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Schengen visa by France but longer stay in Italy

Schengen visa by France but longer stay in Italy

Old Feb 20th, 2016, 12:59 PM
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Schengen visa by France but longer stay in Italy

Hi everyone, we will be leaving for Europe in March and were issued a Schengen visa at the French embassy because our original itinerary/plan was to stay in Paris the longest but our entry point is Rome. Now, we decided to change itineraries and will stay longer in Italy (we added Venice and Florence) and added a 2-night stay in Lucerne effectively shortening Paris from 10 to 6 nights. Will this be an issue when immigration officers in Rome see that our visa was issued by the French embassy? Thanks in advance for your replies as this has been bugging me since we changed itineraries.
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Old Feb 20th, 2016, 01:45 PM
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Call the consulate and ask. My understanding is that the visa has to be issued by the country you are spending the most time in, so yes, it could be a problem, but this is not the place to ask.
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Old Feb 20th, 2016, 01:51 PM
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Like StCirq

I can't believe for such a stay it would be a problem : after all it is roughly equal (5 days is roughly 40% of 16 days - so close enough).

On the other hand, sometimes you find people double checking.

I had to intervene in some consulates to get people out of jail (jail) who had come into Belgium with a visa valid for another Schengen country. But it was work related.
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Old Feb 20th, 2016, 03:17 PM
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This happens a lot, and in Italy, it's not normally a problem. In countries where they scrutinise documents and compliance with rules, it can be. Examples include Switzerland (strictest of all), Germany and Netherlands. I know of someone who was stopped at German border for carrying a French-issued Schengen visa when it should have been issued by Germany because of her travel pattern. She was let through but was told in no uncertain term to observe the rules next time.
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Old Feb 20th, 2016, 03:35 PM
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Hi Percy,

Your profile doesn't say what country you're from and that makes a more specific reply difficult.
It is my understanding that it is the Schengen visa which is the determining factor.
Some people apply for the visa at one consulate or another as some do seem to be more liberal in issuing them, but ultimately unless the visa is specifically for one country, then your travel within Schengen isn't limited.
What the officials will be concerned with:
Return tickets
Appearance that you have enough funds for your visit
Information on where you will be staying (hotel booking)

Your entry will be noted in a computer. Unless something happens that would require an examination of your passport and visa within Schengen, immigration won't be concerned with you, assuming you don't overstay.
Hotels will provide electronic records to city or national authorities (always have) but those records a stored in computers somewhere, not examined, so 7 days in France, 10 days in France, no one's going to be keeping track except you.
Hope it's a great trip, all in all.
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Old Feb 20th, 2016, 03:51 PM
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thank you everyone for your quick responses.

sfgirl42, thank you, we hope so too, we are from the Philippines (hubby and 13-yr old daughter) and yes, we have return plane tickets, hotel bookings and train tickets and even day tours, i really hope we dont get any problems
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Old Feb 20th, 2016, 03:57 PM
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btw, sfgirl42, I already updated my profile
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