What was the pre covid way and do you see any changes post covid to entering Gibraltar (since Brexit) or taking ferry to Tangier, Morocco??? I understand things can change, but I'm not sure how it was pre covid. We will be there next spring and I imagine it may change again. Thanks
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Both border crossings have always required passport checks. ( UK was not part of the Schengen border agreement, even when it was in the European Union.) Both are quick procedures and explained in Rick’s Spain guidebook.
The standard way of entering Gibraltar is to walk in from La Linea (having taken a bus there or parked in a cheaper Spanish parking lot). The entrance road will take you through the immigration/customs checkpoint.
Passport control to/from Morocco usually takes place in the ferry office on the Spanish side and onboard the ferry for the Moroccan officer (particularly in the case of Tarifa-Tangier). An agent will have a desk set up for passport stamping and expect your visit well before exiting the ferry. Do arrive early for the ferry to allow time for check-in on either side.
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
2940 posts
Furthermore, now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, procedures have become more cumbersome and passing from one side to the other (ESP-Gibraltar I mean) can take much longer -depending on the day/hour you cross, if it happens to coincide with the scores of people that work across the border. Take that into account!