Could Gibraltar join the EU’s borderless Schengen area?

As the territory’s chief minister says he is looking at the plan, Jon Stone considers whether it might work

Queues to Spain could become a thing of the past for the Rock (AFP/Getty)

Gibraltar’s chief minister Fabian Picardo has said the territory could join the EU’s borderless Schengen area after Brexit, arguing that it does not “make sense” for the micro-state to be cut off. Here are the factors that need to be taken into consideration.

Can Gibraltar join Schengen even if the UK has left the EU?

Countries outside the EU are welcome in the Schengen area. Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway are all outside the EU, and are all members, with no passport controls between them and neighbouring countries. Despite the popular aversion to the zone in the UK, it is a very normal part of life on the continent.