What documents will I need to travel with under the 2026 UK/EU Treaty in relation to Gibraltar and Schengen Area access?

Short answer

You need your passport together with your Gibraltar identity card or Gibraltar civilian registration card. A passport alone does not establish your treaty benefits, including exemption from the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), so carry both even for a day trip to Spain.

Detailed answer

Your British passport, whether it is a UK issued passport or a Gibraltar issued passport, will not, on its own, allow you to establish that you have the benefits granted to you under the treaty. For that reason, you need to travel with both your British passport and your Gibraltar identity card, or the passport of your nationality and your Gibraltar civilian registration card if you do not have a Gibraltar identity card.

Even if you do not intend to cross an external border of the Schengen Area, for instance if you intend to cross the land border to spend the day in Spain, you should still always travel with your passport and Gibraltar identity card or Gibraltar civilian registration card.

Holders of these cards are exempt from the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) and from passport stamping. On Tuesday 13 October 2026 the Government of Gibraltar confirmed that the European Commission has instructed Schengen border authorities that Gibraltar residents should not be registered in the EES or be required to interact with it. Presenting both documents at every Schengen external border is how you establish that exemption.

If a border official still seeks to register you, politely explain that you are a Gibraltar resident and exempt under the treaty arrangements. If you are registered anyway, report it to the Government of Gibraltar at [email protected] so it can be recorded and raised through the appropriate channels.