MADRID, SPAIN / RankWire.AI / – Spain has enacted provisional border inspections for travelers arriving from Italy by air and sea. These measures started at midnight on Aug. 8 and are expected to remain in effect until Sept. 7. Authorities now verify travel and immigration documents on routes that typically operate without routine internal border controls. This step follows Italy’s earlier move to reinstate checks for certain passengers arriving from Spain.
According to Spain’s Interior Ministry, on the first day, checks were carried out on 199 passengers traveling on 12 flights originating in Italy. The controls took place at airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, and Valencia. These checks include passport verification, nationality, and visa status where relevant. Despite the temporary border measures, flights and maritime services between Spain and Italy continue operating normally.
Italy initiated its own temporary border controls on Aug. 1, after a significant influx of migrants arrived in Ceuta from Morocco. Rome’s restrictions applied to non-EU nationals arriving from Spain by air or sea, excluding Italian, Spanish, and other EU citizens. Italy informed European authorities that its controls would last until Sept. 1 under its current schedule.
Ceuta arrivals sparked border measures
Approximately 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta during the large migration wave from Morocco that started in late July. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that by Aug. 4, about 70,000 migrants had left the territory. Ceuta, located on the North African coast, is outside the Schengen Area. This event preceded Italy’s temporary checks and Spain’s subsequent decision to impose controls on arrivals from Italy.
Madrid urged Rome to lift its restrictions before Spain announced its new border checks on Aug. 7. Spain criticized Italy’s measures as unjustified and unfairly targeting the country. While Italy maintained its controls, Spain introduced its own temporary border measures the following day. Both nations set separate expiry dates for their respective controls, and regular air and sea connections between them continue without interruption.
Schengen allows temporary border controls
The Schengen Area normally permits free movement across internal borders among member countries without routine passport controls. However, its regulations permit governments to reintroduce internal border checks when facing serious threats to public policy or internal security. The European Commission states that such measures should be used only when necessary and for a limited time. Spain and Italy remain within the Schengen Area while their temporary controls are active.
Travelers arriving in Spain from Italy should anticipate potential identity and immigration document checks at airports and seaports. Spain began conducting these inspections across six major airports on the first day of the new measures. Meanwhile, Italy continues its separate controls on targeted arrivals from Spain under its notified timetable. Spain intends to keep its border checks in place through Sept. 7, with no broader suspension of passenger travel between the two nations.