I will be traveling to Italy (main destination) and France (three days) in July. I have an interview at the Italian consulate for the Schengen visa next week. We plan to stay with friends in France. My friend has put in an application for a letter of invitation at the city hall in her area. At the moment we don't know if I will receive the letter from France in time, before the interview. The Italian consulate requirements are confusing. Previous phone call they said to carry the letter in person and today they said I could fax it. Regardless, I have less than a week before it gets approved and sent to me. In the meanwhile I have booked refundable accommodation at a local hotel for the short stay in France.
Will it be OK to change accommodation from hotel to staying at my friend's place (assuming the letter arrives after my Schengen visa interview)?
I will be carrying the letter with me as evidence. But I am not sure if there is any endorsement/stamping by the Italian Consulate for the French letter of invitation.
The basis for my question is this excerpt from consulfrance-houston:
This certificate must be obtained at the City Hall by the person you are visiting in France. It is a compulsory requirement for people applying for a visa to visit family or friends. Be advised that you must provide the original certificate as it needs to be officially stamped and might be presented at the border in France.
Since I am not trying to deceive, would this change in accommodation with accompanying evidence be OK?