UK and EU finalized a post-Brexit border deal for Gibraltar requiring passport checks
The deal removes land border checks while implementing Schengen-style controls at Gibraltar's port and airport
British travelers will face dual passport checks by both Gibraltarian and Spanish authorities
The agreement eliminates customs checks at the Gibraltar-Spain land border
The deal is described as the 'last piece of the EU exit jigsaw' for the UK
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The UK and EU finalized a post-Brexit border deal for Gibraltar on Thursday, implementing a jointly-managed system that requires British travelers to show passports to Spanish officials while removing land border checks between the British overseas territory and Spain, addressing a major uncertainty that emerged after the Brexit vote nearly a decade ago. The new treaty establishes a unique border arrangement where Gibraltar won't officially join the Schengen zone but will implement Schengen-style checks at its port and airport. Under this system, Gibraltarian officials will conduct initial checks on arrivals, followed by 'second line' checks by Spanish authorities in a designated zone. This arrangement mirrors the existing system at London's St Pancras station, where British and French officials jointly screen Eurostar passengers before they board trains to continental Europe. The agreement also addresses customs procedures, with the majority of goods destined for Gibraltar expected to be cleared by EU customs offices in Spain, eliminating the need for customs checks at the land border.
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU).
Brexit took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET). The UK, which joined the EU precursor, the European Communities (EC), on 1 January 1973, is the ...
Gibraltar ( jih-BRAWL-tər, -BROL-, Spanish: [xiβɾalˈtaɾ]) is a British Overseas Territory and city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean (Strait of Gibraltar). It has an area of 6.8 km2 (2.6 sq ...
Group of European states without mutual border controls
The Schengen Area (English: SHENG-ən, Luxembourgish: [ˈʃæŋən] ) is a system of open borders that encompass 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European...
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UK finalises post-Brexit border deal for Gibraltar 29 minutes ago Share Save Paul Seddon Political reporter Share Save British travellers to Gibraltar will show their passports to Spanish border officials, under a deal with the EU to remove the Rock's land border with Spain. Details of the jointly-managed border have been confirmed in a new treaty between the two sides unveiled on Thursday. It is designed to bring clarity to Gibraltar's future, nearly a decade after the Brexit vote threw the status of the British overseas territory into doubt. Pressure to reach a deal had been mounting ahead of the full application of new checks on passengers entering the passport-free Schengen zone in April. UK agrees post-Brexit deal over Gibraltar Under the deal, Gibraltar will not officially join the zone, made up of 29 mainly EU countries, but Schengen-style border checks will instead be carried out on travellers arriving at the territory's port and airport. Gibraltarian officials will carry out initial checks on arrivals, with Spanish authorities then conducting "second line" checks in a special zone. The system is designed to remove checks at Gibraltar's land border with Spain, which is crossed every day by around half of the Rock's workforce. The UK government is likening it to the system in operation at London's St Pancras station, where Eurostar passengers are checked by both British and French officials before boarding trains for the continent. The government also says a majority of goods destined for Gibraltar will be cleared by EU customs offices in Spain, in a deal designed to avoid the need for customs checks at the land border. Gibraltar was not covered by the UK's 2021 trade deal with the EU, and the UK has previously described it as the "last piece of the EU exit jigsaw". The treaty implements a political deal agreed between the UK and EU in June last year, and confirms key details of how the new arrangements will work in practice. It has been published in draft fo...
