Intending to move to Gibraltar

Welcome to Expat.com Graham!

Harmonie.

If you have hands-on mech eng then you stand a good chance of getting work, also with electrical, although the latest edition JIB registration would help there.  There may also be diving work either with the boat companies or even the archaeology department that works in the caves.  Not so sure about that as I'm more up on construction.
You can't register with the job centre until you are a resident.  You can't become a resident without a job. Just so you know.

Well, unless you have shed loads of money of course. I should have added that.

Thanks for this, always useful to have as many suggestions as possible.
Regards
Graham

hi, im also moving to gib end of may begining of june. No job or place to live yet but from the information i have found out you dont need anything(paper work) to move to gib it is in the EU and apart of Britain after all.

nuffz wrote:

hi, im also moving to gib end of may begining of june. No job or place to live yet but from the information i have found out you dont need anything(paper work) to move to gib it is in the EU and apart of Britain after all.

You may find this type of paperwork useful

lol, thanks guys, I've read about a 6 month rule as a limited period of stay before you have to leave if you haven't secured paid work or can show you are self employed, which also seems pretty difficult to enforce as no one ever gets their passport stamped going into or leaving the airport.
Also something about applying for a residency permit from the Governors office, any thoughts ?

What GOB said.

Accommodation isn't cheap and right now jobs are thin on the ground with cross border workers living in Spain pushing down the price for work as low as possible as they are so desperate to earn money.

If you have enough money you can stay as long as you want (hence the pic on the previous post).

The residence permit is from the Immigration Office in Joshua Hassan's House, just off Line Wall Road (NOT the Governor's Office).  The permit is actually granted by the royal gib police so presumably if you have a lengthy criminal record, you might find it difficult.

If they grant the permit, you can then get a local ID card which can be anything from six months to five years. This gives you the right to free bus travel , the right to a Gibraltar registered vehicle, and depending on your status, a Gib/EU health card.

I think you are confusing all these issues. You can live here without a residence card/permit.  The job issues only come into force regarding the issue of an ID card/permit.

Never mind the airport. People cross the frontier every day!

As to nuffz - it is not a part of Britain although it is a part of the sovereign realm or whatever the technical term is. It is a British Overseas Territory.

Brits however, have no special rights or status in Gib, and are treated like every other EU member.

im sorry you are right. do you newd an id card to work then?

Thanks for that, accommodation is fortunately not a problem as I have someone I can stay with, nor the criminal record, looks like if I can get networking with some people I might stand a decent chance of getting some employment.
just shuffling bits of the jigsaw around so all the bits fall into place I guess.
cheers

Hi,

I am about to become a retired Brit in Gib with a working teacher wife, a pension, some income, and we'll buy a flat, but I'll have no job! Are you in Gib yet? Need to pick sone brains about life there!

Nick

Hi, I'm still travelling to and fro between the UK and Gib at the moment, not secured work yet but Im doing some door knocking when I do go out and letter writing when Im back here.
There are lots of employment agencies serving Gib but it seems an awful lot of work is in the e-gaming and gambling industry.
Expect a significantly lower wage than you might have been used to in UK.
Depending on what work is being sought the direct approach might bare more fruit than going through the job agencies.
If you can spare the time and costs consider taking a short break out there and go door knocking.
Accommodation in Gib is quite expensive, there are a couple of good hotels over the border in La Linea,if you don't mind the walk across the runway into Gib and back.
Hope that maybe helps a bit

Regards
Graham

Hi Graham,

thanks for the reply, I have surfed employment agencies sites in Gib, altho I hope not to have to work as I am taking early retirement. I am an HR mgr, yes pay looks significantly lower than in UK. Hopefully teacher wife will get a job offer this week, she went to the interview in Gib in March...

Accommodation in Gib is really quite expensive, £160k for a 2 bed flat ... I looked at the hostals in La Linea, don't mind the walk across the runway into Gib and back, cheaper than Gib and with A/C and en suites. Only cheapey in Gib was Cannon Hotel  - a pub - no A/C and few en suites! We'll be a family of 3 - have daughter of 14 - searching for a flat to buy ASAP. Yes, it all helps a bit, thanks, let's keep in touch, looks like we are facing the same challenges!

