I went to Italy with my husband last year (he is British and I am Indian and we live in the UK). I got a free spouse of an EU national visa for a year with multiple entries allowed, this was issued by the Italian consulate. So technically, I have a valid Schengen visa but in the annotations, it says 'free visa, EU family' (in Italian).
Now I'm going to Spain with my sister in July and my husband can't join us. I know that according to EU law, I should apply for a new tourist visa. But will my existing Schengen Type C tourist visa cause any issues? I have read that you cannot have two Schengen visas at the same time.
I am dreading the thought of getting visas canceled and chasing consulates for a short weekend trip.
My questions are:
- If I apply for a Schengen visa with the Spanish consulate, will they ask me to cancel my existing Schengen (EU family)?
- Or should I go to Spain without my husband?
It would help to know if anyone in this situation has been successful at changing their visa types or simply visiting the Schengen area without their spouse.
