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UK visitors to Gibraltar<\/a> could be refused entry by Spanish frontier officials \u2013 even if they have a passport valid for the British Overseas Territory. They would then be sent home on the next plane.<\/p>\n As part of a post-Brexit treaty<\/a>, Spain will check the passports of British travellers flying to Gibraltar<\/a>. The move marks a breakthrough in discussions that have been ongoing since Britain left the European Union in 2020.<\/p>\n The deal has been constructed to allow a free flow of passengers, vehicles and goods across the land frontier between Gibraltar and Spain<\/a>. In order to achieve this, Gibraltar must be treated the same as the Schengen<\/a> area \u2013 the passport-free zone that includes almost all the European Union, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. <\/p>\n As a result, British travellers will be barred once their passport has less than three months remaining<\/p>\n These are the key questions and answers.<\/p>\n What will happen at Gibraltar\u2019s frontiers?<\/p>\n Visitors arriving by air or sea from a non-EU port to the British Overseas Territory will face two passport checks on arrival. The existing examination by Gibraltar\u2019s Borders and Coastguard Agency will be augmented by a Spanish frontier post.<\/p>\n Consequently, the \u201cthird-country\u201d rules that the Boris Johnson government negotiated for UK citizens will apply to the territory.<\/p>\n Spain will have the final say on whether a UK traveller can enter Gibraltar. Spanish officials will \u201crefuse entry to third country nationals who do not fulfil the entry conditions\u201d. Unless they meet the \u201cSchengen rules\u201d for passport validity and maximum length of stay, they will be flown back to the UK.<\/p>\n These rules will not apply to residents of Gibraltar, nor to British servicemen and women on duty trips.<\/p>\n As Spain gains control of the territory\u2019s border, officials are at pains to stress that Gibraltar will not become part of the Schengen area. The chief minister, Fabian Picardo, says: \u201cGibraltar will remain outside both Schengen and the EU, but Schengen border rules will apply at its external border.\u201d<\/p>\n How different will it be from a Schengen area frontier?<\/p>\n Identical, once you get past the initial Gibraltar formalities. Mr Picardo says: \u201cA new facility for passport checks will be built at our airport so we can carry out cumulative passport checks on arrivals from third countries.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this agreement, the first hand on the gate remains a British hand. The first check is a British check.\u201d<\/p>\n At the second check, the red tape that British travellers will face is exactly the same as any Schengen frontier post. Because the Gibraltar-Spain border controls will be removed \u2013 allowing free movement as far as the Arctic and the Baltic \u2013 there is no alternative to treating UK arrivals as entering the European frontier-free zone.<\/p>\n Holders of Irish passports, or any identity document issued by an EU nation, will be allowed entry to Gibraltar up to the expiry date. There is likely to be a fast track for EU arrivals.<\/p>\n What rules are changing?<\/p>\n At present British visitors to Gibraltar must simply have a valid passport and can stay up to 90 days. The only rule: \u201cYour passport must not expire during your planned visit to Gibraltar.\u201d<\/p>\n When the agreement takes effect, British passports<\/a> will need to meet two stricter requirements:<\/p>\n Under 10 years old on the day of entry to Gibraltar<\/a>At least three months remaining on the intended day of departure from Gibraltar<\/a> or the Schengen<\/a> area<\/p>\n