The Gibraltar–Spain border is the international boundary between the

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

and the

Kingdom of Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is also referred to as "The Fence of Gibraltar" () or simply "The Fence". The border runs east–west for a total of separating Gibraltar from the neighbouring Spanish municipality of

La Línea de la Concepción La Línea de la Concepción (), often referred to simply as La Línea, is a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. The city lies on the sandy isthmus which is part of the eastern flank of ...

. Since Gibraltar (like the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

) is outside the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

's Schengen Area, identity checks are required to cross the border. On 31 December 2020, an agreement in principle had been agreed between Spain and the United Kingdom, for Gibraltar to join the EU's Schengen Area while remaining a British Overseas Territory.

History

The territory of Gibraltar was ceded to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

in perpetuity under the

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vac ...

in 1713. In 1730, the Lines of Contravallation of Gibraltar were built by Spain to isolate Gibraltar: these lines were north of the isthmus linking Spain with Gibraltar. These lines were the first form of border between Gibraltar and Spain. During the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

in the early 19th century, Spain had initially sided with the

First French Empire The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

while trying to invade the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal was a Portuguese monarchy, monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also known as the Kingdom of Portugal a ...

, but France shortly afterwards turned on its ally, thus forcing Spain to side itself with the United Kingdom and Portugal against the French Empire. The Lines of Contravallation were blown up by the Gibraltar Commanding Royal Engineer Charles Holloway, with permission from Spain on 14 February 1810, to avoid them falling into the hands of the approaching French.R. H. Vetch, ‘Holloway, Sir Charles (1749–1827)’, rev. Alastair W. Massie, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 200
accessed 25 May 2013
/ref> Gibraltar, supported by La Línea, became an important base for Spanish fighters against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's troops. Currently, all that remains of the Lines of Contravallation are the Ruins of Fort St. Barbara, which is being restored, while remnants of the Fort San Felipe have appeared recently. Fort San Carlos does not seem to have left preserved evidence. In 1909 the United Kingdom decided to reduce the number of sentries and built a fence high, however there was suspicion about the motives for doing so. The line of this fence eventually became the ''de facto'' border. Spain claims that, by building the fence where it did, the United Kingdom annexed 106 of the original 156 hectares of neutral ground. The Gibraltar International Airport was built at this location. Spanish leader

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

ordered the closure of the border gate on 8 June 1969 in response to the Gibraltar Constitution Order 1969. The border at La Línea remained closed for more than 13 years until it was partially reopened to Spanish and Gibraltarian pedestrians on 15 December 1982, and was fully reopened to motor vehicles on 5 February 1985 in preparation for Spain joining the

European Communities The European Communities (EC) were three international organizations that were governed by the same set of Institutions of the European Union, institutions. These were the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Co ...

in 1986.

Status of the isthmus

Spain continues to dispute the sovereign status of the isthmus with the United Kingdom, specifically the territory where Gibraltar International Airport stands, in addition to a broader dispute about the status of Gibraltar as a whole. One of the sources of the dispute is the lack of appropriate definitions of what had been actually ceded to Great Britain in the

. The Treaty did not include any map or specific description of the ceded elements, so that Article X is subject to different interpretations from each side. According to Article X of the Treaty of Utrecht, dominion is ceded over ''the town and castle of Gibraltar, together with the port, fortifications, and forts thereunto belonging''.

Customs and identity checks

Customs and identity checks on the Spanish side of the border are carried out by the Spanish Civil Guard and the Spanish National Police. Customs and identity checks on the Gibraltar side of the border are carried out by HM Customs Gibraltar and the Gibraltar Borders and Coastguard Agency. On 28 December 2020, Spain's Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya, announced that cross-border workers who commute between Gibraltar and Spain will be exempt from Spanish border controls after

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

, even if no agreement on free movement is reached with the

Congestion charge

In 2010, the People's Party mayor of La Línea, Alejandro Sanchez, attempted to impose a "congestion charge" on people entering or leaving Gibraltar, despite having been told by the Spanish Government that such a charge would be a breach of national and EU law.

Territorial waters dispute

In July 2013, the Gibraltar Government placed a number of concrete blocks in the sea off the coast of Gibraltar, intending to form an artificial reef. The Spanish Government protested, stating that it harmed fishing in the area, restricting access for Spanish fishing vessels. At the end of July the Spanish Government introduced extra border checks for people going in and out of the territory into Spain. The British Government protested as the checks were causing major delays of up to seven hours while people waited to cross the border, and on 2 August the Spanish Ambassador was summoned to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London to explain these developments.

Maritime borders

The Gibraltar Port Authority controls the territorial waters of Gibraltar that border Spain's.

Important treaties

* Treaty of Utrecht (1713) - The Spanish Crown formally ceded the territory in perpetuity to the British Crown in 1713, under Article X of the

. *

, the withdrawal of UK from the EU in 2020, might affect the Gibraltar–Spain border. There is a plan to include Gibraltar in the Schengen Area, removing all border checks at the Gibraltar–Spain border, but strengthening the control at air travel from UK. See also Effect of Brexit on Gibraltar.