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GSD: British Blue Card Holders “Need Frontier Discrimination Resolved”

The GSD has today said that Blue Card holders need “discrimination” at the frontier to be resolved.

A statement continued:

“Last week we raised the fact that British Blue ID/Civilian Registration card holders were being treated differently at the border. Despite promises that their passports would not be stamped pending Treaty negotiations these are now being stamped by Spanish authorities. While we welcome that the Government has raised these issues with the UK and Spain a resolution should be found soon.

“This is not just a mere inconvenience that slows down their crossing the border. For blue card holders it can bring other unwanted issues because of the rules requiring visas if you spend more than 90 days in Spain. Any entry and exit stamped in their passport will count towards that total. Additionally, there are concerns as to how this would impact British Blue card holders having regular medical treatment in Spain. All permanent residents of Gibraltar should be recognised as such pending the outcome of the negotiations.”

Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said: “They were promised that pending the outcome of negotiations nothing would change. But they are now suffering completely different treatment despite Government promises and even though they permanently reside in Gibraltar. For the Spanish Ministerio del Interior to say there has been no change in practice is simply baffling and untrue because it is obvious that passports are being stamped now and they were not before.

“The negotiations on the Treaty have just started even though they should have been finished by the end of 2021. As these talks could take several months an interim solution should quickly be found to preserve the status quo for British blue card holders. The Government should not lose sight of this real issue on the ground affecting many permanent residents of Gibraltar.”