# Advice for moving to Gibraltar?



## MikeyMcD (May 29, 2013)

Hi,

First all, I'm not sure I'm posting in the right section? I can't seem to find a specific Gibraltar expat forum so if anyone could point me in the right direction that would be great!

I'm 24 years old and from Glasgow, and me and my friend are considering moving to Gibraltar next year - likely from January 2014-December 2014 although that might change. We both work online. So I was just looking for some advice to see what it's like to live in Gibraltar and if there's anything important I'd need to know.

Can anyone confirm whether I would need some sort of residency certificate to stay for a year? I lived in Albufeira for 3 months this summer and to stay beyond 3 months you need to apply for a residency certificate but being from the UK and Gibraltar being UK owned, I'm guessing I basically don't require anything?

Obviously prices for renting varies based on location/size etc but can anyone give me the ball park for what I would be talking to rent a reasonably sized 2 bedroom apartment per month? Also, what about near the beach/ocean view vs more inland?

What's the nightlife like in Gibraltar all year round? I lived in Albufeira for 3 months over the summer and it was great but being a tourist resort the place is really meant to be a Ghost town over the winter months. Is the same with Gibraltar, or is night life booming all year round? I think 60% of people living in Albufeira per year are tourists, anyone know what the figures are for Gibraltar?

Being UK owned, I'm guessing pretty much everyone speaks good English? Or is it the case of a lot of Spanish people have moved over who don't speak English?

Finally, what's the weather like in January-March, Oct-Dec months. Obviously it's gonna be a lot better than Glasgow but is it still decent temperature wise or cold?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot,

Mikey


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Hi, first of all Gib is very small and cramped, which makes properties very expensive. A ball park figure for a two bed apartment????? hhmmm 2000€ a month??????? You need to have a look at some property websites. Because of the cost, most people who work in Gib, live in Spain and do the crossing - which isnt easy either. There are issues going on between Gib, Spain and the UK at the moment. http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...76737-gibraltar-latest-bbc.html?highlight=gib

I personally dont dislike Gib, but many people seem to. It is small, crowded and like a hot London! Unfortunately I know nothing of the night life there. I only assume since most folk commmute there, its possibly not that great, but I could be wrong. The main language is english, altho its a strange mixture. People seem to speak both languages at the same time lol!

The best thing you can do is to go for a couple of fact finding visits!!!!

Jo xxx


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## zenkarma (Feb 15, 2013)

MikeyMcD said:


> I'm guessing I basically don't require anything?


Hi Mikey

I'm afraid your guessing wrong. Getting residency in Gibraltar is a bit like a catch 22. To get residency you need a job there and you can't get a job there unless you have residency!

Property prices there are at the truly horrendous end of the scale to both buy and to rent. The last time I looked 1 bed flats were starting at about €200,000 and a simple 3 bed house €millions+. For this reason many people who work in Gibraltar live in La Linea or nearby and cross the border each day.

Mainland Spain would be a much better option for you if you have a secure online job and can work from anywhere as rental prices there are pretty competitive and reasonable at the moment.

Disappointing as it might seem but I'd forget about trying to gain residency in Gibraltar, it's just too difficult and expensive.


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## Gloverr (Sep 4, 2013)

Hi Mikey

Glad to hear you're thinking of coming over! I'm from England and moved over to La Linea, Spain in October 2012. I work in Gibraltar and it literally takes me about 30 mins to walk into work every day. I would definitely recommend finding a place in La Linea to save a LOT of money. If you look it up online it does have a bit of a bad reputation, but I like it and it's not too bad. I currently pay 500 Euros a month for a 3 bedroom apartment just one the border. I think we got a good deal, but most places go for around 600-800 Euros. In Gibraltar, you would be lucky to get a decent place for £800 pounds but you would probably end up paying more than £1000.

You will have no trouble working here being part of the UK, so no need to worry about that! You also don't need a residency to work or live in Gibraltar.

In terms of night life, it's a lot busier in the Summer as you can imagine, but the winter isn't too quiet. Most people generally go out on a Friday night; there's a few bars in Casemates Square and then bars in the Marina that always get busy along with a handful of nightclubs. There's also an alternative club with lots of live music that opens until sill o'clock, if that's your thing. 

The winter months can be different - I've head that last winter has been the worst they've seen in a while. It rained for the first two weeks I arrived in October but then at Christmas we were back in our flip flops! I think March was quite a bad month for rain and when it rains, it rains! People who had been through the summer here thought it was a bit chilly at times but coming from North West England I didn't seem to think it was that bad!

Let me know if you want any more info.


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## brettjunior1 (Aug 30, 2013)

Actually how much work is there in gib though ? I have an apartment in duquesa and would love to live there and commute into gib for work . I'm in the construction industry in the uk but would be happy to do anything to be in the sun .


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

brettjunior1 said:


> Actually how much work is there in gib though ? I have an apartment in duquesa and would love to live there and commute into gib for work . I'm in the construction industry in the uk but would be happy to do anything to be in the sun .


:welcome:

I think you'll find that almost all the jobs advertised on Gib are for IT work


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