Skip the Schengen member state that issued me visa and visit another member state
I have a Schengen visit visa issued to me by Iceland (represented by Denmark in Canada). However, now I am planning to change my itinerary and not visit Iceland at all and instead visit France since I am on a solo trip and I feel Iceland will be a bit lonely for me for a week and also since Iceland is a bit expensive.
Can I use the same visa to enter and exit from Paris and just skip Iceland altogether? What could the repercussions be? If it helps, this is my second Schengen visit visa and I had been issued one by Austria back in 2018.
Edit: Sorry I forgot to mention that I will be travelling on board Icelandair so ideally I will still have immigration done at KEF and if I am not wrong, will not have to face border agents in Paris even if I do not stop in Iceland.
Best Answer
Well, your visa was issued under the assumption that Iceland would be the main destination of your trip.
What you want to do is possible, but the border officers that you will encounter in France are always allowed to refuse entry anyway if they believe the visa was obtained fraudulently. When one of the assumptions for granting the visa no longer holds that's an argument for fraud, but they'll probably allow you to explain yourself.
So it comes down to whether they believe you.
Having had (and stuck to the rules/limits of that) a visa before, is an argument that you'll probably adhere this time too, but they might not get to consider that.
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Can you visit other Schengen member states?
the Schengen States ("airport transit visa"). Generally, the visa issued allows you to visit any of the Schengen States during the same trip, within the validity of the visa.Do I have to visit 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 I enter and or exit the Schengen area visa a country other than the one for which I have a visa?
According to the Schengen rules, the Schengen visa is generally valid for all the countries in the Schengen area. Please note, however, that you always have to apply at the consulate of the country which is your primary destination (see FAQ no 5).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.NewsFlash: New Rules for Schengen Visa in July 2022 || (in Hindi)
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Answer 2
Yes. See question 6 here:
Can I enter the Schengen area in country X, while the visa was issued by Schengen country Y?
As a general rule you may cross any Schengen border with visa issued by any Schengen country. However, the short-stay visa does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area. See FAQ no 16 on checks at the external borders.
FAQ 16 is this:
Do I have to present any other document at the Schengen external borders apart from my travel document with the Schengen visa?
The short-stay visa does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area. At border (or during other controls) you may have to show the visa but also provide additional documentation, for example information on that you have sufficient means to cover the stay and the return trip. It is therefore recommended that you carry with you copies of the documents which you presented when applying for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of your stay).
Since what you presented to get the visa is no longer valid, you should also have a good explanation for your change of plans (which IMHO you do, but border officers may think differently).
You added that you actually intend to enter the Schengen area in Iceland, so you're using the visa Iceland issued to you (via Denmark as their representative) to enter Iceland. The fact that the itinerary changed may still come up, but it is much less of an issue since the "visa shopping" issue that was raised in the comments is much less of an "issue" in this scenario: you have Icelandic visa and you are in fact seeking admission to Iceland.
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