Public healthcare in Gibraltar is run by the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) and is free at the point of use for people who pay social insurance or are lawfully resident, together with their spouse and children. State schools follow the national curriculum for England and are free for resident children. Both depend on your residence document, so getting a Gibraltar ID card, registration card or residence permit is usually the first job after you arrive.
At a glance
| Topic | Position as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Public healthcare | GHA, through the Group Practice Medical Scheme (GPMS) |
| Who qualifies | Social insurance contributors, lawful residents and their dependants |
| Prescriptions | £5 per item, capped at £15 when three or more are issued together |
| State schools | Free for resident children; English national curriculum, taught in English |
| Category 2 residents | No publicly funded healthcare or schooling; private medical insurance required |
| ID card fee | £37 first card, £16 renewal (from 1 August 2026) |
| Residence permit fee | £250 first application, £20 renewal |
Who can register with the Gibraltar Health Authority?
Under the GPMS, two groups are entitled to care without charge: insured persons (people paying Gibraltar social insurance) and their dependants, and people ordinarily resident in Gibraltar. In practice, that covers:
- employees and self-employed people paying contributions;
- state pensioners, including some UK pensioners who transfer their rights under the reciprocal arrangement;
- holders of a residence permit, together with a spouse and children under 18 or in full-time tertiary education;
- University of Gibraltar students, who pay a £470 annual GPMS contribution.
Some people who do not contribute through social insurance may be able to join by paying a voluntary annual contribution, if they meet the GHA’s eligibility criteria. The GHA does not publish the amount online, so ask its Registration department (20007833) for the current fee and whether you qualify. Parents of residence permit holders are not covered. Since June 2026, Category 2 residents have no entitlement to publicly funded healthcare.
Frontier workers who live in Spain and pay Gibraltar contributions can use the GHA while contributing. They normally receive day-to-day healthcare where they live, under social security coordination, by registering their Gibraltar entitlement with the Spanish authorities. See working across the frontier after the treaty.
How do you register with the GHA?
You can apply online with an eGov account (the Online Health Card application) or in person, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 12:30. Incomplete applications are turned away, so bring everything the first time.
What to bring
- A completed GPMS application form and one passport-size photo on a white background.
- If employed: your three most recent payslips, showing your name, date and social insurance deduction (you can blank out the rest).
- If self-employed: proof of contributions for the current tax year and your residence permit, if you hold one.
- For dependants: marriage, civil partnership or birth certificate (first application only), and a letter from the college if a child is over 18.
- For UK state pensioners: you first need to transfer your entitlement using form IPC586 from the UK’s Overseas Healthcare Services.
How long your registration lasts can depend on your residence permit or lease, so check the expiry date on your health card and renew in time. Report any change of name or address on the GHA form.
What does the GHA cover, and do you need private insurance?
The GHA runs primary care, St Bernard’s Hospital and community services. Some specialist treatment is arranged outside Gibraltar, usually in Spain or the UK, when it is not available locally. Press reports in October 2026 describe these referrals being approved by a Tertiary Referral Board and handled by the GHA’s Sponsored Patients Department, with taxis to Spanish hospitals kept for patients who need them. Two gaps catch newcomers out:
- Dental care: the GHA treats children; adults get emergency treatment only, so most people use private dentists.
- Care in Spain: GHA registration does not entitle you to free treatment in Spain. Eligible British citizens aged 60 to 90 who live only in Gibraltar can claim back specified emergency costs in Andalucía under a government scheme, but this is not a substitute for insurance.
Many employers include private medical insurance, and it is worth having if you want faster access to specialists or treatment in Spain. Category 2 applicants must show suitable private cover. Premiums vary widely with age, medical history and the level of cover, and international plans that include treatment abroad cost more than local ones, so compare quotes from several insurers or a broker.
How does the school system work in Gibraltar?
Government schools follow the national curriculum for England, adapted locally for Spanish and religious education. Teaching is in English, and Spanish lessons start in Year 3. All schools are co-educational.
| Stage | Ages (approx.) | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery | 3 to 4 | Attached to the six lower primary schools and St Martin’s |
| Lower primary | 4 to 7 | Notre Dame, Governor’s Meadow, St Paul’s, St Bernard’s, St Mary’s, St Joseph’s |
| Upper primary | 8 to 11 | Including St Anne’s and Bishop Fitzgerald |
| Secondary | 11 to 16 | Bayside and Westside comprehensive schools |
| Sixth form and further education | 16 to 18 | A levels at the secondary schools; Gibraltar College for vocational and professional courses |
Children start Reception in the school year in which they turn five. St Martin’s serves children with special educational needs, and several mainstream schools have learning support units. Secondary pupils usually sit GCSEs, and most students go on to UK universities. The Government’s schools directory lists four upper primary schools: Bishop Fitzgerald, St Anne’s, St Bernard’s and St Joseph’s. The ages in the table are approximate, so check the year group with the school.
