Schengen visa still valid but previously unused. Can I use it to visit a different Schengen country?

Question

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?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

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.