MADRID, SPAIN / RankWire.AI / – Spain has begun implementing temporary border controls for individuals arriving from Italy by air and sea. The new procedures started at midnight on Aug. 8 and are set to remain in place until Sept. 7. Authorities are now scrutinizing travel and immigration documents on routes that typically operate without regular internal border checks. This move follows Italy’s earlier decision to reintroduce controls on certain passengers arriving from Spain.
During the first day, Spain’s Interior Ministry reported inspecting 199 passengers traveling on 12 flights from Italy. Checks were carried out at airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, and Valencia, including passport, nationality, and visa verification where relevant. Despite these controls, flights and maritime services between Spain and Italy continued operating normally while the measures were in effect.
Italy imposed its own temporary border controls on Aug. 1, responding to a significant influx of migrants into Ceuta from Morocco. The Italian government applied these checks to non-EU nationals arriving from Spain by air or sea, excluding Italian citizens, Spanish citizens, and other EU nationals. Italy notified European authorities that its controls would last until Sept. 1, according to the current schedule.
Ceuta arrivals precede border restrictions
Following a large migration wave from Morocco starting in late July, approximately 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that by Aug. 4, around 70,000 had left the territory. Ceuta, located on the North African coast and outside the Schengen Area, experienced this surge prior to Italy’s implementation of temporary checks and Spain’s subsequent decision to control arrivals from Italy.
Madrid had urged Rome to lift its restrictions before Spain announced its own border controls on Aug. 7. Spain argued that Italy’s measures lacked justification and unfairly targeted the country. Italy maintained its controls while Spain introduced its temporary measures the following day. Each country has established different end dates for their respective controls, but normal air and sea travel between them continues uninterrupted.
Temporary border controls are permitted under Schengen regulations
Typically, the Schengen Area allows for seamless travel across internal borders without routine passport checks among member states. However, its rules permit the temporary reintroduction of border checks when a serious threat to public policy or internal security arises. The European Commission states such measures should be used only when necessary and for a limited duration. Spain and Italy remain within the Schengen Area during the period their border controls are active.
Travelers arriving in Spain from Italy should anticipate possible identity and immigration document inspections at airports and ports. On the first day of the control measures, Spain conducted inspections at six major airports. Meanwhile, Italy continues its separate targeted controls on arrivals from Spain under its notified timetable. Spain intends to uphold its border checks until Sept. 7, with no plans to fully suspend passenger travel between the two nations.