In Gibraltar, almost anyone who trades in goods or provides services needs a business licence, and having a registered company is not enough on its own. Licences are issued by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) under the Fair Trading Act 2023, through a single online Business Application. As of October 2026, a new single-class licence costs £185, lasts a year and is tied to specific premises. Financial services and gambling sit outside this regime and need their own authorisations.
At a glance
| Law | Fair Trading Act 2023 (in force 1 October 2023) |
| Issuing body | Office of Fair Trading, with the Department of Business |
| How to apply | Combined online Business Application (since 30 July 2026) |
| New licence fee | £185 single class; £264 trade and service classes |
| Renewal | Annually: £116 single class; £211 trade and service classes |
| Statutory timeline | Publish within 5 working days, 5-day objection window, 10-day decision period |
| Not covered | Financial services, gambling, legal and medical services (separate regimes) |
Who needs a business licence in Gibraltar?
The Fair Trading Act makes it an offence to carry on business without a licence issued by the OFT, unless an exemption applies. Since 2015, services as well as goods are licensable, so consultants, agencies, contractors, retailers and online sellers operating from Gibraltar are all in scope.
The rule follows the activity, not the legal form. A sole trader, a partnership, a Gibraltar company and a foreign company’s branch or subsidiary all need a licence if they trade. Businesses based in Spain or elsewhere that serve Gibraltar customers are not exempt simply because they are cross-frontier.
Who does not need one
The Act lists people who are not treated as carrying on business, and activities regulated elsewhere. Examples include:
- employees, directors and shareholders of a licensed trading company;
- intra-group services and services to a single family office;
- journalists, and some domestic services to one private household;
- receiving rental income from Gibraltar property;
- activities regulated under other laws, such as financial services, medical and health services, legal services, gambling, petroleum sales and firearms.
The full lists sit in the Fair Trading Act 2023 and can change by amendment, so confirm with the OFT that an exemption covers your activity before relying on it.
Small businesses: registration instead of a licence
Qualifying cottage industries, artisans and service providers with annual turnover of £20,000 or less can register with the OFT rather than hold a full licence. Registration has no fee but must be renewed each year. It is not available to “specified businesses”, a category covering activities such as injections, tattooing, skin-breaking procedures, prescription-only medicines, therapy, some counselling and healthcare services.
How is a business licence different from a GFSC or gaming licence?
These are separate regimes, and many firms need more than one approval:
| Approval | Who grants it | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Business licence | Office of Fair Trading | General trading in goods and services |
| Financial services authorisation | Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) | Banking, insurance, investment, fiduciary, e-money, DLT and similar |
| Remote gambling licence | Gibraltar’s gambling licensing regime | Online betting and gaming |
| Company or business name | Companies House Gibraltar | Legal existence, not permission to trade |
If your activity is regulated, start with our licensed sectors hub, including the guides to the online gaming licence and DLT and fintech licensing. For every company guide, see the business hub.
How do you apply for a business licence?
Since 30 July 2026, business registration and licensing questions are combined in a single online Business Application, submitted at oft.gov.gi. It only asks for licensing details where your activity needs a licence.
Step 1: set up your legal structure
Incorporate a company, register a foreign company’s branch, or register a business name at Companies House Gibraltar. Self-employed people trading under their own name skip this step. Our guide on how to set up a company in Gibraltar covers incorporation.
Step 2: secure suitable premises
A licence is issued for the premises named in it. You normally need to show you occupy premises that are permitted for and suit the activity, typically with a lease of at least 12 months. Registered office addresses provided by a trust company and mail-only virtual offices are generally not accepted. Traders in goods need proper commercial premises; service businesses can ask for a discretionary premises waiver.
Step 3: submit the Business Application
Expect to provide identity documents, Gibraltar ID or residence cards where relevant, your company or business name registration number, the lease and photos or plans of the premises, and for some services, evidence of qualifications and insurance. Businesses that hold client money need a client account, or confirmation that one will be in place within three months.
Step 4: publication, objections and decision
The OFT publishes notice of a compliant application on its website within five working days. Objections can be lodged within five working days of publication. The OFT then has a prescribed decision period, set at ten working days unless the Minister changes it. For specified businesses, the OFT can refuse if it is not satisfied that you are competent.
Step 5: register workers
Once licensed, register employees, working directors, partners and self-employed workers with the Department of Employment, and complete tax and social insurance registrations.
How long does a business licence take?
On paper, a complete application can be decided within roughly four weeks: up to five working days to publish, a five-day objection window, then a ten-working-day decision period. Missing documents, premises questions or objections add time. The OFT and Department of Business processed 1,112 new business licence-related applications in 2025–26, according to their annual report.
The Department of Business’s July 2026 registration guide, which covers anyone trading in or from Gibraltar and not only cross-frontier businesses, says its compliance team will not take enforcement action against a business that can show its Business Application has been submitted and is being processed.
How much does a business licence cost?
The Fair Trading (Fees) Regulations, as amended from 1 August 2025, set these fees:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| New single business licence | £185.00 |
| New licence, trade and service business classes | £264.00 |
| Renewal, single business class | £116.00 |
| Renewal, trade and service classes | £211.00 |
| Adding a business class or activity | £116.00 |
| Transfer to another person or premises | £116.00 each |
| Temporary licence | £264.00 |
| Filing an objection | £105.50 |
| Small-business registration | No fee |
These are government fees only. Company incorporation, premises and adviser costs are separate; see what it costs to set up a company in Gibraltar.
How long does a licence last?
A business licence lasts one year from issue and must be renewed annually. The OFT can still renew a licence if you apply within six months of expiry, but trading after expiry can count as unlicensed activity. Keep your activity description, premises and contact details up to date, and apply to extend the licence before adding new business classes.
What happens if you trade without a licence?
Carrying on business without a licence is a criminal offence, punishable on summary conviction by a fine at level 4 on the standard scale, whose amounts are set under the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act 2011. The Department of Business compliance team actively monitors for unlicensed and unregistered trading. Decisions by the OFT can be appealed to its Decision Making Committee, with a further route to the courts.
Did the 2026 UK–EU treaty change business licensing?
Not the basic rules. The UK–EU treaty does not create free movement of services, so a business from Spain or elsewhere in the EU still needs to register and, where required, hold a licence before trading in Gibraltar. What changed in July 2026 was practical: new government guidance, the combined Business Application, a narrow exception for one-off deliveries of goods from the Campo de Gibraltar, and streamlined routes for detached workers. Our guide to working across the frontier covers the worker side.