Families on new residence permits can only claim a government university scholarship for a child after ten years of continuous lawful residence, with tax and social insurance paid throughout.
How do you get a school place?
Places depend on residence. The Department of Education checks eligibility, and pupils found not to be entitled are asked to leave at the end of the school year.
- Get your residence document first: a Gibraltar ID card, registration card or residence permit.
- Apply online through the Department of Education’s enrolment form.
- Upload the child’s long-form birth certificate, your ID card or permit, and a recent local water and electricity bill.
- The department confirms your catchment school. You can ask for a transfer at this stage.
For nursery and Reception, applications open in the spring for the following September. In 2025 the window ran from 6 February to 12 March, and late applicants were not guaranteed a catchment place. We found no separate published process for other year groups or a mid-year move, so contact the Department of Education’s enrolments team directly (23 Queensway, enrolments.edu@gibraltar.gov.gi, 20077486).
What about private and international schools?
Private options inside Gibraltar are limited:
- Prior Park School Gibraltar: an independent Catholic co-educational senior school for ages 11 to 18, linked to Prior Park College in Bath.
- Loreto Convent School: a private co-educational school for nursery and primary ages.
Ten private nurseries and playgroups are also registered with the Department of Education. Fees are set by each nursery and are not published centrally, so ask for a fee sheet. Under the Allowance Based System, parents paying nursery fees may be able to claim the nursery school allowance (£5,480 for 2026/27, according to PwC).
Many families who live in the Campo de Gibraltar use international or bilingual schools in Spain. The nearest large one is Sotogrande International School in San Roque, an IB school (Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma) whose published 2026–27 day fees run from about €9,840 to €28,255 a year. International Montessori School Sotogrande takes ages 1 to 12 in English and Spanish, at about €7,500 to €9,500 a year for 2026–27 according to International Schools Database. Further along the coast around Estepona there are British-curriculum options, such as Mayfair School Estepona and Atalaya International School. Daily crossings for children became simpler after routine immigration checks ended in July 2026, but each child still needs their own valid travel document, and consent evidence may be asked for if they travel with one parent or another adult.
How do Gibraltar ID cards, registration cards and residence permits work?
Your residence document proves you live in Gibraltar and is what the GHA, schools, banks and employers will ask for. There are several types:
- Gibraltar identity card (red): held by Gibraltarians, naturalised Gibraltarians and long-term residents.
- Civilian registration cards: issued to other residents, colour-coded by nationality (for example, EU/EEA nationals, non-Gibraltarian British citizens and other nationals).
- Residence permit: the route for most people moving since 6 October 2025, under the Residency Regulations 2026. It lasts a year and needs renewing.
ID card holders and people who were resident before 6 October 2025 are not affected by the new criteria. New applicants generally need a qualifying job paying at least £37,500 a year (or another qualifying route), suitable housing, a vetting certificate and, usually, to be 55 or under. Details are in working in Gibraltar. Living in Gibraltar without a valid permit can lead to a £2,500 penalty.
Applying for a card
Applications go to the Civil Status and Registration Office within the Department of Immigration and Home Affairs, online through eGov or in person. For an identity card you usually need a completed form, your passport, a full birth certificate (first application), a photo, and proof of address, such as your deeds or lease with recent rates or utility bills. A rental agreement must run for at least six months. You collect the card with the PIN letter sent to your address.
Fees from 1 August 2026 under the Notice of Prescribed Fees (LN.2026/248):
| Application | Fee |
|---|---|
| First identity card | £37.00 |
| Identity card renewal or change | £16.00 |
| First residence permit | £250.00 |
| Residence permit renewal or change | £20.00 |
| Replacement for loss or destruction | £32.00 |
| 24-hour emergency identity card | £105.50 |
| Applicants aged 65 or over | Free |
The Government’s earlier residence criteria paper proposed a £100 renewal fee, but the Residency Regulations 2026 (regulation 21(2)) and the legal notice both set it at £20. Our moving to Gibraltar checklist sets out the order to tackle registration, healthcare and schools.
What changed with the 2026 UK–EU treaty
The treaty has applied provisionally since 15 July 2026. For residents, the main points are:
- Travel: holders of eligible Gibraltar identity or civilian registration cards are exempt from EES registration and, once it starts, ETIAS. Residents should carry their passport and card, because a Gibraltar-issued passport on its own does not prove residence. Anyone wrongly registered on EES has been asked to report it to the Government.
- Older permits: a residence permit issued before the treaty stays valid for two years from the start of the treaty, or until it expires if sooner.
- No right to live in Spain: Gibraltar residence does not give a right to live in Spain or elsewhere in Schengen, and the 90-in-180-day rule still applies where normal short-stay rules apply.
- Healthcare: the treaty did not create free care in Spain for GHA patients. Frontier workers’ healthcare is coordinated between the Gibraltar and Spanish systems.
For the full picture of residence routes, see our residency hub.