Get a GOOD lawyer who knows Spanish law and find out about working here. BUT, most important is to come here with money to live indefinitely or have it sent from USA...
Getting a job here for wife will depend a lot on the economy and where you live. BCN is a great place but surely not a relaxed European life if thats what you want.
Learn Spanish NOW!!!!!!! If you can, get a Spanish nanny or maid and you parents go to intensive classes for a couple months and you ALL speak 'pidgin' Spanish with NO exceptions, at home as you learn... You will have so many things on ur mind when u get here, especially getting your daughter settled and happy, so don't make language a further issue.
Good luck, nuttin like America but it is a lovely life here too. Luckily I can live wherever I please.



I am a U.S. citizen. My wife is a Russian citizen, although she will be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship in a little over a year, which she intends to do. Our daughter has both U.S. and Russian citizenship.

Anyway, we're contemplating a move to Spain in the next couple of years. My question is how feasible relocating would be for us given the following:

1) I am self-employed currently, and it does not matter where I live. I have my own LLC registered in the U.S. Could I pay myself a salary from that company and live in Spain, or would I need to form a Spanish company? In the near to mid-term future, I would not seek actual business with Spanish clients. Perhaps down the road at some point.

2) My wife will likely be looking for work in skincare. She's a licensed esthetician in the U.S. and will research getting licensed in Spain. Can she move without a work offer, or should she secure employment before we attempt to move?

I guess what it comes down to is, once we know we're ready to move on a personal level and know where we want to move, is it possible to get the paperwork done on the basis of my self-employment alone? Can we just come, settle in, and have my wife look for work when we get there? How much legwork needs to be done in advance?

As for the reasons for moving, we're rather bored with life in the states and find the expense and hassle kind of a drag - especially when it comes to healthcare. We're also sick of having to rely on a car for everything. We've been to Spain (Barcelona) before and loved it, climate and everything. My wife also likes the idea of living in Europe, as it would allow her to be closer to her family in Russia and give her the chance to travel more often. We think that we'll be able to live more simply, and more comfortably, in Spain than in the states.

Neither of us knows Spanish, but we're both fluent in Russian and English and know German moderately well. We're both willing to learn Spanish and in fact intend to do so. But it won't come right away, obviously.

So, after all this rambling, is moving a good idea for us? How feasible is it? How much legwork do we need to do ahead of time?[/QUOTE]