As Gibraltar does not belong to the European Union or the Schengen Area, everyone from Europe needs a national identity card or passport to enter. Citizens from all other nations need passports, as well as a Gibraltar visa, a United Kingdom visa which is valid for at least a year, or a United Kingdom residency permit which is valid for at least five years. Passengers who do not meet the above requirements at the airport will be denied entry into the territory. Visitors who enter Gibraltar on daytrips during visits to Spain on single-entry Schengen visas usually do not have problems returning, as passports are typically not stamped when crossing Gibraltar’s land border. More details on Gibraltar visa requirements are available at http://www.gibraltar.gov.uk/visa.php.

Health and Safety

The biggest safety concern visitors will encounter in Gibraltar are from the territory’s Barbary macaques (monkeys), who may be friendly, but are nonetheless semi-wild animals. The best way to avoid being bit or attacked is to refrain from taunting or feeding the monkeys, the latter of which is illegal despite the amount of tempting ‘monkey food’ kiosks found across the land. Visitors should also avoid holding baby Barbary macaques as mothers do get protective. Barbary bites require immediate medical attention as victims can contract hepatitis.

Visitors drinking in Spanish bars after dark should take taxis back to Gibraltar instead of walking as people have been known to be attacked on foot at the border late at night. Gibraltar’s efficient and ever-present police force ensures crime stays low in the territory. Visitors with European Health Insurance Cards receive free emergency treatment during their stay, but additional travel insurance is recommended.