Department issues reminder on early travel documentation preparedness

The Department of Immigration and Home Affairs has issued a reminder to the public to ensure all travel documentation is valid and up to date well in advance of travel.

The Department said it has recently seen an increase in last-minute requests for assistance from travellers who discovered shortly before travelling that passports, identity cards, civil registration cards or other documents were expired, missing or not yet registered.

It warned that immigration procedures are subject to legal and administrative processes, which may also involve external agencies, and cannot be expedited at very short notice.

A spokesperson for the Department said: “While our dedicated team works hard to assist the public it serves, it is not always possible to resolve urgent cases if the necessary steps have not been taken in advance. This can result in travel disruption, something which we strongly wish to avoid at all costs.”

The Department urged travellers to check expiry dates on passports and documents ahead of travel, ensure all family members including newborns have the correct documentation before bookings are made, and contact the Department early if in doubt.

Enquiries can be made via the following email addresses:
• Immigration Section: immigration.diha@gibraltar.gov.gi
• Passport and Nationality Section: passports.diha@gibraltar.gov.gi
• Registry of Births, Deaths and Gibraltarian Status: bdmregistry.diha@gibraltar.gov.gi