Thanks Nick.

Fingers crossed for your wife's job application, hope it comes off ok.
will keep an eye out for property when I'm out there, there are quite a few estate agents around Ocean Village and Marina Bay area.
All the best
Graham

Hi Graham,

thanks, still no word from Gib, we await the postman every morning with fingers crossed... I've spoken to a few estate agents and got a reasonable idea of what you get for your money, but I really need to go there to see what the places are like in the flesh, location, location, location etc! Property on the east side up Devils Tower Rd seems cheaper but its a noisy busy Rd, apparently they are routing traffic from Spain in through there under a new tunnel at the end of the  runway.

Have a good trip, hope you find something!

Nick.

I'd avoid the development known as 'Both Worlds' on the east side of the rock, its a former holiday apartment development that was run by one of the hotels, it got sold off and re designated as residential use, there are all sorts of problems with it and the consortium that runs it are gradually withdrawing facilities but charging the residents more community fees.
a cheaper price usually comes with a lot of hidden costs.
Properties overlooking Catalan bay are nice but in a Rock fall zone, the law of averages says one day a big one will roll down the slope ;o) oh yes, and you get a lot of the apes down there as well, cute for the fist few times you see them, less so as you begin to realise what a light fingered mob they are !

another problem with the east side is that by about 4pm the sun has passed over the top of the rock and you are in shade, probably a blessing in the summer, maybe less so at other times of the year.

As for the tunnel under the runway, I'll believe that when I see it, Gib has done its bit, Spain dug a few barrow loads of earth on its side, got bored and threw the shovel away, don't hold your breath.

Devils Tower Road is a funny bit of road, as you've already seen, plus when the border que starts backing up, the traffic gets routed up there to go round the roundabout near the vehicle testing station, not great if you want to get out.

All the best Nick, message me back if you need a heads up with anything.
Regards
Graham

Just to put things into perspective.

Devils Tower Rd is used to route traffic to Spain not from.

The tunnel under the runway has nothing to do with Spain it is a Gib project to eventually end the necessity for traffic to cross the runway which causes delays when flights arrive and leave.

Accommodation, the only way is to come out and check it yourself. Estate agents are notorious for missrepresenting properties the world over.

One site I use for property is :- propertygibraltar.com/

To put property into context I recently took 8 months to find a property to buy even though I was a cash buyer.
Too many false leads and owners offering their properties who had not started to sort out where they were going to move to.
I have lived here for many years so it must be frustrating to a newcommer.

Hi All,

still need more help, sorry!

some questions:

-how much is petrol/liter?
-how do elec, water, sewage, phone bills compare to UK?
-(I know property rates are cheaper than in UK).
- is it worth bringing a car from the UK over, if you have to register it in Gib within 6 mths (?) and pay import tax of 25%? This would cost me about £1.5k (ferry, tolls, petrol, hotel, Gib tax)on a car worth £2k in the UK! What do you do with a UK R-hand drive car in Gib when you no longer need it - could you sell it?
- most importatnt of all, what terrestrial TV do you get in Gib? Is it digital? Can you get all UK TV, eg IT and BBC and C4? By cable, satellite?

All info greatly rec'd, we are still waiting for the letter from Gib Ed Dept that was promised 2 weeks ago, about my wife's teaching job! We've phoned the Gib Ed Dept all week but no-one answers the phone (!?)Is that par for the course for a Govt Dept?

Many thanks, Nick.[]

avocastreetrandwick wrote:

Hi All,

still need more help, sorry!

some questions:

-how much is petrol/liter? £1.00 to £1.10 changes daily
-how do elec, water, sewage, phone bills compare to UK? Electricity is 12.8 p per kwh Water 24.9 p per 100 litres for the first 4500 litres per month then 61.9 p per 100 litres+ a standing charge of £3 for example my last bill was £16.69 for the month for 4900 litres. No sewage charges. Telephone £32 per month with crap internet 4 mb no free telephone calls

