Gibraltar to align with Schengen area in time for summer holidays following post-Brexit deal

Two months from today, British travellers to Gibraltar will have to comply with EU red tape – including having their biometrics registered.

A post-Brexit deal on the geopolitical future of the British Overseas Territory was finally concluded last year. The agreement between the EU and the UK “is expected to enter into provisional application on 15 July 2026”, the European Council has said.

After years of negotiation over the status of Gibraltar, the UK government accepted the only workable solution for the territory is to align with the Schengen area – the passport-free zone that includes almost all the European Union, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

The European Council said: “The main objective of the EU-UK agreement in respect of Gibraltar is to secure the future prosperity of the whole region. This objective will be reached by removing all physical barriers on persons and goods circulating between Spain and Gibraltar, while fully safeguarding Schengen, the EU’s Single Market, and its Customs Union.”

At the time the deal was signed, then-foreign secretary David Lammy, said the settlement had tackled “the last major unresolved issue from our decision to leave the EU, providing much-needed certainty for people and businesses in Gibraltar”.

He told parliament: “Ignore the fake news, Gibraltar will not be joining Schengen. This was never on the table.”

But from the traveller’s point of view, the formalities will be identical to the Schengen area – with an additional border check by the Gibraltar authorities.

The existing border checkpoint between Spain and Gibraltar will be abolished. As a result, arrivals to the territory must be treated the same as they would at a Schengen area border.

British visitors will face two sets of checks on arrival at Gibraltar airport. The existing examination by Gibraltar’s Borders & Coastguard Agency will be followed by a tougher Spanish frontier check.

UK travellers will have to undergo full entry-exit system (EES) registration. On the first crossing of a Schengen area frontier, they must register both fingerprints and facial biometrics. On subsequent crossings only one should be registered, usually the face. The EES process must be repeated upon departure.

At present, British visitors to Gibraltar must simply have a valid passport. The only rule: “Your passport must not expire during your planned visit to Gibraltar.”

When the agreement takes effect, British passports will need to meet two stricter requirements:

Rules on maximum stay will apply to British visitors to Gibraltar just as they do for trips to the Schengen area. Visits will be limited to a total of 90 days in Gibraltar and anywhere in the border-free zone in any 180 days. In other words, any time spent in an EU country will reduce the time British travellers can spend in the territory. The current limit for Gibraltar is an unrestricted 90 days.

Arrivals who breach the rules for “third-country nationals” to enter the Schengen area – due to failing to meet passport validity rules, or overstaying – will be sent home on the next plane from Gibraltar.

Holders of Irish passports, or any identity document issued by a Schengen area nation, will face no such restriction, and can enter Gibraltar up to the expiry date.

Gibraltarians will not face biometric checks. Article 42 of the agreement says: “Persons resident in Gibraltar shall be exempt from the requirements of the entry-exit system.”

The Independent has asked the Conservative Party, which negotiated the original Brexit deal, to comment.

After the vote to leave the European Union, Jack Lopresti MP – then the Conservative chair of the all-party group on Gibraltar – said: “Once again, we will be a free, sovereign and independent people, and that includes Gibraltar.”

Read more: How is the EU entry-exit system being implemented?