Confusion As Spain Blocks Brits From Entering The Country Via Gibraltar
Spain News
Published: 21 April 2022 10:15 CET
Updated: 22 April 2022 10:15 CET
Spanish authorities have reportedly started to implement stricter border controls with Brits and other non-EU citizens being denied entry via the Gibraltar frontier.
Yesterday, a number of British nationals were turned away and denied entry with border officials demanding to see hotel reservations, proof of onward travel, return tickets and in some cases evidence of sufficient funds to cover their stay.
Local media reported that the tightening of the immigration controls which have intensified in recent days has been affecting both British and other non-EU nationals.
The British overseas territory of Gibraltar has been a political issue between the two governments in recent years with Brexit only serving to complicate arrangements for trade and immigration.
Gibraltar’s First Minister, Fabian Picardo, was surprised by the move and said that his administration would be discussing the matter with the Spanish authorities, as well as the UK government.
In a statement, via his Twitter account, Picardo said that the Gibraltarian government had received “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,” he said.
According to the Olive Press, an expat newspaper here in Spain, British travellers revealed that they were “pressed hard” to demonstrate that they had sufficient funds to cover their onward journey and accommodation in Spain.
“At the border, we had to prove we had €100 per day per person for the duration of our stay. The woman officer was apologetic but said she had to see enough for the ten days we planned to be in Spain either in cash or in a bank account,” said one British tourist.
Spain’s Policía Nacional claims that the process at the border has not changed and that nothing will change until an agreement between the two governments is found.
Negotiations between the two sides are ongoing and as of yet, it is unclear as to whether Gibraltar will enjoy a special arrangement that will allow non-EU citizens easier access into Spain and the rest of the Schengen area.
According to The Local, a Gibraltar-based source who is familiar with the negotiations said “we have had temporary bridging measures agreed with Spain about how the frontier operates” until an agreement is made, but that “it seems these bridging measures were not respected” this week.
With more than 10,000 Spaniards and Gibraltarians crossing the frontier each day for both work and tourism, many will be hoping that an agreement will soon be reached between the UK and Spanish governments to prevent further complications and the resulting upheaval experienced by many looking to cross the border.
Source
https://www.cityam.com/brexit-disbelief-and-confusion-at-gibraltar-border-as-spanish-authorities-block-brits-from-entering/
https://www.thelocal.es/20220420/spanish-border-guards-step-up-checks-on-britons-in-surprise-gibraltar-move/
