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1 | Overview
2 | Where to Live
3 | Leisure Activities, Holidays & Festivals
4 | Residency, Visa and Work Permit Information
5 | Transport and Tax Information
6 | Looking After Your Little Ones: Schools and Crèches
7 | Directory of Useful Links
Relocation GuideAll you need to know about living and working in Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British
overseas territory
located on the southern
tip of the Iberian
Peninsula. There are
approximately 29,286
people living in
Gibraltar.
English is the official
language of Gibraltar,
but many locals also
speak Spanish due to the proximity to and cultural
influence of Spain.
The size of Gibraltar is a tiny 6.8 square kilometres,
connecting to Spain by way of a frontier at the
North of the Country.
Gibraltar’s climate benefits from warm summers
and cool sunny winters. The rainy season usually
occurs in October and November each year.
Neighbouring Spain has the beauty of 2 different
coastlines to visit; the Costa del Sol, on the
Mediterranean sea and the Costa de la Luz, on the
Atlantic ocean.
Online gaming is one of the biggest and fastest
growing economic sectors in Gibraltar. Not only the
dynamic of the sector but also the proximity of our
online gaming partners makes Gibraltar an ideal
business location for PokerStrategy.com.
Our brand new offices are located on the West side
of Gibraltar in the heart of the business district.
We offer relocating employees one month of free
accommodation in one of our modern company
apartments. However, when it comes to looking for
your own accommodation, there are many different
places to rent in Gibraltar, ranging from luxury
marina apartments to flats in the centre and upper
town. There is a price range to suit most budgets.
1 | Overview
For many people living in Gibraltar is much more
attractive than living in Spain due to:
• The convenience and proximity to the office
• A safe and secure environment
• Not having to deal with border queues
• Good schools
• Excellent leisure facilities and a good social ambience
If you choose to live in Gibraltar, you will need to
apply for a residency permit which our friendly HR
department is happy to help you with.
For those who don’t mind a daily commute, there is the
option of living in neighbouring Spain. Every estate
agency in Gibraltar is able to offer rentals in various
Spanish locations, and at the back of this document,
you will find a list of useful links to estate agencies
offering rental properties in both Gibraltar and Spain.
There are a number of places to relax and unwind
after a hard day’s work. You can find international
cuisine in Gibraltar with a particular influence on
Spanish and Italian cooking, as well as Moroccan
inspired cuisine.
There is a vast social culture in Gibraltar and there
is always an opportunity to meet your colleagues
for a drink in one of Gibraltar’s bars, which are
conveniently located in Ocean Village and the
Casemates area.
Gibraltar also has a handful of nightclubs, playing
modern dance and rock music, so that you can party
the night away.
For those avid poker players, there is a state of the
art Gala Casino, where they have nightly cash game
poker tournaments, which you can try your hand at!
2 | Where to live
Information Box:
Gibraltar benefits from duty free
shopping on a wide range of goods,
including electrical items, perfumes
cosmetics, cigarettes and alcohol.
There are a number of high street
UK & Spanish fashion retailers,
where you can find the perfect dress
for one of our Company parties!
You won’t go hungry with Morrisons
large supermarket, stocking a wide
range of fresh, tinned and frozen
goods at UK prices, and best of all,
it is located next to our offices!
Benefiting from a warm climate for most of the
year, both outdoor and indoor sports activities form
a large part of Gibraltar’s culture. The Gibraltar
Sports and Leisure Authority offer many free
sporting activities and clubs such as:
• Football
• Touch rugby
• Sailing
• Tennis
• Badminton
For more information, visit:
www.gibraltar.gov.gi/sport
There are also a couple of private health clubs, which
offer corporate membership discounts and facilities
that include a fully equipped gym, swimming pool
and spa. They are Atlantic Suites Health Club and
Ocean Village Health Club.
There are 11 public holidays in Gibraltar each year,
which means a day off from the office for the
majority of employees:
• New Year’s Day
• Commonwealth Day
• Queen’s Birthday
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• May Day
Gibraltar has a number of festivals, including Gibraltar
National Day on 10th September, where all the locals
dress up in red and white to commemorate their
British citizenship and independent governance.
There is a rock concert the evening before and a
street party during the day.
Gibraltar also follows Spanish Christian traditions
and at Christmas time there is a Cavalcade on the
6th December, where a parade of floats proceed up
Main Street and sweets are thrown to celebrate the
arrival of the 3 Kings, who come bearing gifts.
3 | Leisure Activities, Holidays & Festivals
Information Box:
There are a number of nice sandy
beaches in Gibraltar located on the
East and South sides of Gibraltar.
There you can relax with friends or
enjoy the yearly PokerStrategy.com
beach party where you can enjoy good
food, drink, sports and entertainment
in the sun, sea and sand, courtesy of
the Company.
• Scuba diving
• Netball
• Volleyball
• Swimming
• And more...
• May Bank Holiday
• August Bank Holiday
• Gibraltar National Day
• Christmas Day
• Boxing Day
Residency requirements in Gibraltar
Every EU and non EU national who chooses to live
in Gibraltar needs to apply for a residency permit
(Gibraltar ID card). The HR team at PokerStrategy.
com will assist you with this when you arrive, but
you will need to have a rental agreement in place
before the application is made.
Please also note that you will need to check with
the landlord that they are not currently using the
address for their ID card.
What about Spanish residency requirements?
Every non EU national should check their visa status
and residency rights in Spain before deciding to
live there. You have 3 months in which to apply
for your NIE number and we strongly advise that
you start the application process from day one, to
avoid any complications or issues with the Spanish
authorities.