-(I know property rates are cheaper than in UK). Mine £640 / yr for a 115 sq mtr property
- is it worth bringing a car from the UK over, if you have to register it in Gib within 6 mths (?) and pay import tax of 25%? This would cost me about £1.5k (ferry, tolls, petrol, hotel, Gib tax)on a car worth £2k in the UK! What do you do with a UK R-hand drive car in Gib when you no longer need it - could you sell it? Best to leave it behind but also weigh up the cost of travel to Gib without it and what you need to carry with you

- most importatnt of all, what terrestrial TV do you get in Gib? Is it digital? Can you get all UK TV, eg IT and BBC and C4? By cable, satellite? I plug into the socket in the wall and get 300+ channels

All info greatly rec'd, we are still waiting for the letter from Gib Ed Dept that was promised 2 weeks ago, about my wife's teaching job! We've phoned the Gib Ed Dept all week but no-one answers the phone Maybe it's half term?(!?)Is that par for the course for a Govt Dept? Yes

Many thanks, Nick.[]

Hope this helps

Grumpy

Hi Nick, the TV all went digital earlier this year, if you have a freeview enabled TV you might find that it wont work on the set up in Gib, but by all means give it a go when you get there.
I ended buying the other half a Digi box from out there for about £60 and you can get all the UK channels you'd expect plus all the Spanish stuff.
I did consider getting one in UK and taking it out with me but if its only set up to work in a particular region it could have been a waste of money

Grumpy's right about Govt departments, and to honest just about any other department out there, its a 1st world economy with a 3rd world attitude to getting anything done, health care seems to be pretty good though.

Regards
Graham

Hi All,
Lots of great info on here. Could anyone give me a rent price range for a 3 bedroom house/flat in Gibraltar?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Michael

Hi Michael

You can check rents on the following site:-

http://propertygibraltar.com/torent

Regards

Grumpy

thanks Grumpy for that!

Have a great weekend!

Hiya everyone!

So much useful info on this! Can't believe i only discovered it the now!

I am living in Scotland and have just been promoted with the bank that i work for. I am moving to Gib a week today!

I am very nervous as expected.

I am coming over with my hubby who is a butcher over here and i was wondering if anyone can help me at all?

He does not know English very well (he is from Pakistan) and wanted to know how big the Muslim/Asian community is over there? and also are there any halal butchers in Gib?

Due to some complications he is not able to go into Spain (don't ask!), so although at first we were going to live across the border,we will now have to stay in Gib (which as i gather is quite expensive!)

Also can u get indian spices etc in Gib? and if not, how easy is it to bring them in from Spain? (I am a British citizen so have no trouble going in and out of Spain).

Any help/advice would greatly appreciated!

Cheers x

Hi

There is quite a sizeable Muslim community in Gib with a lot of Pakistanis / Asians here and some Halal butchers

http://www.visitgibraltar.gi/mosque

I would guess people from Spain come to Gib for their spices, apart from Indian sources there are spices from Morocco here.


Regards

Grumpy

Hi grumpyoldbloke!

Thank you so much for replying good to hear about the spices etc and halal butchers! Load off my chest lol

Could you also advise if you know anywhere i could rent a cheap 1 or 2 bed flat privately? and how much roughly is it likely to cost me?

As always, any info u have is much appreciated! Thank yooo

soconfused wrote:

Hi grumpyoldbloke!
Could you also advise if you know anywhere i could rent a cheap 1 or 2 bed flat privately? and how much roughly is it likely to cost me?

That is a problem, the only information I can give you is the previously posted link
http://propertygibraltar.com/torent

Regards

Grumpy

aw thanks so much Grumpyoldbloke! your help is much appreciated!

Hi Graham,

As simple as you say, book a flight, wander into town, pop into some agencies and bars and just ask around.   Gib is a very sociable place and if you are sociable you will make friends and probably find a job.   If you are prepared to live in Spain and walk across the border then an apartment will be from 400 Euro upwards a month.   Don't work for yourself as that opens a can of worms, work for someone else they sort your tax etc.   Worst case scenario you don't get your ideal job but if you get a job then you can work on that.   Bad news is you need a job to get onto the system and when you get a job you need to live on the Rock to get on the system and that's more expensive than Spain.   But don't be put off because for a diver the sea is a stones throw away and as I said before its a sociable friendly place.   Hope that sounds more positive than my last two posts    I should add I do love it here.   But I have pulled a few hairs out of my head but that's just getting used to the Gib way.   Good luck

Nick - I know your post was a while ago and not sure if you have made the move yet or not - with regards to your 14yr old as I understand it in order for them to attend the English school in Gib you need to have an address in Gibraltar. I don't think they can enroll if you live in Spain and therefore have a Spanish address - not 100% sure, does anyone else know for sure????

