During our time in the Mediterranean we visited Gibraltar twice, spending approximately 3 months there in total. It is an incredibly interesting place and our visit was only enhanced by having our dog cruising with us.
The customs and border situation can be a little confusing there, so to help out here was our experience taking a dog to Gibraltar.
Gibraltar pet importation process
Thankfully taking Rose into Gibraltar was a breeze! We proceeded directly to the Queensway Quay Marina as usual, docking on the quay wall where the marina staff met us. Along with our passports, which needed to be scanned for customs and immigration, they asked for proof of Rose's rabies vaccination and microchip. We gave them her EU pet passport and that was it, no further information or inspections required.
While in Gibraltar
Gibraltar is somewhere that has quite a few rules for dogs, but is generally quite welcoming towards them. We frequently took Rose to restaurants and pubs with us, and there were no issues having her sitting at an outside table with us.
In Gibraltar there are very few areas where you are permitted to have dogs off lead and most are quite small. Dogs are also not allowed on the beaches during summer months. There are some locals advocating for a larger dog off lead areas so it's a good idea to check what's currently available, but otherwise we found that many pet owners head to the end of Europa Point in the evening or down to Rosia Bay.
Personally, we would take Rose running out of the main town, for example going up Bacas Passage to Devil's Gap Battery, or to the Northern Defences, which at the time was relatively abandoned. You can read more about the off the beaten places we'd take her in this blog.
One habit that people in Gibraltar have is carrying a water bottle or similar around to spray the ground when the dog urinates. We assume the idea is to try to wash it a bit to prevent the city smelling. For that to be effective you'd want to add some kind of urine neutraliser to the water.
Finding transport for a dog in Gibraltar is difficult as they are not allowed in public transport and most taxis don't allow it. This generally isn't an issue since Gibraltar is so small, but if you want to travel further afield you may need to hire a car.
There are limited pet supplies in Gibraltar and having it shipped there is expensive so it's best to take what you need with you. If you really need to buy dog food it may be more cost effective to get it across the border in La Linea de la Concepcion, Spain.
In terms of safety in Gibraltar it's fine for dogs. The only thing to be aware of is the Barbary Macaques, as monkeys and dogs don't always mix.
When it came time to leave Gibraltar we needed to pay two visits to the vet to get Rose's paperwork ready for Trinidad. The government vet was Dr Mark at the Gibraltar Veterinary Clinic near Rosia Bay. He is very popular with his clients and we were able to work together to get the paperwork required together.
For more information about Gibraltar you can check out our guide for sailors and yachties visiting Gibraltar.
Visiting Spain with your dog
Many Gibraltarians take their dogs across the border to Spain so it's not unusual to see someone walking through the border crossing with a dog. If you're going to do this I'd suggest taking their vaccination records with you just in case you get asked by the border agents on either side.
One drawcard for crossing the border is there's a large off lead dog park within a few hundred meters of the crossing. It's called Princesa Sofía Parque Canino (Princess Sofía Dog Park) and is run by a not-for-profit community group in La Linea. The park was built on a bunker site and has different areas for the dogs to enjoy.
If you're concerned about coming across the land border then a local Gibraltarian may be able to help. When I was moving to Gibraltar from Spain to meet up with the boat, Rose inadvertently went through the border with one of the movers helping me. He had a Gibraltar residence card and wasn't asked anything about having a dog with him.
Official websites
The situation in Gibraltar may chance in future due to political events (Brexit caused a HUGE amount of uncertainty) and it was likely easier for us to enter because Rose had an EU Pet Passport. It's a good idea to check out these official websites before you visit, to see if there's anything else you need to know.
Environmental Agency Gibraltar - Importation of Pets
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