Administrative Arrangement between the United Kingdom, in respect of Gibraltar, and Spain on the Mobility of Certain Categories of Persons and Goods

The United Kingdom (UK), for Gibraltar, and Spain, together called the Participants, set out an administrative arrangement. They note that, in it, "Agreement" means the treaty between the European Union (EU) and the UK on Gibraltar, as published in the Official Journal of the EU with the date 14 July 2026, marked as not yet published. They note that neither the arrangement nor any activity or measure taken in applying it or as a result of it implies any change to the respective legal positions of Spain and the UK on sovereignty and jurisdiction in relation to Gibraltar. They also note that the arrangement, any arrangements related to it, and any measures, instruments or conduct taken in applying it, as a result of it or under it, do not change, and will not otherwise affect, the respective legal positions of Spain or the UK on sovereignty and jurisdiction, and will not be the basis for any assertion or denial of sovereignty, including in legal proceedings or otherwise. They note that the arrangement provides for arrangements for applying the treaty to the mobility of certain categories of people and goods relating to Gibraltar, and they recall the provisions of the treaty and the associated administrative arrangements on the movement of people and goods relating to Gibraltar. The Participants then state that they have decided as follows.

The administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods sets up a bilateral working group, which it calls the Working Group, on the mobility of the persons referred to in one article of the treaty and of the goods included in one chapter of the treaty.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, the Working Group will inform, as necessary, the relevant committees referred to in one article of the treaty, and in line with that article, on matters related to putting into practice another article of the treaty and a chapter of the treaty.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, the Working Group will be co-chaired by a representative of Spain and a representative of the UK. The delegations will be made up of representatives of the Participants' relevant ministries. The group will meet at least every four months, or as necessary where both Participants agree, and it will set its meeting schedule and the agenda of each meeting by mutual consent.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, the Working Group will help put into practice and apply the relevant provisions of the treaty and of any supplementing agreement, and will resolve differences on operational matters related to putting them into practice and applying them.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, each Participant may refer to the Working Group any issue relating to how the relevant provisions of the treaty or of any supplementing agreement are put into practice, applied and interpreted.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, the Working Group will have the power to: discuss any matter related to putting into practice and applying the relevant provisions of the treaty or of any supplementing agreement, and decide by consensus the appropriate channel of communication between the Participants for this; make recommendations by consensus to the relevant EU-UK treaty committee on the application of the relevant provisions of the treaty or of any supplementing agreement; and set up, by consensus, other Working Groups and give them tasks, dissolve any Working Group, or change the tasks given to them.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, the work of the Working Group will be governed by the rules of procedure, which will be adopted in the minutes of its first meeting. The Working Group may change those rules of procedure.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, unless the Working Group agrees otherwise by consensus, the liaison officers provided for in one article and one chapter of the treaty will be designated by the Participants, who will inform the Working Group of their appointment and replacement. Each liaison officer will begin to carry out their liaison functions immediately after the Working Group agrees on their appointment. The liaison officers will be serving military officers of the Spanish Armed Forces or the UK Armed Forces holding a rank no more senior than OF3.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, the liaison officers will carry out the tasks given to them in two articles of the treaty, as well as any other tasks given to them by a decision of the Working Group.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, the liaison officers will act in a non-executive capacity to make it easier, in good faith, to put this arrangement into practice and apply it. In line with the treaty and this arrangement, their role will be to make it easier for border checks, defence movements or customs procedures to be carried out, and for persons to enter and leave or defence goods to move, quickly and without undue delay. They will report to the Working Group on any operational difficulties affecting how this arrangement is put into practice or applied.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, the Participants will each make sure that their own designated liaison officers are available, including outside the fixed opening hours of the Designated Customs Post and the Border Crossing Points, in line with two articles of the treaty.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, the Participants will make sure that liaison officers hold appropriate security clearance under their respective laws, so that the liaison officers can access the areas they need to access to carry out their duties in good faith in line with this arrangement and the treaty.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, the identity of the persons will be checked against the documents submitted under one article of the treaty, on location, by the liaison officers of both Participants, as soon as is reasonably practicable on their arrival and before departure. Using the channel of communication agreed by the Working Group under an earlier paragraph of this arrangement, the UK will make available to Spain the information needed to identify these persons, as soon as is reasonably practicable before arrival or departure and in any event no later than six hours before arrival or departure. When justified operational circumstances prevent this, the information will be provided on arrival.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, where the conditions set in a paragraph of one article of the treaty are met, the UK will give Spain's liaison officer, as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event before the goods are transferred, a list of the items and a certificate signed by the UK's liaison officer guaranteeing that the items will be securely transported and stored in designated facilities, and will be subject to a strict accounting and tracking system.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, whether the conditions set in one article of the treaty are met may be checked on location by the liaison officers of both Participants, as soon as is reasonably practicable upon the import or export of the goods, or at the counter set up under an annex of the treaty.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, the Participants will set, in an exchange of diplomatic notes, the list of selected partners to which a rule in one article of the treaty will apply.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, all classified information exchanged or produced in connection with this arrangement will be used, sent, stored and handled in line with the Participants' national security laws and regulations and with the security arrangement on protecting classified information that the UK and Spain signed in Madrid on 26 February 2009.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, on arriving in and leaving Gibraltar by civilian aircraft or civilian vessel, members of non-resident UK Forces, as well as members of visiting third-country forces and members of the civilian component, will present the documents specified in two paragraphs of one article of the treaty at the Schengen border crossing points set up under another article of the treaty. Spain will register those documents quickly and without undue delay on arrival at the border crossing points, and they will serve as proof of entitlement to exemption from passport and visa rules and from Schengen border checks, in line with the treaty. The relevant border authorities will not impede these persons, or deny them entry or exit, if they present a valid movement order and form of personal identification. Any data collected for the purposes of one of those two paragraphs of the treaty will be used only for border security at those same border crossing points in Gibraltar.

Under the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods, to go through the border checks by Spain and by the UK, for Gibraltar, referred to in one article of the treaty, the same movement order and official form of personal identification will be presented as proof of entitlement to exemption from passport and visa rules and from Schengen border checks, in line with another article of the treaty.

The administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods gives these meanings for its own purposes: a "State Aircraft" is any aircraft that is owned or operated by a State and is being used only for government service and not for commercial purposes; a "State Vessel" is any vessel that is owned or operated by a State and is being used only for government service and not for commercial purposes; a "state consignment" is a consignment of goods that either Participant designates as such and that is not for commercial purposes, bears visible external marks of its character and contains only official documents or articles intended for official use.

The administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods will take effect on the date of the last signature, and will start to operate from the date the treaty enters into force.

Either Participant may end the administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods by written notice through diplomatic channels. This arrangement will cease to have effect on the first day of the twelfth month after the date of the notice. If the treaty is terminated, this arrangement will cease to be in force.

The administrative arrangement between Spain and the UK, for Gibraltar, on the movement of certain categories of persons and goods closes with a statement that the record above sets out the understandings reached between the UK, for Gibraltar, and Spain on the matters it refers to.

Signed at Madrid on 25 June 2026: for the UK, for Gibraltar, by Sir Alex Ellis, Ambassador to Spain and Andorra; and for Spain, by Carlos Moreno Blanco, Secretary General for the European Union.