You can enrol your children into gib schools if you live in Spain. If you pay.

If you live in gib schooling is free. cheaper to pay higher rental/property price than education fees, plus get the advantages of living here.

If its true that you have to leave Gibraltar after six months If no employment,why does that not apply to the rest of Europe, I am a UK citizen and if Gibraltar is part of the UK  I would expect to be allowed to stay till I was in employment. I believe jersey is worse again, once again if you are a UK citizen why is it so difficult to try and start a new life in a place which belongs to the UK.

An interesting question I doubt you do or if you do whether it would be enforced unless you became anti social. These UK dependencies or whatever you call them are actually their own countries so unless they are in the EU they can do pretty much what they like. I shall be interested to hear what the locals have to say.

I am not sure where you got the idea you will be thrown out after 6 months if you don't have a job.  However, I'm not sure how you are going to afford to last 6 months without a job.   If you bring in a UK registered car this has to be registered before 6 months has passed.   That's the only reference I know of with regards 6 months.   Start a new life in Gibraltar, where did that dream start? "Britain in the Sun"?, its not Britain, its Gibraltar and if you tell people here that it belongs to the UK, you probably wont last 6 months.   Remember, Tony Blaire wanted to give it back to Spain in 2002 and its more that people in Gibraltar want to remain a British Territory than become Spanish.   Its also a small place and living costs are high and therefore opportunities are hard won.

[Moderated: Do not talk about politics here please]

Folks,

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead...

I'm a wee bit older than most Expats here I guess and a bit of a professional one. I lived for a fair few years in old Blighty and currently hang in China. Eventually me bit of fluff, our daughter and mesself want to move back to Europe, mainly for the wee ones education. In our family the mix of languages is german and chinese (mandarin/cantonese) but mostly we speak english.

Looks like some of me investments start paying orf swell, so I won't be wanting too much for dosh (not filthy rich either though). As EU citizen I can move pretty much anywhere, but the language is an issue. Anywhere not english speaking, someone needs to learn some language or all of us.

So ideal for me would be a place that speaks english, not too buzzy, a bit laid back and nicely safe for the wee one. Quality of life (Clean Air, water etc.) is also a major factor. Otherwise I could just stay in Hongkers, SingSing or on the Mainland.

But old Blighty again - NO F.C.U.K. - I.N.G. way. I do like a lot of things english, but there is plenty to bum me out. After a few years in Hongkers and Canton I sure don't fancy the poor excuse for weather they have in Blighty. And it sure ain't that safe, not London, not the other corners I can think of I'd care to live.

So I am thinking GIB might suit all of us well enough.

I'll still be going regularly to Blighty and China on Business and I suspect all long holidays, the wee one and the bit of fluff will high-tail to china to the family there as well.

Now, so the wee one can go to school, I need to pay tax I figure. What is the best way I can pull this off? Move to GIB, rent a flat (maybe buy one, after a while - does anyone do "rent to buy" way they do in Hongkers?) register some income so I can pay tax, but not having to hold down a day job just to live there? How easy to get school places? Any decent pubs serving Dublins finest?

How easy is it to register as self employed (say as "Designer" or some such shite)? Methinks I can still rub me two braincells together and do me own taxes. Income can be arranged at any level that suits me, seems under GIB income tax I only have to tax the income I want to bring in. The rest stay taxfree in Hongkers for me. I don't mind living a little frugal, on paper (nudge nudge, wink wink).

So, there it is, any suggestions welcome.

Also, any suggestions for any other place to move to (not Hongkers, SingSing, Blighty, Ireland, Canada or the States)? Needs to be easy going, safe, not super expensive, speak english and have a halve decent education system and neither miserably wet/cold weather and nothing too close to the Equator either. Oh and needs to be easy to get in to live for EU citizens and family.