Gibraltar — Stamps & Postal Service

Postal Service Overview

Gibraltar Post (administered through the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau) is the British Overseas Territory’s postal service. Gibraltar has issued its own stamps since 1886 and maintains a distinctive philatelic identity reflecting its status as a strategically vital British enclave on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar’s stamps are listed in the Stanley Gibbons British Commonwealth catalogue and are popular with Commonwealth collectors worldwide. The Rock of Gibraltar — one of the ancient Pillars of Hercules — is an enduring and iconic stamp subject.

Notable Stamp Issues

Gibraltar’s first stamps were British stamps overprinted “GIBRALTAR” in 1886 — initially using Bermuda stamps already in stock. Gibraltar’s own typographed stamps followed in 1887 with the Queen Victoria profile. The Rock of Gibraltar appears on virtually every definitive series. WWII covers from wartime Gibraltar are historically significant. Post-war pictorial definitives feature the Rock from various angles, Barbary macaques, and the Europa Point lighthouse. Modern Gibraltar stamps have featured the Royal Family, British history, and topical subjects including space, ships, and automobiles.

Collecting Tips

Gibraltar stamps are listed in Stanley Gibbons Part 1 (British Commonwealth). The territory produces a moderate annual programme with high-quality lithography and occasional engraving. The Barbary macaque — Europe’s only wild primate, resident on the Rock — is a popular wildlife thematic subject. Spanish territorial claims over Gibraltar create political context for some stamp imagery. Gibraltar’s wartime postal history (1939–1945) during the evacuation of civilians is a specialist area.

Part of the Europe Postal Directory.