Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory. There’s no formal British consular representation in Gibraltar and the local authorities deal with all requests for consular assistance.

You may experience delays when entering and exiting Gibraltar by road or on foot.

Terrorist attacks in Gibraltar can’t be ruled out.

Most visits to Gibraltar are trouble-free. Violence and street crime are rare.

If you need to contact the emergency services call 199 (police) or 190 (ambulance and fire).

Crime

Violence and street crime are rare. However, there have been reports of people walking between La Linea (Spain) and Gibraltar at night being attacked and robbed.

Crossing between Spain and Gibraltar

The Gibraltar-Spain border is a busy external Schengen Border and Gibraltar is outside the customs union. You may experience delays crossing the border by road or on foot due to the high volume of traffic at peak times, and customs and immigration/identity checks. Take water with you during the hot summer months.

Find out the latest information on the queue by calling +(350) 200 42777, or checking the Gibraltar Frontier website and/or twitter hashtag #GibFrontier.

Road Travel

You can drive in Gibraltar using your UK driving licence. See the AA guide on driving in Gibraltar.

Consular assistance

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory so does not have formal British consular representation. Assistance for British nationals is delivered by HM Government of Gibraltar Civil Status and Registration Office (telephone: (350) 200 51725) in relation to passports, deaths, births, marriages and other notarial services. Victims of crime should contact the Royal Gibraltar Police (+350 200 72500).

Birth and Death registration enquiries:

Telephone: + (350) 200 78303

Marriage bookings and information on marriage requirements in Gibraltar:

Telephone: + (350) 200 72289

email: marriages.csro@gibraltar.gov.gi

Visa information:

Telephone: + (350) 200 51726 email: visa.csro@gibraltar.gov.gi

Passport Information:

Telephone: + (350) 200 51725, 51727 or 51728 email: passports.csro@gibraltar.gov.gi

Immigration information:

Telephone: + (350) 200 51725 or 59832 email: immigration.csro@gibraltar.gov.gi

Terrorist attacks in Gibraltar can’t be ruled out. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.

There’s a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals, from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria. You should be vigilant at this time.

Find out more about the global threat from terrorism, how to minimise your risk and what to do in the event of a terrorist attack.

There’s a low tolerance of any alcohol or drug-related crime (eg being drunk in a public place).

Attitudes towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people are generally tolerant in Gibraltar. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Gibraltar since December 2016. There is an active gay community, but given the small size of Gibraltar there are few places which are exclusively LGBT orientated. See our information and advice page for the LGBT community before you travel.

Import and export of goods

Gibraltar is not part of the EU Common Customs Territory.

The amount of goods (e.g. tobacco and alcohol) that you can take into and out of Gibraltar is more limited than for visits between the UK and other EU countries.

Information on duty free allowances when arriving in Gibraltar can be found on the Gibraltar Customs website.

If you regularly enter or return to Gibraltar (more than once per calendar month), you are not entitled to duty free imports.

You should declare any duty free goods to Spanish customs officers if you are entering Spain from Gibraltar.

If you’re returning directly to the UK from Gibraltar, see this information on duty free allowances.

Visas

British nationals don’t need a visa to enter Gibraltar.

For further information on entry requirements, check the website of HM Government of Gibraltar.

Passport validity

You must hold a valid passport to enter Gibraltar. Your passport must be valid for the proposed duration of your stay. No additional period of validity beyond this is required.

UK Emergency Travel Documents

UK Emergency Travel Documents are accepted for entry, airside transit and exit from Gibraltar.

Most medical problems can be dealt with locally. The main hospital is St Bernard’s at Europort (telephone: +350 200 79700).

If you are a British national living in the UK you can get emergency treatment in Gibraltar by presenting your UK passport. However, as some emergency treatment may require transfer to Spain, you should get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before leaving the UK. The EHIC is not a substitute for medical and travel insurance, but entitles you to emergency medical treatment on the same terms as Spanish nationals. You will not be covered for medical repatriation, on-going medical treatment or non-urgent treatment.

Sterling is the currency in Gibraltar. Bank of England issued notes and UK coins are accepted, and circulate mixed with locally issued notes and coins of the same value in pounds and pence. Notes issued in Scotland or Northern Ireland are not usually accepted in Gibraltar, and Gibraltar issued notes and coins are not usually accepted in the UK.

Some businesses accept euros, although exchange rates may not necessarily be favourable. Change is normally given in Sterling. UK debit cards and all major credit cards are widely accepted in Gibraltar.

Foreign travel checklist

Read our foreign travel checklist to help you plan for your trip abroad and stay safe while you’re there.

Travel safety

The FCO travel advice helps you make your own decisions about foreign travel. Your safety is our main concern, but we can’t provide tailored advice for individual trips. If you’re concerned about whether or not it’s safe for you to travel, you should read the travel advice for the country or territory you’re travelling to, together with information from other sources you’ve identified, before making your own decision on whether to travel. Only you can decide whether it’s safe for you to travel.

When we judge the level of risk to British nationals in a particular place has become unacceptably high, we’ll state on the travel advice page for that country or territory that we advise against all or all but essential travel. Read more about how the FCO assesses and categorises risk in foreign travel advice.

Our crisis overseas page suggests additional things you can do before and during foreign travel to help you stay safe.

Refunds and cancellations

If you wish to cancel or change a holiday that you’ve booked, you should contact your travel company. The question of refunds and cancellations is a matter for you and your travel company. Travel companies make their own decisions about whether or not to offer customers a refund. Many of them use our travel advice to help them reach these decisions, but we do not instruct travel companies on when they can or can’t offer a refund to their customers.

For more information about your rights if you wish to cancel a holiday, visit the Citizen’s Advice Bureau website. For help resolving problems with a flight booking, visit the website of the Civil Aviation Authority. For questions about travel insurance, contact your insurance provider and if you’re not happy with their response, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Registering your travel details with us

We’re no longer asking people to register with us before travel. Our foreign travel checklist and crisis overseas page suggest things you can do before and during foreign travel to plan your trip and stay safe.

Previous versions of FCO travel advice

If you’re looking for a previous version of the FCO travel advice, visit the National Archives website. If you can’t find the page you’re looking for there, send us a request.

Further help

If you’re a British national and you have a question about travelling abroad that isn’t covered in our foreign travel advice or elsewhere on GOV.UK, you can submit an enquiry. We’re not able to provide tailored advice for specific trips.