Schengen visa change in itinerary
I applied and got approved for a Schengen visa with multiple entries to the Netherlands. On my application I noted a planned trip to Romania as well. Due to changes in itinerary (the trip is being paid for by my company) I'm now only traveling to Romania. Flights and hotels are booked and have been paid for by my company.
However, I have an extra weekend in Romania and I was thinking of flying to Rome overnight only: leave Romania on Saturday to travel to Rome, leave Rome on Sunday and travel back to Romania to complete my trip.
Can I use my Schengen multiple-entry visa despite not having the Netherlands as part of my itinerary anymore?
Best Answer
The answer is unfortunately not as simple as implied by haferblues in his answer. Yes, your visa is valid for the entire Schengen area within the period of validity stated on the visa, but when you applied for the visa, you also provided a purpose and itinerary for the planned trip and you are within reason supposed to use the visa for this purpose and not for a completely different itinerary.
Your original plan obviously had the Netherlands as main destination (since the visa was issued by the Dutch embassy as competent authority) and you are now not planning to go to the Netherlands at all. Your outcome is likely to depend on the amount of scrutiny conducted by the immigration officer when you enter the Schengen area. If you are lucky, you will simply be stamped in and noone will notice the change in itinerary. If you are picked for a more extensive examination, the immigration officer is likely to find out that your current plans do not match the purpose for which the visa was issued, and can refuse entry.
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Can I change my hotel after getting Schengen Visa?
The Schengen visa means the visa is for the Schengen area; otherwise it will be called a country-specific visa. There is no requirement to enter first to the country who issued you visa and hence no hotel change issue.Can I change my flight after visa?
Sure, you can travel wherever you want as long as your visa is valid. It doesn't matter if you will change the plan or still sticke to the same plan.Is travel itinerary required for Schengen Visa?
One of the required documents for the Schengen Visa is a complete travel itinerary.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.How to write a Travel Itinerary | Schengen Visa Part 6
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Answer 2
If the visa states "valid for: Schengen countries" (or similiar, I only know the German phrase) then it is a USV visa, which means you are not restricted to certain countries. If the type of the visa is C (which is probably the case for you), then you should be able to go whereever you want. In general visa usually contain all information: The area for which it is valid, the valid time period and the duration of stay. If there are no restriction on a visa, then there are no restrictions for you. If someone tells you any different, call your embassy. What is much more important in your case is your travel health insurance. If you go to Rome you are no longer covered by your employer and maybe also not by a private insurance. Get a travel health insurance for just a few Euro (between 5 and 10 Euro one time payment) and you are covered worldwide for a whole year.
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