If you are an EU national, you still need to register
with the Spanish authorities that you are living in
Spain. Please refer to the “Living in Spain” guide,
or ask one of our friendly HR staff, to find out how
to do this.
Although Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory,
Gibraltar’s immigration system is different to the
UK, so always check the immigration rules that
apply to your specific Nationality, passport and visa
status in Gibraltar.
Do I need a visa for Gibraltar?
You are likely to if you are a non EU national, but
some countries may be exempt. You can find a
list of Nationals requiring a visa on the Gibraltar
Government Visa page.
As a general rule, those who require a visa for entry
to the UK, also require a separate visa for entry to
Gibraltar
Work Permits
If you require a visa, you will also need to apply for a
work permit, which normally takes up to 2 weeks to
be granted. For more information on work permits,
please Gibraltar Government Employment page.
4 | Residency, Visa & Work Permit Information
Information Box:
For more information on residency
in Spain you can visit the Spanish
Government Website on:
• www.la-moncloa.es
Please speak to Christine Mandleberg
in HR, our visa expert here at
PokerStrategy.com, who will assist
you with your visa and work permit
needs, should you require it!
Getting Around
If you are coming for an interview at PokerStrategy.com
or you are relocating to Gibraltar to come and work
for us, our friendly chauffeurs will
be there to pick you up in
style and comfort in
one of our luxury
PokerStrategy.com
branded cars.
Malaga International Airport in Spain is only 1.5
hours drive from Gibraltar, where you can travel to
various international destinations.
Gibraltar has its own airport with several daily
flights to UK destinations on airlines including
BA, Easy Jet and Monarch. The airport is currently
under expansion and it is likely that flights will also
operate to other European destinations.
There are good transport links in and around
Gibraltar, including a regular bus service with
routes number 2 and 3 from the south and number
5 from the Gibraltar/Spain boarder, stopping right
outside the PokerStrategy.com offices.
There is also a regular bus service from La Linea
(Spain) bus station where you can travel to places
such as Sevilla, Cadiz and Malaga.
Paying taxes in Gibraltar
Even though you can benefit from tax free goods In
Gibraltar, your salary is subject to tax.
There are 2 different tax systems in Gibraltar:
• Allowance Based System – this takes into
consideration allowances you may have such
as spouse, child, mortgage, life and insurance
allowances which could potentially lower the
rate of tax you are subject to paying
• Gross Income Based System – the majority of
employees go on this tax system as they do not
have any allowances in Gibraltar. This is based
on assessable income within specific earnings
brackets
The tax year runs from 1st July to 30th June, and
you are required to submit a tax return form by
30th September each year.
You are also required to pay compulsory Social
Insurance contributions of £25.16 per week. This
entitles you to state benefits such as healthcare,
social benefits as well as an entitlement to a state
pension once you have paid a certain amount of
contributions.
5 | Transport and Tax Information
Information Box
Bus service:
For the Gibraltar bus timetable
please go to the following link:
• Gibraltar bus timetable
For the Andalucía bus timetable
please go to the following link:
• Andalucía bus timetable
Taxes in Gibraltar:
Click on this website for more
information on taxes in Gibraltar.
There is also a tax calculator there
which will help you work out
exactly how much tax you would be
paying.
You can also find further
information about Gibraltar Social
Insurance contributions by clicking
on the following link:
• Social Security Information
Where can my child go to school?
There are 12 primary schools, 2 senior schools
and 1 College of Further Education in Gibraltar
All teacher-training takes place in UK universities
and colleges. In addition, teachers must have a
registration number issued by the Department for
Education (UK).
To send your child to a public school you must be
in possession of a Gibraltar Residence Permit. If you
are not in possession of this you will have to pay the
school fees. At all levels, the curriculum is defined
by National Curriculum legislation based on the UK
system.
School hours for primary schools are from 08:55 to
12:00 and 13:00 to 15:00
School hours for senior schools and the
Comprehensive schools are 08:55 to 12:30 and 13:30
to 15:30.
Private Schools
Loreto Convent School is a private IBVM Roman
Catholic school for boys and girls aged 2-12. They
offer the English National Curriculum up to Year 7.
All teaching is in English by fully qualified staff. For
more information visit the Loreto Convent School
website.
There are no facilities in Gibraltar for full-time,
higher Degree and Masters level education and
consequently, all students must study elsewhere.
Typically Gibraltarians go to UK universities for
further education opportunities. More information
can be found on the Gibraltar Education and
Training website.
Another option for higher education is to study
from home via the Open University. For more info
please go to this website.
There are many privately owned crèches in
Gibraltar which cater for different age groups and
needs. A pick up and drop off service is provided
and are all reasonably priced. We recommend Right
Start Nursery and Tiny Tots, based on their good
reputations in Gibraltar.
6 | Looking after your little ones: Schools and Crèches
Information Box
Please note that we offer unpaid
study leave for our employees, so
please speak to your Line Manager
or the HR Department for more
information.
Accommodation
Gibraltar and Spain rentals
• BFA Estates
• Bray Properties
• BMI Group
• Richardson‘s Estates
• RLS Homes
Sports and Leisure
• Gibraltar Sports Authority
Employment, Immigration and Taxation
• Employment Board
• Work Permits & Visas
• Tax & PAYE
7 | Directory of useful links
Transport Information
Timetables and general information
• Gibraltar bus timetable
• Andalucía bus timetable
Education
Links to private schools and crèches & information on
state schooling system
• Official government site for education and training
• Loreto Convent School
• Right Start Nursery
• Tiny Tots Nursery
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