News
OFT’s Border Checks
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has been seen carrying out checks at the border to ensure Spanish businesses entering Gibraltar have the correct licences and registrations. As reported by GBC, this marks a visible step towards enforcement following on from representations made by the GFSB and members starting in summer 2024.
Why It Matters
For years, GFSB members have raised concerns about unlicensed Spanish businesses operating in Gibraltar without proper registration, potentially undercutting local traders who comply with Gibraltar’s business regulations. Representations were made to the Minister for Business by the GFSB last summer. The OFT has been working on a phased approach to address the issue, starting with an awareness campaign and now moving towards enforcement.
Speaking on The Gibraltar Business Podcast, back in December 2024, OFT CEO John Paul Fa outlined the strategy:
“We’ve developed a strategy to tackle unlicensed business… That strategy isn’t one where we hit the streets on day one and start fining businesses for multiple reasons. But really, because I personally don’t think that’s the right approach to take.”
The OFT launched an awareness campaign last year targeting businesses in Spain, using social media and digital billboards at the frontier to make them aware of Gibraltar’s licensing requirements:
“We’ve launched a campaign that informs these Spanish businesses that they do have to be registered in Gibraltar, they do have to be licenced in Gibraltar to carry out business here. We’ve put that campaign on the Spanish side of the border on that large LED screen… We’ve also put out that same campaign on social media.”
The OFT has also called on local businesses to report cases where they suspect unfair competition:
“We’ve shared that plan with businesses and told them, if you see any business carrying out activity in Gibraltar and you think they may not be licenced, get in touch with us.”
Now what?
This week’s border checks suggest that enforcement may now be taking shape. We’ll be watching closely to see how this impacts competition and whether it helps level the playing field for local businesses.
What do you think of these measures? Join the conversation in the GFSB Community feature in the Glue Up membership platform.
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