Spain Tightens Schengen Border Checks From Gibraltar

Since the beginning of this week, Spain’s border guards have tightened their controls on people leaving Gibraltar, according to local media reports.

According to reports, Policia Nacional officers at the border were demanding those non-EU nationals provide evidence of onward travel and hotel reservations in Spain before allowing them to cross the border.

Authorities in Gibraltar have raised concerns regarding the reports that Spanish officials are banning the entry for international travellers unless they present a valid reason for their entry.

The Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, stressed that the government was informed that such measures were suddenly being applied while stressing that they would be taking the matter up with the Spanish as well as the UK governments.

“We are receiving reports of a change in approach to Non-Gibraltarian, Third Country Nationals, crossing the frontier into Spain. We will be taking up these issues with the UK and Spanish authorities,”
Minister Fabian Picardo

We are receiving reports of a change in approach to Non-Gibraltarian, Third Country Nationals, crossing the frontier into Spain. We will be taking up these issues with the UK and Spanish authorities. pic.twitter.com/Xl1nnITHjR
— Fabian Picardo (@FabianPicardo) April 18, 2022

It was also reported that citizens from third countries who are officially residents in Spain as well as third-country nationals or Gibraltarians who hold a red residence card are not subject to the recent rules applied by Spanish police officers.

The Spanish Policía Nacional, however, claims it is maintaining the same border checks it always has and that nothing will change until a full Brexit agreement is finally made.

Gibraltar Post Brexit

Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory, has been at the centre of a bitter row between the EU and the UK after Brexit, as access to Gibraltar was not included in the trade agreement struck between London and Brussels in 2020.

This means that a separate agreement about the future of Gibraltar is required.

Negotiations on a deal outlining Gibraltar’s future relationship with the EU are ongoing, and it remains to be seen if Gibraltar will have some kind of special arrangement to maintain frictionless access to the Schengen area.

Maintaining a fluid border arrangement is essential for both Spaniards and Gibraltarians as over 10,000 Spaniards cross the border to work in Gibraltar every day, and many British nationals based in Gibraltar have family and property in Spain.

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