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I have a Schengen visa from the Netherlands, but I did not travel. The visa is valid until September 2024. Can I travel to Italy or any other country with no intention to travel to the Netherlands?

JonathanReez
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Vineet Jindal
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    This is a duplicate question, I will look for the best version. But in short, no you can not do that. – Willeke Jan 17 '24 at 11:07
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    I would say: "it depends". It depends on the original purpose of the visa, and the reason of changing plans. E.g. if you are a seaman and you got changed ship and assignment, it may be ok, But for holidays it may be more suspicious: why did you lost interest in NL? Visa shopping? As general rule: avoid it (or you should expect a possible denial at point of entry). – Giacomo Catenazzi Jan 17 '24 at 11:17
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    @Willeke can you ping me when you're done with that search? It seems to me that the more interesting question in this situation is "what should I do" or, less room for opinion, "what options do I have," and that may not be so simple. For example, if the traveler shouldn't use the existing visa as you say, what procedure should be used to obtain a new one? Consular websites don't typically describe the procedure to request cancellation of the visa. On the other hand, how can a traveler with changed plans determine whether the change is sufficient to cause authorities to revoke the visa? – phoog Jan 17 '24 at 11:26
  • @phoog, I can not find the question I kind of remember. If you can write a good answer I leave this one open. – Willeke Jan 17 '24 at 11:29
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    Does this answer your question? Unused Schengen Visa – dda Jan 17 '24 at 12:10
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    @dda In your linked question the unused visa had expired. In this case the visa is still valid for 7 more months. 2 different situations. – Mark Johnson Jan 17 '24 at 13:00

2 Answers2

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Can I travel to Italy or any other country with no intentions to travel to Netherlands?

In theory no. This could be seen as visa shopping.

Since the conditions of the issued visa no longer applies and 2 visas cannot be issued for the same (or overlapping) timeframe, you will probably have to request that the 1st visa be revoked when applying for a new visa based on Article 34 (3) of the visa code:

A visa may be revoked at the request of the visa holder. The competent authorities of the Member States that issued the visa shall be informed of such revocation.

Article 34 (3) is not listed in Article 16 (7) as a valid reason to refund the visa fee.

Mark Johnson
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Can I travel to Italy or any other country with no intention to travel to the Netherlands?

In theory, yes, you absolutely can, as that's how the Schengen area is supposed to work: you apply with a valid premise, later on your plans change, but you still use the visa for a different tourist visit. In practice, Schengen consulates have ridiculous standards around "visa shopping", particularly those located in developing nations. If you travel to Italy first and never visit the Netherlands, there's a small chance of your next Schengen application receiving unfair scrutiny.

What I would do in your case is fly to the Netherlands first, get an entry stamp from Amsterdam airport, stay a day in the country, and then travel to Italy. This way you'd avoid any unfair scrutiny in your next application and not waste time on a fresh visa application. This is highly annoying and would incur you extra expenses but unfortunately the visa system can be a bit nonsensical at times.

JonathanReez
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  • It would be better to just go to the Netherlands and use the visa for the country it was applied for. Nice country to visit, people tell me. (My home country by the way.) – Willeke Jan 17 '24 at 22:16
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    @Willeke, the OP wants to visit Italy. It's not your place to tell them they're wrong! – TonyK Jan 17 '24 at 23:47
  • If this becomes known (see: My Schengen visa got revoked mid-trip, what should I do? - Travel Stack Exchange) this can have consequences for future applications. So this is bad advice. The Schengen Area was primarily created to make the Freedom of Movement for EU citizens possible. It also makes life easier for most 3rd country nationals (only one visa, instead of many, when one is required). It does not mean that 3rd country nationals can do as they please @TonyK. – Mark Johnson Jan 18 '24 at 02:04
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    @MarkJohnson yes, I'm suggesting OP avoids this scenario entirely by first traveling to the Netherlands. And the "visa shopping" concept is ridiculous no matter what EU bureaucrats have to say on the matter - the point of visas is to verify your ties to your home country, nothing more. – JonathanReez Jan 18 '24 at 02:07
  • @JonathanReez That doesn't make it the primarily destination. Your suggestion makes it only less possible that it will be noticed. The main reason for the 'ridiculous standards' is to avoid one consulate being flooded with applications (thus causing longer processing times). (The main destination rule does apply for 2 or multiple visas after the first visit). – Mark Johnson Jan 18 '24 at 02:14
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    @JonathanReez, not is it your place to ignore visa rules which can get them into trouble with future visa applications. – Willeke Jan 18 '24 at 05:12
  • @Willeke no visa rule is being violated – JonathanReez Jan 18 '24 at 15:22
  • @JonathanReez Since the Netherlands is no longer the primarily destination, the conditions underwhich the visa was issued no longer applies and the visa can be revoked. Visa Code Article 34 Annulment and revocation (2) A visa shall be revoked where it becomes evident that the conditions for issuing it are no longer met. ... – Mark Johnson Jan 18 '24 at 15:36
  • @MarkJohnson the rules are vague for visas with a long duration. I'm 99.5% certain OP will be fine. If it was a 15 day visa I'd agree with you. – JonathanReez Jan 18 '24 at 22:33