GETTING A WORK AND RESIDENCE PERMIT IN SPAIN

Citizens from European countries need to have a residence permit to live and work in Gibraltar. Non EU citizens first need to obtain a work permit (a contract from an employer in a Gibraltar located company) before applying for a visa. This might not sound too difficult, but the company first has to prove that no Gibraltarian or EU resident is capable or willing to do this job. British people and those who were born in Gibraltar are the only ones who do not need a working permit or a residence permit.

Marrying a Gibraltarian man does not give you the right to a residence permit. But marrying a Gibraltarian woman does. A women who is married to a man (born in Gibraltar) can live and work in the colony as long as her husband is living there.

EU citizens: As part of the EU, Gibraltar allows members of EU nation states to enter, work, and live on the peninsula. They will initially receive a 6-month visa, and when that expires, a 5-year renewable work permit if they have found suitable employment, or started a business in the meantime.


‘New’ EU citizens: Under present legislation, nationals of the following EU/EEA member states require a work permit for employment in Gibraltar:

  • Until 30th April 2009: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. 
  • Until 31 December 2011: Bulgaria and Romania.

However, when a citizen of one of the above has worked in Gibraltar with a work permit for an uninterrupted period of 12 months or more, they do not need a work permit to get another job in Gibraltar.
Swiss nationals: do not require a work permit for employment in Gibraltar.
Non-EU nationals: must find a job that no native Gibraltarian is willing to undertake. A work permit and residence permit will be issued if this is the case, but for a period not exceeding 12 months. The prospective employer has to request the work permit before the start of the employment. The government does not usually encourage this, especially since there is a readily available Spanish workforce within easy commuting distance.

Residence Permits:

Only Gibraltarian and British citizens are allowed to live and work in Gibraltar without a residence permit. Nationals from other EU member states are issued residence permits upon providing proof that they will not become a burden to the state. Non-EU citizens will find it more difficult to obtain a residence permit in Gibraltar as they must first produce a work contract, and that can only be issued if the employer can prove that no Gibraltarian or EU citizen is able to do the job.