Expat insurance and health insurance in Gibraltar

Gibraltar's public health system is provided by the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA), created by the Medical (Gibraltar Health Authority) Act of 1987. The Gibraltar government describes it as a model closely linked to the British NHS, providing primary, secondary and mental health care, with some tertiary care entrusted to NHS hospitals and Spanish hospitals given the proximity. The hospital is St Bernard's Hospital (Harbour Views Road), with the Primary Care Centre providing first-contact care.

Access rests on a contributory scheme, the Group Practice Medical Scheme (GPMS). The GHA specifies that the scheme allows eligible people and their dependants to access care free of charge; this covers insured persons and their dependants, as well as people who are "ordinarily resident" in Gibraltar. The Income Tax Office indicates that social insurance contributions, calculated as a percentage of income between a minimum and a maximum, also fund this scheme. Prescribed medicines cost £5 per item, up to a limit of £15; dental care is reserved for children, adults being seen only in an emergency.

France Diplomatie does not publish a health section specific to Gibraltar: its United Kingdom page recommends insurance or assistance covering medical costs, hospitalisation and repatriation, and specifies that the embassy cannot cover these costs. The emergency number relayed by the GHA and the police is 999; 111 provides medical advice 24 hours a day when the situation is not an emergency.

• Entry: a French citizen with a passport or national ID card valid for the length of the stay can enter Gibraltar; the electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required in the United Kingdom is not needed for this territory (France Diplomatie).
• Border with Spain: the Gibraltar government states that no immigration checks are carried out at the land crossing under the EU-UK agreement, Schengen checks taking place at Gibraltar airport and, if needed, at the port.
• Settling: the new residence rules (Residency Regulations 2026, in force on 14 July 2026) apply to applications filed from 6 October 2025. The standard criterion for an employee requires a contract of at least one year, gross annual pay of at least £37,500, rented or owned accommodation and an age of 55 or under, with possible exemptions. Applications are filed on the official residency portal.
• Local affiliation: free access to GHA care goes through the GPMS (social insurance contributions from employment, or ordinary residence). The residency pages consulted mention no obligation to take out private insurance.
• Travel or international insurance: France Diplomatie recommends it for the United Kingdom (medical costs, hospitalisation, repatriation); the GHA no longer treats visitors covered by the Spanish system free of charge since 1 July 2022.
• Student: full-time students at the University of Gibraltar come under a separate residency route; the EHIC is not mentioned by any official source consulted for Gibraltar. A student insurance covers the stay.
• Seconded employee : with no agreement, secondment comes under French domestic law, for three years renewable once (CLEISS), with reimbursement of care abroad according to French rules (form S 3125c).
• Retiree: the Assurance Maladie (the French national health insurance) and CLEISS pages do not deal with Gibraltar; the S1 is not documented for this territory (see form S1) and the CFE offers a retiree plan.

No individual fine for lacking health insurance is mentioned in the sources consulted. Residing without a valid permit, however, is penalised by a £2,500 fine (residency portal).

No bilateral France-Gibraltar social security agreement appears in the list of agreements published by CLEISS, which also has no scheme page for Gibraltar. The CLEISS pages on the United Kingdom (social security protocol of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, EHIC, 24-month secondment) do not mention Gibraltar. The preamble of the 2026 EU-UK agreement concerning Gibraltar also recalls that Gibraltar is not included in the territorial scope of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement of 30 December 2020.

• EU-UK agreement concerning Gibraltar: signed on 14/07/2026. Its fourth part sets out the rights of cross-border workers between Spain and Gibraltar and refers to a social security coordination protocol (benefits in kind at the place of residence, contributions, periods).
• Withdrawal Agreement: it continues to protect people who came under its provisions on 31/12/2020 (Gibraltar government note of 17/11/2020 on cross-border workers).
• Reciprocity with Spain: the Spanish transitional arrangement ended on 30/06/2022; since 01/07/2022, GPMS insured persons no longer have free access to urgent care in Spain and the GHA no longer treats visitors covered by the Spanish system free of charge.
• Taxation: the BOFiP (the French tax authority's official doctrine) states that the Franco-British tax treaty does not cover Gibraltar and lists no agreement with Gibraltar; it only records an exchange of information on request.

1. Before departure: notify French agencies of your departure (CPAM, CAF, France Travail, pension funds) and check your situation with CLEISS.
2. For any stay: take out insurance or assistance covering medical costs, hospitalisation and medical repatriation, as France Diplomatie recommends for the United Kingdom.
3. Travel with a passport or national ID card valid for the whole length of the stay.
4. To settle: check eligibility and file the residence application on the Gibraltar government's official portal (application fee of £250, plus £250 per dependant).
5. Employee: have the employer declare your employment to the Department of Employment, which records the terms of engagement.
6. Once insured or resident: register with the GHA (health card) via the eGov portal.
7. Seconded employee: request continued membership of the French scheme from the fund and the Urssaf before departure.
8. Make yourself known to the French Consulate General in London, responsible for Gibraltar, and register on the roll of French nationals living abroad.