Overview
- The treaty between the European Union and the United Kingdom began provisional application at midnight on 15 July and the metal checkpoint known as la Verja was removed, restoring free movement for pedestrians and vehicles across the land frontier.
- Under the deal Spain will carry out Schengen controls at Gibraltar’s airport and port and will have the final authority over residence permits, while passport checks have ended at the land crossing.
- Customs and fiscal rules are being harmonised so Spain will perform customs checks on goods entering Gibraltar and Gibraltar will adopt an indirect tax starting at 15 percent that will converge to EU minimum levels over three years with specific tobacco rules.
- Implementation teams have started installing dual controls, the EU Entry/Exit (SES) system, fibre links and automated cameras and licence‑plate/biometric technology as parts of a shift to a high‑security 'digital' fence in place of the physical barrier.
- The change directly affects about 15,000 daily cross‑border workers and roughly 40,000 residents of Gibraltar, has prompted criticism from Spanish opposition parties over parliamentary oversight and unresolved guarantees, and awaits formal ratification by the European Parliament in December 2026.