Gibraltar's government warned this week of significant changes to cross-border travel between Spain if a post-Brexit deal is not reached before November.

Negotiations between Spain, the EU and the UK over the fate of the small British overseas territory at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula are still ongoing.

But the countdown is on to November, when the EU's new automated entry and exit system of free Schengen area travel is set to come into effect.

Spanish authorities are already installing the infrastructure that would replace the manual procedures that treat Gibraltar ID card holders differently from their British counterparts.

In the event of an automated system without an agreement, the Gibraltar government says all non-Schengen citizens, including Gibraltar, would likely have to meet requirements to enter the EU, including holding a passport, justifying their purpose for travel, showing that they have enough money and have not been in the area for more than 90 days in any 180 days.

"The result of this inquiry may lead to the refusal of entry to Spain and the Schengen area for those who, in the eyes of the Schengen authorities, including the Spanish authorities at the land border with Spain, do not meet the conditions of entry," the statement said. of the government.

Further, the automated IT system will collect biometric data from first-time travelers to the Schengen Area, which Gibraltar warns could cause significant border delays of several days.

While Gibraltar says it is still "unclear" about the "exact nature" of the system, longer delays are likely if facial recognition devices are not installed.

Gibraltar's government also said it plans to retaliate if a deal with the EU is not reached in time.

"Gibraltar will improve its border control infrastructure by ensuring the use of e-gates and automated systems which will also process biometric data as is becoming the norm at borders around the globe," the statement said.

In mid-2025, a new travel pre-authorisation scheme to enter the Schengen Area is also set to become operational.

Gibraltar's government says it expects Gibraltarians, British citizens and other non-EU nationals resident in Gibraltar to be exempt from both the automated system and the pre-authorisation scheme if a treaty is reached.

In May, negotiators met and said they agreed on "broad political lines" for a post-Brexit treaty. It never went beyond that.

Earlier this week, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said negotiations with the new UK government would resume "as soon as possible" from where they left off.