Right now, vaccination programmes on both sides of the frontier are underway. The first vaccines to arrive in Gibraltar and La Línea were the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech. The Oxford/AstraZenica vaccine has been approved for use in Gibraltar where the Pfizer vaccine is contraindicated (e.g. someone who has suffered a case of anaphylaxis with unknown cause).
Skip to:
- If you do not work in Gibraltar but you qualify for healthcare in Spain
- If you don’t qualify for healthcare in Spain, but you live in La Línea
If you work in Gibraltar or qualify for healthcare in Gib
If you work in Gibraltar, you should already be registered with the GHA and therefore you will be called when they get round to your risk group. If your registration is expired or you never registered – Good news! You can complete the entire registration process online these days.
You should also register to be vaccinated as a frontier worker on this form. The GHA has announced that it will be issuing temporary GHA numbers (for vaccination purposes only) to all frontier workers who are not already currently registered. If you are a frontier worker, with no health conditions that would put you at a higher risk of mortality should you catch COVID-19, we are afraid you fall under the final group (9) to be vaccinated. However, the GHA is vaccinating people at lightening speed compared to other countries, so you still shouldn’t have to wait too long!
If you do not work in Gibraltar but you qualify for healthcare in La Línea
If you are entitled to healthcare in Spain (i.e. you have a social security number and tarjeta sanitaria), then just as in Gibraltar, then you will be contacted by phone when it’s your turn – according to your risk group. You can read the Spanish government’s vaccination strategy here.
Check out our best effort at a guide for how to register for healthcare in La Línea (updated).
The first phase of the vaccination programme addresses residents of elderly care homes and their carers, along with healthcare workers and adults with major dependencies. This phase covers around 2.5 million people and could take around three months (until the end of March 2021).
If you have fallen through the cracks
Unfortunately, at this point we are unaware of a way to get the vaccine locally without being officially registered for health care in either Spain or Gibraltar, as the vaccines are being distributed exclusively by governments in both countries.
However, even if you are out of work right now, you will be able to get a temporary SIP issued for 6-12 months.
How to get a temporary Tarjeta Sanitaria SIP in La Línea
Bring the following documents to your nearest public health center:
- Valid passport (and bring a photocopy just in case)
- Copy of your empadronamiento (which must be at least 3 months old)
