Spain’s Interior Ministry has confirmed that the EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) will go live at the Gibraltar land crossing—La Verja—next month. Fingerprint readers and facial-recognition kiosks have already been installed and will be switched on in phases beginning in February, with full operation slated for April 2026 in line with EU deadlines.
Crucially, the scanners will not apply to Gibraltar residents once the long-negotiated EU-UK mobility treaty is ratified; they will continue to use dedicated lanes. But until that treaty clears legal ‘scrubbing’ and parliamentary votes in London, Brussels and Madrid, some 14,000 daily cross-border workers and tourists can expect longer queues during peak hours. Local officials warn that morning wait times could double to 45 minutes during the shakedown period.
![Spain to Activate Biometric Entry/Exit Scanners at Gibraltar Border in February]()
Spanish authorities conducted a site visit last week with senior police, customs and EU-affairs officials to map out traffic-flow changes and signage. Gibraltar’s government supports the upgrade but is lobbying to postpone full activation until the treaty enters force, arguing that “one set-up change followed by another” would confuse commuters and burden small businesses that rely on just-in-time deliveries.
Whether you are a daily commuter, a business traveler, or a tourist planning a quick shopping run across the border, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork side of your journey. Through its Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/), the service tracks real-time EES updates, provides personalized entry requirement checks, and can arrange expedited visa processing or passport renewal couriers—helping you spend less time worrying about compliance and more time on the road.
Corporate mobility managers with staff commuting between Gibraltar’s gaming hub and offices in Andalucía should brief employees on the new biometric capture, remind them to have passports with at least two blank pages, and consider staggering shift start-times through March. Travel insurers also recommend allowing 90 minutes for tax-free shopping trips by car until operations stabilise.
Crucially, the scanners will not apply to Gibraltar residents once the long-negotiated EU-UK mobility treaty is ratified; they will continue to use dedicated lanes. But until that treaty clears legal ‘scrubbing’ and parliamentary votes in London, Brussels and Madrid, some 14,000 daily cross-border workers and tourists can expect longer queues during peak hours. Local officials warn that morning wait times could double to 45 minutes during the shakedown period.
Spanish authorities conducted a site visit last week with senior police, customs and EU-affairs officials to map out traffic-flow changes and signage. Gibraltar’s government supports the upgrade but is lobbying to postpone full activation until the treaty enters force, arguing that “one set-up change followed by another” would confuse commuters and burden small businesses that rely on just-in-time deliveries.
Whether you are a daily commuter, a business traveler, or a tourist planning a quick shopping run across the border, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork side of your journey. Through its Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/), the service tracks real-time EES updates, provides personalized entry requirement checks, and can arrange expedited visa processing or passport renewal couriers—helping you spend less time worrying about compliance and more time on the road.
Corporate mobility managers with staff commuting between Gibraltar’s gaming hub and offices in Andalucía should brief employees on the new biometric capture, remind them to have passports with at least two blank pages, and consider staggering shift start-times through March. Travel insurers also recommend allowing 90 minutes for tax-free shopping trips by car until operations stabilise.
