Dear Editor! I planned a trip to acquaintances in Paris. I have a place to stay there, but for a number of reasons I cannot obtain a guest invitation. I consulted a travel agency, where they suggested the following option: the agency books a hotel for me in Paris, then processes a visa at the embassy. Then the agency cancels the booking, pays a small fine for it, and I am left with an open visa.
Please advise, could I have any problems entering France in this case?
Andrey IVANCHENKO, Kiev
If upon entering the country you do not talk about the details of obtaining the entry visa, then no problems should arise. Naturally, you must comply with all other border crossing rules (for example, you need to have an insurance policy and, on the contrary, no prohibited items).
Many travel agencies offer visa processing services (national or Schengen) using this scheme. Problems can only arise for those who turn to, to put it mildly, unserious firms that use forged forms as invitations or documents of non-existent firms. In this case, embassies of foreign countries will not only refuse a visa to the unlucky traveler but may also put him on the 'black list' of undesirable guests.
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