I was rather shocked when I saw initial reports (later denied) that Spanish police and customs officials would police immigration spots at Gibraltar. The problem is rather compex. Gibraltar wants to be part of the Schengen Agreement which allows problem-free travel across Europe. However, Britain has not signed the Schengen Agreement and the only way forward would be for a Schengen member, like Spain, to oversee travel movements. It would involve Spanish officers being on duty at the border, port and airport. The only other solution would be to have Schengen-Treaty-recognised private security officers on duty.
Gibraltar dispute
Gibraltar wants to be part of the Schengen Agreement
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RockyI've never flown in to Gibraltar. But it does beg the question of why there's passport control at all, if all the flights are coming from Britain (?) Do they have passport control when travelling from Essex to Kent? Regarding the frontier, you're effectively saying that aside from Spanish/Schengen customs, any border control on the Gibraltar side doesn't ask for passports or check anything, unless the subject seem suspicious? As if Spanish customs wouldn't catch it? That might explain why it's largely inactive or otherwise invisible. Spanish/Schengen customs is already doing the work. Again, aside from the airport, it seems any useful border control is already conducted by Spanish/Schengen customs ("Frontex"). Besides, if Gib joins Schengen, then it would necessarily be Frontex in charge anyway, at the airport or otherwise. Currently, it seems that in practice, Frontex is the only entity exercising any border control anyway. And that begs the question of what difference does it make? Or is it just another sensational thing to declare as an affront?
Morgan Williams clearly needs to go to Specsavers; When you land at the Gibraltar airport you have to show your passport to the Gibraltar borders agency and then you collect your bags and pass through the red or green channels manned by HM customs. There were flights from Morocco and Spain but currently only UK destinations. At the land frontier entering Gibraltar after passing the Spanish checks there is a Gibraltar immigration officer at a desk followed by HM customs, who are only likely to stop you if you have something suspicious. Spain controls what happens in Spain, Gibraltar controls what happens in Gibraltar. Except During the pandemic, I watched the Gibraltar borders agency turning back British residents arriving at the airport who did not have the correct paperwork to enter Spain and were not Gibraltar residents. They had to fly back to the UK.
I've been to Gibraltar several times in recent years. Never once did I encounter British or Gibraltarian customs. The only customs I've ever had to stop and produce any identification for was Spanish/Schengen. Both ways. It seems it's Spanish/Schengen customs in charge anyway. Are there even any flights arriving there from anywhere but the UK? ??