Italy is keeping checks on travellers from Spain at ports and airports for another 15 days. By 31 August, officers had checked more than 180,000 people. They refused entry to 31 and arrested six. Spain is applying the same controls to travellers from Italy until 8 October. The extension was reported on 30 September and 1 October 2026, citing the Italian Interior Ministry.
Italy introduced the policy on 1 August, after at least 80,000 migrants arrived in Ceuta on 30 July. Rome says the situation in the Spanish autonomous city remains unresolved.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi consulted the Committee for Analysis of Immigration and Border Security before the latest extension. The Italian Interior Ministry says the checks will strengthen protection at European borders. It also cites national security and the need to prevent or counter possible terrorist threats.
Rome notified the European Commission and the interior ministers of EU member states. Ministry summaries cited in reports confirm that step.
Passengers arriving from Spain may face random checks at Italian ports and airports. The measure is temporary and does not close travel routes between Italy and Spain.
By 31 August, Italian authorities had reported more than 180,000 checks. They refused entry to 31 people and arrested six. Eight of those refused entry were Moroccan nationals. The figures come from official Italian Interior Ministry data cited in reports.
The controls affect the Schengen free-movement arrangement between the two countries. Italy so notified the European Commission and the other EU interior ministers about the extension.
Spain responded in kind, imposing similar checks on travellers from Italy after Rome extended its restrictions for a second time on 15 September. Reports say Madrid prolonged its controls until 8 October.
Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares called the Italian decision a shameful and absurd measure. Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani described Madrid's retaliation as uselessly aggressive.
The migration episode in Ceuta led to repeated checks between two Schengen countries, followed by Spain's own controls. Italy reported more than 180,000 inspections by the end of August, along with 31 refusals of entry.
Travellers may face random inspections when arriving in Italy from Spain or in Spain from Italy. For both governments, a temporary border measure has become a continuing dispute. Rome's security argument has come at a cost to free movement, while Madrid's response has spread that cost across both sides. The approach has increased political pressure without settling the Ceuta crisis.
