The Gibraltar–Spain border is the

international boundary Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...

between the

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Br ...

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = "Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibr ...

and the

Kingdom of Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. 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 (, more often referred to as La Línea) is a 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 the Bay of Gibraltar, a ...

. 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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

) 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 located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

Schengen Area The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and ...

, 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

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 northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

in perpetuity under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. In 1730, the

Lines of Contravallation of Gibraltar The Lines of Contravallation of Gibraltar (Spanish: ''Línea de Contravalación de Gibraltar'' or ''Línea de Gibraltar''), known in English as the "Spanish Lines", were a set of fortifications built by the Spanish across the northern part of the ...

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 (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spai ...

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

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental E ...

while trying to invade the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a 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 kn ...

, but France shortly afterwards turned on its ally, thus forcing Spain to side itself with Great Britain 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 ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

'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 Britain 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 (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 193 ...

ordered the closure of the border gate on 8 June 1969 in response to the

Gibraltar Constitution Order 1969 The Gibraltar Constitution Order 1969 was published on 30 May 1969 as an Order in Council. The constitution was the outcome of the Constitutional Conference chaired by Malcolm Shepherd, 2nd Baron Shepherd which lasted from 16 July to 24 July 196 ...

. 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. These were the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom), and the ...

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 Treaty of Utrecht. 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 The National Police Corps ( es, Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, link=no, CNP; ; also known simply as National Police, ) is the national civilian police force of Spain. The CNP is mainly responsible for policing urban areas, whilst rural policing ...

. 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 María Aránzazu "Arancha" González Laya (born 22 May 1969) is a Spanish lawyer who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in the Spanish government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez from 2020 to 2021. Currently, Go ...

, announced that cross-border workers who commute between Gibraltar and Spain will be exempt from Spanish border controls after

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 Greenwich Mean Time, GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 Central Eur ...

, 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 The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreig ...

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 , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

formally ceded the territory in perpetuity to the British Crown in 1713, under Article X of the Treaty of Utrecht. *

, the withdrawal of UK from the EU in 2020, might affect the Gibraltar–Spain border. There is a plan to include Gibraltar in the

, 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 The effect of Brexit on Gibraltar concerns the status of Gibraltar after withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020 after having voted to leave in the 2016 referendum and formally notified the ...