany. The Schengen rules were formulated to prevent 'visa shopping'. That is, applying to the state who you think will look most favorably on your application.

What's to stop you presenting an itinerary for a month long stay in Iceland, and then deviating from this itinerary to spend most of your time in Germany? Theoretically, not much. But you will be questioned at the border when you enter Iceland. If you are found out, you will be sent back where you came from. And getting further Schengen visas will be extremely difficult.

What can you do instead? If you really don't want to apply to the German embassy, perhaps think of genuinely changing your itinerary so that you are able to apply to a different state. Also bear in mind that a month stay is quite long for a holiday. A shorter itinerary may be less likely to face problems. Once you have established a record of complying with your visa conditions, longer stays may be more likely to be granted.

MJeffryes
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  • if itinerary is 50% visiting days in iceland and 50% in Germany. will it be safe then? like at the time of applying for visa. Can i show itinerary for both countries? a short stay in both. – user77175 May 02 '18 at 15:25
  • @user77175 If you plan to spend an equal time in each country, you must apply to the country in which you’ll enter Schengen. So an application to Iceland in this case ought to be acceptable. You should only apply with an itinerary you genuinely intend to use. – MJeffryes May 02 '18 at 15:27
  • what if stay in germany prolonged a bit after coming from iceland? and then using Germany as exit port? – user77175 May 02 '18 at 15:31
  • @user77175 If you are questioned on leaving Germany and they discover you’ve deviated from your itinerary without a good explanation, you could be penalised for future applications (to all Schengen countries) – MJeffryes May 02 '18 at 15:32