For more than a century, a fence separated Gibraltar from Spain. Now, it's gone.
Spain, Gibraltar, the UK and the European Union have signed a long-awaited post-Brexit agreement that removes border and customs checks between Spain and Gibraltar, making it easier for residents, workers and tourists to cross between the two.
The deal ends more than four years of negotiations following the UK's departure from the EU. It also removes the physical border fence, which had stood since 1908 and was widely seen as the last frontier barrier in western Europe.
For travellers, the biggest change is smoother cross-border movement. Visitors staying on Spain's Costa del Sol can now expect easier day trips into Gibraltar, while those based in Gibraltar will have simpler access to neighbouring Andalusian towns without the lengthy queues that were common during peak periods.
The agreement is also expected to benefit the region's tourism industry by making twin-destination itineraries easier to sell. Around 15,000 Spanish workers cross into Gibraltar each day, while many visitors combine Gibraltar with holidays in southern Spain.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the agreement as the start of "a new era of coexistence and shared prosperity", adding that the removal of the fence closes an "open wound" and "opens a new phase in the relationship between Spain and the UK".
Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said: "The frontier that has so often divided and constrained our region will now become a place of cooperation and shared opportunity."
Under the agreement, Gibraltar will effectively join the EU's Schengen free movement area. However, travellers arriving by air or sea into Gibraltar will undergo Schengen checks at the airport or port. Once inside Gibraltar, they can continue into Spain without further border controls.