Hi there

I hope you guys can help:

I am a UK citizen recently returned to the UK from Asia and now living in the UK.

I want to move to Spain which is easy enough for me and for my 3 year old son who also holds a UK passport…

But… My wife is Thai. She is here in the UK on a visitor visa as we never intended staying for more than six months and were just here to see my mother.  Now we have decided to live in Spain in Barcelona. I know the area well.

Her current 6 month Schengen visa expires in 6 weeks so what is the easiest and quickest way to get us all to Barcelona as residents?

I understand the process is not that easy from reading the other posts here but my main question is whether to start things here in the UK with the Spanish embassy (in which case we have 6 weeks to get things done to get into Spain before her UK visitor visa expires) or to go directly to Spain now before her Schengen visa expires and then start the process there on the basis that she is with me and our son, both UK nationals with the right to live and work in Spain…

If we do the process form London, will they be sympathetic or obstructive as she is a “visitor” only with a Schengen?

If we go to Spain and I register as a resident with my son, is this easy enough?  Then, is there any risk for my wife as her Schengen Visa will no doubt expire before she gets her residency?  So they have to accept her as my wife and my son’s mother or will they see her as an “alien” and will he be breaking the law being in Spain beyond her Schengen Visa?

Thanks so much in advance for your help…

Cheers

Paul