Schengen itinerary different from initially planned [duplicate]

I applied (and received) Schengen visa from German consulate as I was initially planning to visit Germany. However, a bunch of my friends are going to Spain around the same time so I want to go to Spain instead.

My question is should I apply for a second Schengen visa since my initial itinerary was based on Germany stay only and I am not going to Germany anymore?

Note that I read other answers here and here but those questions are about slight change of plans while I do not plan to visit the country that issued me visa completely

Best Answer

Especially if your visa is single-entry, using it for a completely different purpose than the one you applied for will be risky.

The visa is legally valid for entering Spain, but the border guards will (as they are supposed to) question you about your plans when you enter, and that's when you're at risk of getting the visa annulled pursuant to the Visa Code, article 34(1):

A visa shall be annulled where it becomes evident that the conditions for issuing it were not met at the time when it was issued, in particular if there are serious grounds for believing that the visa was fraudulently obtained. A visa shall in principle be annulled by the competent authorities of the Member State which issued it. A visa may be annulled by the competent authorities of another Member State, in which case the authorities of the Member State that issued the visa shall be informed of such annulment.

The trouble is that in order to get Germany to issue a visa, you'd have to present a plan for going to Germany as your main destination with the visa application -- otherwise the German consulate would have rejected the application. So the border guards in Spain (or wherever you enter) will know that you filed such a plan with your application. If the tickets and other documentation you have to show at entry are for a completely different trip, the border guards may get the idea that the trip you originally applied for was a lie from the beginning and therefore decide that your visa should be annulled as fraudulently obtained.

It is not certain that this will happen -- if you manage to convince the border guards that you really truly did intend to go to Germany at the time you applied but changed your mind afterwards, then the above section won't apply to you, and you should be fine.

But still it feels like something of a gamble.

If you have time, you should probably make a new application to the Spanish consulate and ask them to revoke the German one. If you don't have time for this and have already paid for tickets to Spain, then an argument for chancing it could be made. Hey, it might work! But note that if your visa does get annulled (and you're sent back), this may make it harder for you to obtain another visa in the future.

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Can you change itinerary after getting Schengen visa?

"can i change my itinerary within the schengen area ?" You should follow the itinerary you gave when you applied for the visa. You cannot change your itinerary so completely that the information you gave in the visa application is no longer true.

What is copy of travel itinerary?

A travel itinerary document composed of two pages providing the travel location, dates and contact details with the travel, accommodation and activities schedule with all necessary details included.

How do I write my itinerary for Schengen visa?

What is a flight itinerary for a Schengen Visa and how do I get one?

passenger's first and last name.

flight number of the chosen airline.

a reservation number or identifier.

departure and return dates (the ticket must be round trip)

flight hours.

IATA airport codes.

the total price of the ticket.

Should my first trip be to the country which issued my Schengen visa?

There is no general requirement that you must enter the Schengen Area through the country that issued your visa. Your main destination may be different than your first destination. To prevent complications, stick to your itinerary as best you can.

Schengen Europe Visa Itinerary Sample with my Original Itinerary

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