Entering Schengen visa issuer country and immediately transiting to another Schengen country
I got a Schengen visa through the Greek embassy, but I want to travel to a different Schengen country. Can I just have a transit in Athens, get my passport stamped in Greece, and leave for the other country? Or should I book separate tickets and enter Greece?
Best Answer
If you 'transit' through Greece to another country in the Schengen area that means you will enter Greece.
Immigration will not distinguish between the case where you enter Greece and immediately fly to another place in the Schengen area and the case where you enter Greece and stay there. Both require you to fully clear immigration. The flight from Greece to the other place will count as an internal flight within Schengen.
There is the issue that you were granted the visa on the assumption that Greece was your main destination, and that now seems to be not the case. If immigration suspects this was deliberate they may deny you entry and revoke the visa, or it may cause trouble with later applications. You should have a good explanation of why your plans have changed, and if you don't have one the safest route is to apply for an entirely new visa. In either case the question of whether you "book separate tickets and Enter Greece" will make no difference.
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Do I have to enter the country that issued my Schengen visa?
It does not need to be the country that issued you with a Schengen Visa, as you must apply with the nation where you are planning to spend the majority of your stay in the Schengen Area.Can you transit through Schengen?
If your flight involves changing planes in an airport within the Schengen zone, and you are forced to exit the international transit area in order to change terminals, you will technically be entering the Schengen zone, and you will therefore need to apply for an Airport Transfer Schengen Visa.Can you transit through Schengen without visa?
No, you cannot. If you have to leave the international transit area at the airport where you have landed in order to make your transfer, you cannot transit without a visa and you need a full short-stay Schengen visa.THE SCHENGEN ZONE TRAVEL EXPLAINED - DIGITAL NOMAD TV
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